Are you kidding me?!

That sounds exactly like job.

Tough situation that happens to us all! Great ideas here....I always try to tell myself....Eating unlimited amounts of food will give me an unlimited body.......And......Eating limited amounts of food will give me a limited body....Which body do you want?! I want the limited, small, healthy body!!

This happens to me every single day. I work in a very "treat oriented" environment. Almost every single day there is *something* in the lunch room. Donuts. Pizza. Candy. Cookies. Leftover sandwich wraps from some conference-meeting. Today it is "pot luck lunch day" so there is a variety of snacks from chicken wings to deli meats to carrot cake.

It helped me to keep myself out of the environment as much as possible (i.e. I eat my packed lunch at my desk, or outside on the picnic table) but I still do have to go into the lunch room (coffee and hot water machine), so I can't completely out-of-sight-out-of-mind it all. The only way I have been able to deal with it is to go cold turkey on ALL of it. My mantra is "if i didn't plan it, i don't eat it." Thus... if i know we are having a pizza day, I will PLAN on one slice of pizza and adjust breakfast/snacks/dinner accordingly. If i don't know in advance about pizza and it just appears? I don't eat it. This was extremely difficult to do at first, but does become easier with practice and time.

Yep, me, too. My strategy when I first began this was to allow myself to have the treat BUT on my terms. So I didn't give in to the whim to have it right then. If there was something there that I really, really wanted, I would wrap it up, look up the NI online, and then work it into my day on Saturday or Sunday. Then I could have it knowing that I had room for the calories, and there was no guilt because I planned to have it rather than giving in to the temptation to have it right then.

This, by the way, has really helped me with discipline. By not saying no but only wait, I can get the thought of it out of my head. But by making myself wait for it, I utilize discipline. The longer I've done this, the easier it has become to pass it up, and more often than not, I don't even bother with the treats in the office. (And then there are the days that I go insane and eat 3 1/2 doughnuts, which I think I did once about three months ago. In that case, shake it off, learn from your mistake, and move on.)

like the poster below, i ask myself 'is this treat going to help me reach my goals?'

YES those fresh, hot doughnuts my coworker brought in smelled amazing, but honestly they're not that good, they don't have any great nutritional bang for the calories, and they're not my favorite treat. i would much rather splurge on something chocolate or ice cream or cheesecake. that helps me avoid treats most of the time.

i do work them into my plan- usually healthier versions of my favorites. but what really keeps me on track, like others have said, is tracking. i don't want to go plug in a glazed doughnut and see what that does to the rest of my day! but if i'm really tempted i do that and i see the nutritional breakdown... and usually pass :)

Oh yeah does this happen. People from my hubby's work enjoy my baking and a lot of times they will send goodies to try. OR hubby gets pizza and says "Oh you know you want some" OR my niece is asking my why I'm not having ice cream with her etc etc.

I have been doing fairly well for the past little over a month. I actually enjoy the feeling of saying "No thanks I am trying to be healthier" For me if I get to tempted I try and remember my dad and grandmother. Both of them have diabetes, heart disease and my grandmother has had cancer. I DO NOT want to end up sick. I want to be healthy and live my life with my husband.

It's all about CONSTANTLY reminding ourselves WHY we are doing it.

I'm guessing it has happened to 100% of us Sparkers!

Spark On!

Eating a treat or two doesn't make you a bad person or wreck your weightloss goals, but if you're in a situation where you have too many treats every day it can certainly be a problem. What worked for me, was tracking all my food. It made me realize that sweet treats don't give me enough bang for my buck, and it's much better to reach for a piece of fruit to feel satisfied and full (most times anyway
I think if your friend eats mindfully and healthy most of the time, he will get to the point that healthy food actually tastes better, treats are less tempting, and if he has a sweet he will be able to stop at one piece. And definitely track his food - sometimes that's enough of an eye opener.

This has happened to every single member of spark people at one time or another. It's hard to resist a plate of yummy goodies.

But here's what I've learned from my own years of yo yo dieting, eating a treat (or two) doesn't make me a bad person or an unhealthy one. Too many people mistakenly believe that they MUST have perfect eating habits to lose weight. That's not true. You don't have to be perfect to be healthy. A yummy treat can be a part of a healthy lifestyle as long as they are mindful of the portion.

What I suspect your friend doesn't realize is that this IS supposed to be a lifestyle change and not a diet. He may think he can never have a treat again and as such, just over indulges whenever there are treats around. There will always be treats around. If you eat them as if the world was going to end tomorrow, then yes, you'll always have issues with your weight.

But, if your friend can learn to find the right balance of food, portion control and activity, he will take the weight off and keep it off.

He has to stop thinking diet first.

In a word: YES! and it KEEPS happening!

One strategy I use is to eat my meal BEFORE going to that situation. That way I'm way less tempted.

I also bring what I call my 'purse food': cheese sticks, almonds, beef jerky. Whenever I'm tempted or getting hungry, I'll eat a bit so I never get to the 'STARVING eat whatever is in front of me' mode.

In between eating, I sip low/non calorie drinks that 'distract' my taste buds. Like sf nf HOT skinny mocha coffee, iced sf coffee drinks, double strength COLD crystal lite, iced tea, etc.

Most of the time, as long as I keep Ms. Mouth and Ms. Tummy occupied, distracted and/or satisfied, I can avoid temptations.

I also recommend NOT being around those goodies and if that's impossible, DON;T LOOK!


Edited by: PATTYR81 at: 8/24/2013 (13:00)

Ok, I'm actually writing this on behalf of a friend- not myself.

My friend has this reoccurring theme in his life. He's looking to lose about 70 pounds or so, and he's been successful on WW before.

Lately, however, he has this pattern that keeps happening, and we are wondering if someone else can relate. He works at a grocery store, and he'll often go into the store determined to eat right, count his calories/points, and start building healthy habits.

But when he gets to work, there is a platter of baked goods in the break room because someone cancelled an order. Or a friend will be pushing chips, fudge, taffy, or more. On one occasion, they had cartfulls of free chocolate bars.

Meanwhile, when he goes in not caring what he eats and with no intention of counting points or calories, he can't even find a person who will offer him a stick of gum.

And, unfortunately, the temptation is too much for him- especially on the first day eating right.

Has this happened to anyone else?