My office=diet killer!

13

Replies

  • anitab64
    anitab64 Posts: 1
    I think a little snack (portion control--small dollops/taste of treats you like) once in while balanced by habitual healthy eating and routine fat/calorie-burning exercise is OK. Being obsessed with everything that goes in your mouth hour-by-hour is stressful and doomed to fail. Constant depravation is not sustainable for the long haul and causes unnecessary cravings. There will always be celebrations and temptations in your life. Moderation is key. I just started weight loss goals again after an injury limited my physical exercise capability. Being almost 50, my metabolism can't absord the inactivity. But, I have had success in the past with low-fat/low-cal/gym machines+power walking regimine. My former fitness trainer used to point out that my OCD over calorie count was counter-productive. He was right. He said indulging in a fattening meal or snack once in awhile for special occasions is OK. Balancing fitness with diet is the key to sustained weight loss. It is when you give up mentally and lose your will power reverting back to comfort food and bad habits on a routine basis that it becomes a problem.
  • Kalynx
    Kalynx Posts: 707 Member
    The treat table is right behind my desk...I can roll 3 feet over and grab something on treat days. or pot luck days. its hard.

    I try to figure in a small treat if its something I can eat and I want it, but I'd rather the table be somewhere else, for sure.

    Tuesday our Director brought in a lovely box of donuts, and I got a custard filled long john..but I only ate half and logged it! Boy it sure tasted good and I was under my goals for the day.
  • kaetra
    kaetra Posts: 442 Member
    Our office has junk food out almost every single day. I find it easy to say no because I am on a mission and hey, I figured I better learn how to say "No" to crap food. I regard it as Temptation Training. No pain No gain they say!

    Actually, I myself am totally guilty of bringing in a box of pop tarts that my family didn't like, writing "Eat Me - FREE" on it and leaving it by the toaster. I just didn't want to waste the food. They were gone in less than 1 day so I'm glad someone appreciated them.

    But, the committee that organizes all the food events make sure they have at least one healthy item and one vegan item too. For example, on Pie Day (yes, an entire day of Pie Promotion and Pie Gluttony LOL) they included a Sugar Free Apple Pie from Baker's Square. When i checked the calories online it was still not do-able for me. I felt SO guilty that they had went out of their way (mostly just for me, too) I took a small piece, took one bite in front of the committee members and thanked them for being so kind, then took the pie to my office, which later got taken home and fed to my kid.
  • AirCircleI
    AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
    I keep a well stocked fruit bowl on my desk, so when the cakes come out I have a peice of fruit and some almonds, so that when everyone else is having cheesecake I feel like I am having a snack too.

    Except today, when I accepted an offer of a white chocolate cookie for the first time in 2 months, logged it, and found it was 250 cals!
  • linda1243
    linda1243 Posts: 166
    It's gotten better at work here because the company has started a "wellness" initiative so employees are encouraged to eat better and exercise more (help bring down healthcare costs). Now when food does come in, there are healthier options. Maybe you could suggest a dept fitness challenge or check with your HR to see if a wellness program could be started. I know some companies like employee suggestions for making the work environment better.
  • bunnylvr
    bunnylvr Posts: 78
    My work is always buying us food, hardly any of it healthy. We have a pizza quite a bit, we've had a potato bar, soup bar, grilled cheese sandwiches, they kept things to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the break room throughout the holidays and we have donuts AT LEAST once a month! Not to mention the vending machines filled with poptarts, candy bars and chips. Oh, and the hardest one to resist was those tiny smoked sausages covered in BBQ sauce someone brought in the day after the super bowl. They did, however, have a fresh fruit day last week. I'm happy to say I've resisted all of them :)
  • SarahSwimmer
    SarahSwimmer Posts: 125 Member
    MY OFFICE:

    Today - Hypnotic Donuts and Breakfast Tacos

    EVERY Wednesday - Warm Cookies from the bakery down the street

    EVERY Friday - Wine Down (Beer and Wine sometimes with served with Chick-fil-A nugget and brownie platters)

    EVERY DAMN DAY: Candy Bowl with reese's peanut butter cups, snickers, heath bars, mars bars, almond joys, mr. goodbars, you name it... and it's NEVER empty!

    Last week: Chili Cook Off and Bagel Breakfast

    We do a party for every damn holiday!!!!
    And if you have a noon meeting they bring in Pizza or BBQ.


    bangs head against wall...

