Bored at work...
 

Does anyone else have an extremely BORING job?! I am always busy... but I work in an office where everything is repetitive and I do the same thing for 8 hours a day... My mind always wanders and the first thing that comes to mind is how excited I am to be healthier, how I am going to be able to live a longer life with my husband, and all positive things... then suddenly my mind goes to food... and I obsess over it... I struggle and wait for my lunch break. I eat my regular packed lunch... and then sit there... and realize I WANT CHOCOLATE... I WANT JUNK FOOD... I WANT TO BINGE... I try to talk myself out of it and wait a couple hours... but then I suddenly find myself downstairs in the break room, loading my purse up with cookies, candy bars, and poptarts! The process of getting up from my desk and attacking the vending machine is such a blur after.. almost like I blacked out! And I feel awful about myself and wonder why I did it. I didn't do it at all last week, but today, I know I am setting myself up... I am sitting here thinking how excited I am to eat tomorrow at work. It's so easy because I wait until around 2pm when no one is on their lunch break, so NO ONE sees me...:(
ALSO-I work with a lot of older women who looove to feed people. They bring in homemade cookies, cakes, and pies and put them on the counter... And I get my work from that counter, so I have to walk by the foods around every 1/2 hour or so.
I know I am not doing this because I am hungry or I am depriving myself. I eat 3 healthy snacks a day (fruits, veggies with pepper, whole grains, protein....) It is purely psychological.
Does anyone have any advice for me? It's easy to say "think about it... think about the pros and cons..." but that is my problem.. it's like a big blur! I don't know how I get to the vending machine, or what I am thinking when I do it!
I also told my boss a couple months ago that I'd like to pick up more job responsibilities... I was trained on two new jobs... I have three things on my plate now and I am still bored.

UGH I can't wait until I am done college in May of 2010 so I can get out of this office!!!

If you got this far, you deserve a yummy fruit parfait made with fat free whipped cream:carrot:
Thank you for your help!!!

Oh my goodness but do I understand.

I worked for *sigh* seven years at a job that bored me to tears.

You know, what helped me out is that during the tough times I'd take a 10 minute break & either walk or type on 3FC.

I think that for you I see only one option. It's time to black out the vending machine from your view. The vending machine no longer exists at work. They've taken it out of the building. Sad to say. It exploded. And all the food burned. That vending machine hates puppies & kittens. And that time that your Mom blamed you for that thing you didn't do when you were a kid... the vending machine did it.

The vending machine is not your friend.

Pack yourself a wonderful day's worth of food tomorrow with lots of extra veggies & fruit. Then at 2:00 take out your apple and eat it.

And leave your singles & all your change at home.

Thank you so much! Pretending the vending machine DIED is a good idea. As much as I love it, I wouldn't mind seeing it go. I think sugar is my biggest problem... I was at WalMart last night, without my husband, perfect time to load up on lots of goodies, eat them in the car, and dispose of them in the nearest dumpster. Unfortunately, I was even in a check out line with a ton of candy, but I avoided it. I was so proud of myself. I quit drinking soda about a year ago... but, since my binging has been so out of control, I have found that diet pepsi works just as well... the sugar gives me the rush without the calories. I know diet sodas are not healthy, but I probably have 20oz per WEEK, so I am fine.
Then comes at night, when my husband is at work and I want to binge. I don't keep soda in the house, so, I have nothing to turn to...
I have left my singles and change at home... tried that... but I always like to keep a 20 dollar bill on me in case I need it for some reason on the drive home or just anything... And let me tell you... It's easy to break at my work:( But, I will try leaving it in my car! I am going to really have to sit down and figure out plans, but I think at work I will pretend the vending machine is gone and keep a picture of myself at 225 in my desk! That may help as well. Thank you very much for your response!!

Hmmm, a boring job is always a distraction. I wonder why we think of food when bored. (I do it too, but I am bored at home, not work). I am looking forward to work tomorrow, so I will be busy without doing the mindnumbing housework. And exercise....BORING, don't get me started.
Well, at least you are taking steps to decrease boredom and get a better job. Thats great going
So, when the boring housework is getting to me, I get into Zen philosophy, a thought process of taking joy in the mundane, (chop wood, carry water) and to be in the moment. Some days it works well. Take joy in the results, even if they are the same things over and over.
good luck, and the vending machine wouldn't want flowers, but rather a donation, say to the local food bank.....

