I've come to this thread as my "safe room" in the midst of an office gone amok, where plates of home baked goods are sitting around on tables near peoples' cubicles, within the break room, on conference tables in the middle of the office. I can smell the sugar everywhere. I am chewing sugarfree gum. I am drinking water. And I am posting here. No, I can't have "just one" cookie or brownie. No, I am not going to "just try a bite." No, I'm sorry, I'm sure you'll get praise for your baking efforts from my colleagues who are scarfing it all down, if that is what you need. I know you like & respect me, but you don't need to express that by feeding me. I am not having it. Nothing will be eaten standing up, alongside the platters, and nothing will be carried back to my desk. This stuff is just not for me. It has no power over me. It's just sitting there inertly. It's like office furniture, like a fax machine, like a printer. Damn it ... Lord help me. This time at the office shall pass. Eventually. Keep me away for now.

oh, I hear you, saef. I feel exactly the same way. My supervisor told me she is bringing in a cake this afternoon... there's just no way I can keep myself in check if I have even one bite of cake -- so now I'm just here trying to steel myself to say no. it's so hard. but I have to remember... I want to LOSE WEIGHT more than anything. I'm tired of tight pants and bloated bellies. I want my exercise tonight to be progressive, not just trying to make up for cake. and I want the expense of the healthy food I'm buying to be worth it.

*sigh* but I'll still be tempted. I know. but I am NOT NOT NOT going to eat that cake. i'll get tea instead. I only have to resist it for half an hour, until our kids arrive. I think I can handle that.

Great post, Saef! Wish you were in the office next to mine the last few years - LOL!!!!!! You hit it by describing stuff that is just not for us, "sitting there inertly." I remember the same (what felt like) admonitions from those feasting at a gathering, urging me to "try just one," warning that "cutting out ALL sugar isn't good," and assuring me "you don't want to get too thin."

Yeah.

And peeling away the layers, the "stuff" at most of these functions (especially office party baked goods) isn't really "food." At least not food in the sense of nourishment to fuel our bodies.

I'm all about live and let live - happy to join in the chat while drinking my water or coffee. I've found some individuals aren't comfortable chowing down if everyone isn't doing the same. There has been the occasion when someone would tell me I couldn't possibly pass up on trying something they deemed delicious. There are those who cannot understand that "just a bite" doesn't align with how I'm wired. Maybe it's a primitive tribal thing: that if we don't partake of the "kill," we're anti-social

Hope the rest of your day goes smoothly.


Jean

Hi Saef,

I can't imagine having to avoid all of those temptations. I work from home, so my temptations are not there, unless I put them in the house. I was wondering if maybe you could make a joke and say something like "sugar is like crack to me, just a little and I lose it." Or, maybe you could fake a diabetes problem saying you're "borderline diabetic?" I know it's not honest, but it might get those food pushers off your back. It really annoys me when people pressure others to eat. THEY are the ones with the problem, but they make us feel like we're abnormal for turning something down! As IF!

Yes, this is a safe place to come, that's for sure. I got a lot of saliva just from reading your post and everything you have to avoid....but, you're right....all that stuff is just more matter taking up space in the office. You are in control, not it.

Thanks, everyone. It's 7:21 PM. I made it!!! I got through to 5:15 PM, when they took the stuff away for the day. And then I went to the gym at our office, as I usually do, and I did not feel bloated, or guilty, or like I had to overwork, or like I was compensating for something. I did not have even one bite, not a nibble, not a crumb, though people kept telling me, "Have you had any of those cookies that so-and-so made?" and "Go look at them!" I did not even go look. It really helped that I had a lot of work & I had this thread to look at. Also, there was no formal gathering -- they just put the stuff out, from 8:30 AM to 5:15 PM, and you could go take as much as you wanted at will. Which would have been a disaster for me, even worse than a set & timed party time. I would have kept walking over there. But I did not!!! And tomorrow is a work-from-home day, when I get to work on my laptop at home, where I don't have any stuff like that lying around.