    DDAAANNNGGG! You're like SUPER awesome for losing 18 lb! I thought the teacher's lounge was bad!
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Yes, it's so hard. Fortunately for me I have Celiac's and cannot eat most of it without getting super sick. That said, our company does provide fresh fruit all over the office, so I'll head to one of the bowls first.

    Something one of my good MFP friends said the other day resonated with me as I've been snacking WAY too much these last few weeks. "If you bite it, write it!" I find that by logging something BEFORE I eat it I make better decisions. Why waste a few hundred calories on empty foods like donuts when you can have an orange for around 60 calories?

    I also find that I can ignore those tasty treats if I keep my own healthy treats in my desk/lunch bag.

    Stand strong!
  • tlp148
    tlp148 Posts: 67 Member
    I fixed my problem with unhealthy snacks. My coworkers think all I ever eat are healthy snacks(untrue) because I am the "fruit", "granola", "peanut butter", etc girl. I still keep a few AWFUL things in my desk drawer - because they are there if I want them. They have been untouched in the last 2 months. If we have any type of meeting or event I always bring a large trifle dish of fresh cut fruit. That is my favorite sugary treat. It is always the most popular item because they all want it and just don't take the time to cut up fresh fruit to have as a snack. I'm ok with being the one to change things up at work; several have joined in. Outside of work I travel a lot with my son's hockey team and all the other moms know I am the one that has the cooler full of "good" stuff for the kids. It is OK to be that person. I don't judge them, I just want better for myself!
  • natacha305
    natacha305 Posts: 117 Member
    i work at a small office, and these chics are always LITERALLY Pressuring me to eat their food.

    I flipped out on one girl one day and she cried, now i am the B**** for doing that.


    Now i eat some of what they bring and I havent lost a pound since. I dont blame it on them but its doesnt make it any easier.


    its a loose/loose situation, no matter how nice i try to say no they keep shoving it in my face. makes me so angry bro.


    Good luck to you
  • thirtyandthriving
    thirtyandthriving Posts: 613 Member
    MY OFFICE:

    Today - Hypnotic Donuts and Breakfast Tacos

    EVERY Wednesday - Warm Cookies from the bakery down the street

    EVERY Friday - Wine Down (Beer and Wine sometimes with served with Chick-fil-A nugget and brownie platters)

    EVERY DAMN DAY: Candy Bowl with reese's peanut butter cups, snickers, heath bars, mars bars, almond joys, mr. goodbars, you name it... and it's NEVER empty!

    Last week: Chili Cook Off and Bagel Breakfast

    We do a party for every damn holiday!!!!
    And if you have a noon meeting they bring in Pizza or BBQ.


    bangs head against wall...

    DDAAANNNGGG! You're like SUPER awesome for losing 18 lb! I thought the teacher's lounge was bad!

    Um my people need to get on this Friday Wine Down! ;)
  • lind3400
    lind3400 Posts: 557 Member
    LMFAO the EXACT same thing happens to me all the food trays from meetings, and my boss's cupcakes and my co-workers timbits all end up on the ledge of MY desk like seriously I'm doing my work and al li can smell is cookies! It bugs me so much and al lthe women near me are those ones with the super high metabolisms and can eat whatever they want
  • Kina7381
    Kina7381 Posts: 58 Member
    Same here. The desk across from me is empty, so everytime someone brings some kind of food it goes there and stares at me all day. Candy, cookies, pastries, etc.

    Yesterday we had a mini dessert tray. Looked so delicious, but I opted for the fruit instead :)
  • Several of us at my office deal with the same thing on a daily basis. We are starting to bring in the healthy stuff and believe it or not the junk has cut back and people are eating better!
  • Blueyedtine
    Blueyedtine Posts: 52 Member
    The worst is when people poke fun at you because you said "No thanks" to the donut or the piece of cake. I just think "the joke's on you, fatty."


