Thin Mints at the Office (not so thin!)

jhollyw00d
jhollyw00d Posts: 68 Member
edited September 19 in Motivation and Support
Ok, does anyone else have this problem? You know the problem I'm talking about. It's where you work a fairly sedentary office job, sitting on your bum as it flattens out slowly in front of a computer screen punching away at a keyboard for the better part of 7-8 hours for about 5 days a week. To make matters worse, your co-workers think that they are doing everyone a favor by bringing in sweets and treats to "make the day a little sweeter."

HELP!! :explode:

In our office (a law office), clients send fruit baskets, cookie baskets, candy baskets, and the girls in the office have daughters selling Girl Scout cookies, or baking brownies or cupcakes, or someone makes some ethnic noodle dessert, and you think to yourself "I don't want to be rude" and next thing you know you are shoving 4 cookies in your pie hole saying "I've been good all day, and I'll do an extra 5 minutes on the elliptical later."

I just walked into the kitchen to find a plate full of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. These are my favorite kind of cookies. And boasting a modest 160 calories for 4 cookies, who wouldn't think to themselves "I'm going to have 3 of these instead of my dry cheerios. My body won't notice the difference, and YUMBY!!!" However, looking more closely at the back of the box, I see that there is a whopping 10 grams of sugar in these 4 little chocolate covered wafers sent from heaven!!!!! 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat!!!!!! 22 grams of carbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please share your stories of walking past the cookie tray at work, head held high, and disclose the secrets to resisting temptation and banning the office-fanny!

:bigsmile:

Replies

  • jhollyw00d
    jhollyw00d Posts: 68 Member
    Ok, does anyone else have this problem? You know the problem I'm talking about. It's where you work a fairly sedentary office job, sitting on your bum as it flattens out slowly in front of a computer screen punching away at a keyboard for the better part of 7-8 hours for about 5 days a week. To make matters worse, your co-workers think that they are doing everyone a favor by bringing in sweets and treats to "make the day a little sweeter."

    HELP!! :explode:

    In our office (a law office), clients send fruit baskets, cookie baskets, candy baskets, and the girls in the office have daughters selling Girl Scout cookies, or baking brownies or cupcakes, or someone makes some ethnic noodle dessert, and you think to yourself "I don't want to be rude" and next thing you know you are shoving 4 cookies in your pie hole saying "I've been good all day, and I'll do an extra 5 minutes on the elliptical later."

    I just walked into the kitchen to find a plate full of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies. These are my favorite kind of cookies. And boasting a modest 160 calories for 4 cookies, who wouldn't think to themselves "I'm going to have 3 of these instead of my dry cheerios. My body won't notice the difference, and YUMBY!!!" However, looking more closely at the back of the box, I see that there is a whopping 10 grams of sugar in these 4 little chocolate covered wafers sent from heaven!!!!! 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat!!!!!! 22 grams of carbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Please share your stories of walking past the cookie tray at work, head held high, and disclose the secrets to resisting temptation and banning the office-fanny!

    :bigsmile:
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    My worst was when I worked at Nabisco ( Christie's cookies). All the little coffee areas whad plates of cookies and crackers all the time. I would go and get a cup of coffee or a glass of water and scarf back a few cookies. Needless to say I was not tracking calories then. I can only imagine what a day would have been
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    double post
  • highlighters
    highlighters Posts: 31
    this is so true! (and i couldn't even imagine working for a cookie company!!)

    but my problem is not just substituting the cookies for something healthy, its the fact that I would have no willpower and continue to eat and eat until all were gone.

    at my office people bring in food every day. its really very nice, even cooked meals. but yesterday, my first work day with my new eating attitude, i was so proud of myself - i walked right by the homemade brownies and the girl scout cookies all day!! wow!! today i worked the early shift so it was a little easier, except that I forgot to pack my lunch and i ate 5 tootsie-roll mini's after 6 hours of no snacking! at least it wasn't a brownie :)

    good luck!!!
  • happenstance82
    happenstance82 Posts: 240
    Oh, yeah. I'm a behaviorist at a therapeutic group home for teenaged boys. I CANNOT forget to bring my own healthy meals and snacks...teenaged boy food is soooo unhealthy! Bringing my own food is a good way to model healthy eating habits though. Some of the boys are actually eating fruits and veggies now. The hardest thing is to resist birthday cakes and goodies when we throw a party for one of the residents. I have resisted since joining MFP though. You guys in the office settings must have it harder...I can get in some physical activity at work anytime. So I feel for you all and wish you luck!
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
    I just opted for a tootsie roll pop so I don't eat a whole tray of goodies in the break room. :grumble:
  • mamaof2girls
    mamaof2girls Posts: 332 Member
    Unfortunately, I too have these office woes! Why can't people just keep their sweets at home!! Don't they know what sweet torment this is!! I am also one of those people who can't just eat one or two...I will keep eating until every crumb is gone. I do ok as long as I don't get started in the first place, but it is soooo hard no to touch the yummy goodness that is always laid out in the lunchroom. Cookies, brownies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels........oh my!:love: But then I tell myself ...........skinny will taste better than all of that stuff combined!
  • jhollyw00d
    jhollyw00d Posts: 68 Member
    But then I tell myself ...........skinny will taste better than all of that stuff combined!