I have a boring job too and there is a CCs coffee shop right next to us and all day I can smell the coffee and the blenders mixing those delicious frozen coffee drinks. It costs 4 dollars for a fancy coffee there. I had to give it up though because I was going broke and getting a bigger belly :/

I too tend to turn to food when bored. I tell myself that if I'm bored, food won't change it. We have a vending machine at work too, and I work with mainly young guys who seem to be able to consume their bodyweight in sweeties and not get fat :(
it helps if i imagine all the baddies in the vending machine as a big lump of wobbly, dimply fat sitting on my thighs. Also calling it UNcomfort eating rather than comfort eating.
Sometimes a big glass of water or a fruit tea help. Other times I go and walk off and chat to a colleague for a few minutes.
And as for the baddies on the counter - we get this too. I keep repeating to myself "I don't like cake, I don't like biscuits" etc. I tell people that too (OK, I'm lying to them) but by saying it out loud it helps me to believe it. Then I find I get offered less baddies. (Note too I call them Baddies not Goodies)

It doesn't work all the time - sometimes I do just want a treat. Then I just have it, but if I only do that once or twice in ten times that's 8 or 9 less baddies I have eaten than I would have done before.

Hope this helps! And I hope I can stick to this advice too :)

Thank you so much ladies. I will be thinking of you throughout the week... I will be honest-And I don't want to report to you girls that I ate the entire vending machine... hopefully that will be some motivation!!

THANK YOU:hug:

WannaBe, if you're like me, food is your drug of choice. So when some turn to cigarettes or alcohol (or whatever) for an escape, we turn to food.

The best of intentions turn so quickly to binges. Sigh. If I ever write a book, it'll be called "Fiber for Breakfast, Chocolate for Lunch"!

When your mind wanders to the vending machine, is there something else you can concentrate on? For example, I actually do want to write a book some day (fiction, though, not diet :) ). I, too, do a lot of repetitive work, and it keeps my brain occupied to think about my characters, plot lines, dialogue... But yours might be travel plans, a special creative project, a new wardrobe, party planning, or something else. Is there something special that jazzes & excites you?

It sounds like you're a bright woman, and that's tough in a non-challenging job. Hang in there! You've got a bunch of friends who understand and support you.

WannaBe - I'm right there with you! Same hurdles to overcome, and I'm going to try Faerie's suggestion about letting the vending machine die. I also like the idea of logging into the 3FC site when the urge hits - there's something about reading all these awesome success stories by regular people that is infinitely motivating!

Thank you so much for your advice Pinkie & ICUWishing!
I did not make a trip to the vending machine today... I did save my morning snack for the afternoon... I am not as hungry in the morning and I do not think about food as much in the morning... I had oatmeal for breakfast so that I would be full a little longer (I was finally pro-active!), and I saved my morning snack and had two afternoon snacks. May not be the most healthy thing to do, but, it is much healthier than running to the vending machine at 3pm :)

Thanks again & Good luck on your book!!

oh my goodness, I'm in the same situation!
A small office, BORING paperwork job.... but luckily we have NO vending machines! I do this boring stuff for 8 hours and for some reason I feel DRAINED at the end of the day.... and my butt is so sore from sitting in front of the computer! It often makes it feel impossible to get a workout in after work........
Also, we always have pot lucks! and everyone loves to bring in DESSERTS...which are the easiest to make!

yuck to office jobs!

Ugh me too... I work as a government contractor for the Navy.... (if anyone ever has a question about Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, I am the one to come to).... I seem to do fine in the morning but I get so bored that I just CRAVE everything.... and my employees have all these jars of candy (chocolate mostly) that are so tempting.... I just find that when I crave something, I drink a cup of hot herbal tea and think about how I would have eaten it had I not been on a diet...and now that I avoid the temptation, I am one step closer to my goal.... The taste of the chocolate lasts seconds...the calories....well, the calories cause rock dents in my thighs and butt.... :(

I have a boring job too!

I'm an assistant and I swear there is NOTHING TO DO!

I ask for stuff to do- help people out, and so on. I'm just hoping to be promoted in a year here and finally start my career!

I used to go help out in the front all the time but don't anymore because they annoyed me last week lol.

I'm starting a class in two weeks I'm bringing my hw to work! I doubt they'll care cuz the class I'm taking IS for my job anyways.

I also used to snack a lot when I was bored- it's a terrible habit- I'm much better now but there are times I slip up, I won't lie.

I need to really push again- I am now determined to keep my NYR of hitting the gym at LEAST 3x a week!