    LOL! That's what I think at work!!
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    There is not one day that goes by without someone bring in horrible food! Today it was donuts, yesterday it was cake, and so on. I'm strong and will not fold but you think it could be kept in the break room instead of the desk next to mine? Anyone else have this to deal with? As if it's not hard enough.

    looks like I've got a few pages to read through and, surely, this has already been said. but donuts and cake are not horrible. they are, in fact, wonderful. as wonderful as a cute and cuddly kitten.
  • katydid25
    katydid25 Posts: 199 Member
    There are a couple ladies in my office who LOVE to bake. Of course their families don't want all that junk food around so they bring it work! For the most part, its fairly easy to ignore it but sometimes I just can't! So I keep a jar of raw honey close by and mix a tablespoon (or sometimes two :) into my tea. Just enough sweetness to kick the sugar craving!
  • nammer79
    nammer79 Posts: 664 Member
    My old office you bought in donuts or danish on yoru birthday and it seemed like there was a bday bat least twice a week and we didnt even have that many people working in that office.
  • MachaXO
    MachaXO Posts: 25 Member
    I would tell you to bring your own low-calorie snack, so if you get really tempted, you start eating that.
    Try it, it really is helpful.
  • Felidae_1981
    Felidae_1981 Posts: 200 Member
    The only time I give in is when our new lawyer brings in expensive desserts... But I take a tiny piece and it happens MAYBE once a week... And I think that's ok :) gotta treat yourself sometimes. Oh, and when the lady at the counter asks him what the occasion is? "Morale!" a law firm is a stressful place :) LOL
  • pitboss59
    pitboss59 Posts: 20
    If you have the right motivation temptation isn't a challenge . Mine was the thought of my six year old daughter growing up without a dad. 138 pounds later I'm happy to say I think I'll be around awhile. Do yourself a favor read you on a diet by Dr. Oz. Go to the real age . com website and sign up for daily new letter. This can be a life saver no diet plan will help just a life style change.
    Good Luck
    Bennie
  • Hippie_Soul
    Hippie_Soul Posts: 190 Member
    This!

    I work in a very small office...as in the refrigerator is next to my freakin' desk. I have held strong for about a month now because I am so determined. My boss keeps one of those big bags of mini candies (Butterfingers and such) in the fridge and comes by occasionally to get one.
    The other day the only other female that works in our office brought in donuts. She probably outweighs me by 100 lbs and I am currently 201. She doesn't like it when I deny the sweets and when I tell her I work too hard at the gym to just eat all that crap back, she looks at me like I'm crazy! (I have offered for her to come with me, but there are a million excuses as I'm sure I used to have.)
    Well, my solution has been to keep fruits at my desk so when one of those afternoon cravings come on, I just eat an apple or banana or whatnot...seems to work so far!
  • pitboss59
    pitboss59 Posts: 20
    awesome sarah good job
  • soonernick
    soonernick Posts: 63 Member
    Wow! I didn't expect such a response. Thank you. I don't fall into the temptations. One of the main reasons is I am not much of a sweets fan. They start bring in nacho's then I'm in trouble. :laugh:
  • avafrisbee
    avafrisbee Posts: 234 Member
    Yes! I am on maternity leave now, but before I left all the goodies and junk congregated either on the cabinet behind me or the empty desk across from me. Ugh!
  • sondra216379
    sondra216379 Posts: 174 Member
    Yup same prob here. It's always set within in 5 steps of me which really sucks. Usually I can say no, but occasionally I have to give in. I used to eat like 3 cupcakes throughout the day if someone brought them in, but now if I have 1....I can stop at 1!! I've come a long way........cake is my weakness!
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    My office is a trap for that too - always an excuse for a party. Cake and donuts are always around.

    Willpower, motivation, and ignorance are the key. When we have that stuff, I don't even look at the table. I'll bring stuff and not eat it.

    I like this mantra: "Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels!"
  • beccastarr
    beccastarr Posts: 8 Member
    I work for a restaurant booking service, so many of my colleagues have a huge interest in restaurants and food, things are brought in often and we sometimes get food gifts delivered from places....... hardest office imaginable. Free sweets, free biscuits everywhere.

    Only upside is that we also get free fruit, and good stuff like ryvitas. I find it hard to work here but I manage most days without falling off the wagon!
  • My office is the same, cookies and donuts galore! I am lucky because I have another co-worker who is also dieting and we share healthy snacks and recipes and bring them. Seems easier to ignore the crap when I have someone else to share the good stuff with.
  • Not only does my office bring in doughnuts and cake, but we have an 'Honesty Shop' Which is just a fridge and shelf filled with yummy food & drink. Chocolate, crisps, and snacks and you just have a tab. You write down what you have taken and at the end of the month you pay for the food...

    THE FOOD IS JUST SAT THERE WAITING TO BE EATEN!!!

    OM NOM NOM!!
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