    I love that, that is my new mantra! Thanks for the input!! :flowerforyou:
  • pattitricia85
    pattitricia85 Posts: 376
    i am going through the same thing in my office, when we worked overtime on saturday, they brought in piza hut.. i resisted! Then yesterday was birthday cake and donuts, and i resisted again. now today someone else brought in donuts, i haven't had any yet, but it is so hard. i just keep telling myself resisting feels so much better than giving in at the end of the day. In the mean time, i am stuffing my face w/ celery sticks, cut broccoli, and baby carrots!
  • ksproston
    ksproston Posts: 6,967 Member
    Jessica - Your job and my job sounds so similar it's scary. And, I currently have two boxes of Girl Scout cookies in a bag, under my desk. I bought them for my husband. (Yep, I'm an enabler. :noway: ). I've put them out of sight, but I still know they're there. One box is Thin Mints, the other is Peanut Butter Patties, which are my favorite as well. Lord help me....Kati
  • jhollyw00d
    jhollyw00d Posts: 68 Member
    I know, I'm shoving down my measly 1/2 cup of plain cheerios with no milk as we "speak!"

    Don't listen to that Thin Mint's little voice! They are the sirens of the Girl Scout cookie world!

    So not worth it!!!

    Drink a glass of water and turn the other cheek! lol:drinker:
  • bricker06
    bricker06 Posts: 316
    Quaker makes really great mini rice cakes that taste like thin mints and they are only 90 cals. I thought this may help.
  • highlighters
    highlighters Posts: 31
    Wow what a secret! I can't wait to look for them at the store!! Thanks :smile:

    I'll tell you what, I'm new here but i just love this calorie counter that does the math for you! Over the past 15 years that I've been trying to lose weight I have never found something so uncomplicated. I told a friend about it and she wants me to check in with her in two weeks to see if I still love it, lol, but its so easy. okay, not the not eating part, but the calorie counting ,lol.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Yeah we have that as well at my office- Patients deliver cookies, donuts, fruit baskets ect.... for delivering there kids

    Then coworkers bring in leftovers from their parties, or we have a get together in the office for someones birthday, or we have office meetings ect......

    Its okay to have some if you can stop at just some

    Like the girl scout cookies 1-2 would have been fine and half the calories.

    as a matter of fact one of the ladies daughters birthday was just recently and she brought in birthday cake yummy and I had a slice (not a big one a small slice)

    I even bought 2 boxes of girlscout cookies for my house- I allowed myself 2 and I was content with 2- I didn't have any more after that- I actually forgot they were in the house
  • cbowers24
    cbowers24 Posts: 15
    I so feel your pain! I ordered girl scout cookies before I started my diet. I have controled myself to only have 2 samoas at night if I have stayed in my calorie range and if I have enough calories left. The only thing that is keeping me from eating the entire box in one sitting is remembering the guiltly feeling that comes after acting like the cookie monster.:ohwell: WE must stay FOCUSED on the end result. That is the only way we can make it through girl scout cookie time.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    something I really do not understand-

    as a kid, I sold cookies for the YMCA to go to summer camp...even back then it was sugar cookies and thin mints, etc.

    now the girl scouts sell them I guess it is to raise money....

    with everything going healthy these days, why dont girl scout moms start a campaign to have the girl scouts sell something that is healthy? is it tradition? everyone seems to agree that the cookies are empty calories, etc. I would love for some kid to knock on my door selling whole grain tortillas or even something as so so healthy as trail mix...maybe it is becuase the cookies are so processed that they can sit in a factory and not go bad....the whole thing doesnt make any sense
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    something I really do not understand-

    as a kid, I sold cookies for the YMCA to go to summer camp...even back then it was sugar cookies and thin mints, etc.

    now the girl scouts sell them I guess it is to raise money....

    with everything going healthy these days, why dont girl scout moms start a campaign to have the girl scouts sell something that is healthy? is it tradition? everyone seems to agree that the cookies are empty calories, etc. I would love for some kid to knock on my door selling whole grain tortillas or even something as so so healthy as trail mix...maybe it is becuase the cookies are so processed that they can sit in a factory and not go bad....the whole thing doesnt make any sense

    yes girl scouts cookies are a tradition- And they sell very good- because even though some people are going healthy (because everything isn't going healthy otherwise America wouldn't be so fat) -- If you bought a crap load of boxes of cookies and waited for people to stop selling them and you started selling them on ebay you would make a killing lol... (because all the unhealthy people will go nuts and pay top dollar for them) sad isn't it..
  • mgullette
    mgullette Posts: 401 Member
    Those cookies have no power over you. They are inanimate objects (though they seemingly taunt you until you give in).

    I just think, am I helping or hurting myself by eating this? Nutritionally, what does this do for me? I work out very hard, so will this help or hurt my athletic performance? Is 5 seconds of chewing satisfaction worth my guilt or less than stellar results in the long-run? Nah...if you're going to have a treat, make it something special. Girl Scout cookies will always be back next year, and the year after...you've tasted them before. You'll probably taste them again, but once you hit your goal you'll probably realize they don't taste as good as you remembered.
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