A couple years ago I started making cakes as a hobby. I found that I was actually pretty good at it and before I knew it my friends and family were ordering cakes from me like crazy. Birthday cakes, wedding cakes, shower cakes, you name it. I had so much fun. I started a blog, and a facebook page featuring all of my wonderful creations. Every cake I made was an experiment and I was the taste tester. By the end of 2011 I had gained back the 50 pounds I had fought so hard to lose the previous year. March 2012 I hung up my apron and vowed no more cake. Except....there was one more on my promise list. My nephew was getting married in October and I had promised to make his cake.

Well, the wedding weekend is here. I did the baking for my nephew's 4 tiered wedding cake today.......and of course, blew my diet in the process. I feel like such a failure. Now I know for sure this is a toxic hobby that I absolutely have to give up. It makes me so sad because I love it and am really good at it but it also makes me mad that I have no self control. It's just been a real bummer day for me. And tomorrow I deal with the icing.

i hear ya there...i LOVE baking especially sweets...and decorating them etc...i wasn't professional by any means but i started gaining weight again and knew i had to cut it out i stopped baking almost entirely....and stopped completely beyond what's needed to simply feed my family...i still miss it, a year and a half later but i know if i start baking again, i'll start eating it again LOL and the weight will creep back

Hang in there olleharr there is a happy compromise in there somewhere. You shouldn't have to give up something you love doing, maybe just do it in moderation?

I agree, you shouldn't have to give up something you love and are good at. I'm not sure that is a hobby I could do though because I am weak. I would have to be completely detoxed from sugar and never ever even lick a finger in order for it to work for me.

If it's the fine detail things you like about making cakes.. making the flowers and whatnot, what about looking into making jewelry or buttons from polymer clay? I bet the clay tastes horrible... and I have seen some of the cutest buttons made from the clay and the sell for so much money for a button! (look for handmade buttons on etsy or hyenacart).

ETA... You can get through this, and if you fall off the wagon with the icing today, you jump right back on it tomorrow!!! You can do this and you are worth it.


and I really wanna see your cakes.. I have a friend who makes beautiful cakes and has promised to teach me how if I teach her to sew, but i"m too scared what making lots of cakes will do to me

I know I'm no help in this dept as CAKE is my vice. I couldnt have been strong either

Hey, can you elaborate on how you "blew your diet" while baking one wedding cake? That sounds to me like you might be overreacting to some small missteps. Did you make 10 first drafts and eat them all and put on 20 pounds? Seems unlikely.

Maybe you can make room for baking in your life by being a little less hard on yourself about how flawless you have to be on your weight-loss plan, or by finding a plan that accommodates the amount of tasting you find yourself doing while completing a complex cake.

Remember that cake is a food that is engineered to be tempting and delicious. That is its point, it's entire reason for existing. It is not a failure or a weakness of will to find it tempting and enjoy eating it - it's just biology. So consider letting go of language like "blew my diet" and "no self control". I know it's hard, but try to approach the problem a little more dispassionately and with a little less self-flagellation, and you might find there are ways to make room for doing this thing that you love to do.

Ummm, I blew it by eating it. But you're right Carter, I probably over reacted to this weakness of mine. I'm up 2 pounds today but cake is cake and I am me.....one who loves cake, so let the icing fall where it may.

Awww, this is such a bummer of a problem. I do cakes too, on a very small scale, maybe 10 a year. I LOVE it, and am seriously thinking about doing a lot more.
I agree, it would be so sad to give up something you love to do so much!! There's got to be a balance somehow, where you can allot a certain budget for tasting.
I also really like the idea of polymer clay! I've done a lot of that too, and it definitely speaks to the same part of me, artistically (and a lot of the tools are interchangeable, especially if you do fondant!).

I really hope you can find a solution, where you can stay on your weight loss path, and STILL do what you love, you deserve nothing less, remember that

Maybe you have to give it up right now. It doesn't have to be forever but maybe it has to be until you figure out how to deal with it!

I think it's perfectly okay to give it up, get going in the right direction and see where that takes you. Maybe your tastes will change and you'll no longer be the person who needs to taste 2 pounds worth of her creations, maybe you'll figure out strategies for those licks and bites. Or maybe you won't and you'll figure out something else all together!

I am a stupendous cook. I love to bake. My doughnuts are out of this world. But I can't do it. I channel that love into other forms of cooking. A much healthier fare -- for me and my guests.

Ha - it's birthday season round my parts, so I've been baking quite a bit lately too. I've had a couple of successful sessions (just a taste, a bite here and there, 4-5 points from my daily budget) and then one where I couldn't stay out of the icing (mmmm cream cheese frosting) that cost me 20 points. Yikes. The difference? I stuck a piece of tasty chewing gum in my craw beforehand. I find if I've got the gum, it really keeps me from too much sampling here and there. Don't give up something you love to do - figure out how to make it work for you!

ETA: And if you feel like you need to give it up for now, that's fine too. But to never ever bake another cake for fear of an extra 1000 calories? Never!

That's a great idea Jenicra! I'm going to give that gum a try today and see how it works.