Everyone: We all need a "safe room" when facing a spread like this. Everyone should come here when they need to. If you don't really want this stuff, if you have not planned your indulgence and you get blindsided by someone bringing in stuff that could trigger a binge, tell us about it. It works. I can testify!

Hi all,

I made a turkey for a Hanukah dinner, along with potato pancakes (called Latkes) and I made frosting for the kids to dip pretzels in for their dreidal game (my son has a dairy allergy so I have to do alternative things). Anyway, now my house smells AMAZING and I desperately want to eat a turkey drum stick. I looked up the calories and one turkey drum stick has about 356 calories! Yikes! I can't believe it! In the past, I would have thought, "oh, it's turkey...a well known diet food!" Now, I'm really counting my calories. I know I'm not hungry, so I"m here because it helps. I desperately want to eat. My mouth is drooling and I feel like I have an itch I can't scratch...meaning, the ONLY thing that will help now if food. But, will it help in the long run? No. I really really want to lose weight. I have never been able to step back before a binge and to think about it. Luckily, with this life saving place, I can type and as I type, I examine my thoughts, my goals, my actions. I guess it doesn't matter what I want or what I think....what matters is what I DO. I will NOT have that turkey. I will not. Ok, I'm still wanting it and I'm still drooling, but I feel that I have the power now. Thanks for listening, friends. It's nice to know that there are others who know exactly what I'm talking about.

Oh, I know what you mean, luckymommy. Thanks for posting. It always helps to read that someone else is going through what I'm going through.

Congratulations to everyone for resisting...I'm proud of you all. I admit I flopped yesterday, big time, and have to start over again. Posting here is a good idea. I wish I could come here during the day, but Internet sites are restricted at work so between the hours of 7am and 7pm, I'm on my own.

Hi K8t. I'm sorry you can't come here during work hours. I usually have my binge cravings at night, but still, it's not easy. I was going to suggest that maybe you could write out your thoughts on paper (or type it on a Word document) and then, put it up on the board when you can get on. Maybe that way, you'll feel like you're still getting that support? I know it's a weird suggestion, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Ok I'm seriously testing myself now.... I've got a box of celebrations (chocolates) .... just under 1kg of them.. they're sitting in my bedroom. I bought them for nye, but I keep wanting to have "just one" ... hmph I'm resisting and wont stop resisting because I can't bear the thought of putting anymore weight on. But this is really killing me!
xx

SoulSurvivor, it's so good that you came here to post....it helps to keep us accountable for our actions. Otherwise, it's just us and the scale. I admire your conviction to keep away from the off limit food item. I have some stuff here that my parents brought over and I'm not, will not consume it. I've got bigger goals and so do you. Well done!

Thank you lucky!!!
Just as I was getting over the chocolate craving I saw your post about the latkes and it got me drooling lol lol I want some!!! I've also got a craving for lokshen pudding mmmm
but I'm gonna go and sleep instead of thinking about food, I'll just torture myself!!!
Good luck to everyone, and well done for EVERY good choice you make!
Xxx

I've never heard of Lokshen Pudding, but that's probably for the best, since it's likely to be very tempting!

You know, as I read this thread, I wonder if we should mention certain foods specifically or not. I think when we write down the words, we have to picture the thing, and that may not help us. And when people read the posts, they often describe themselves as being made hungry by what they are seeing. (I'll bet it's sort of like recovering from a porn addiction.)

I don't want to limit anyone's free expression, but I am just wondering about this. Does reading about other peoples' binges make you more likely to do it, or to think about it? Or less likely? Are people getting strength from this thread & feeling more resolve, or does seeing this seem to give them permission, because everyone's feeling this way, so we're all human & frail & we might as well give in occasionally?

Just wondering ... and trying to be as honest with myself as I can be.

You know sometimes I just sit here looking at all the threads everywhere on this site, searching & searching ... for something ... and sometimes I find it, and sometimes I don't. But at least I try, and at least everyone who posts here & who reads these posts is trying.

Hi Saef,

You are so cerebral and I really admire that. I hadn't thought of this at all, but I"m so glad you brought it up. Yes, when I read what someone else had, it makes me want it too much of the time. However, I am not at the state of mind that since someone else is having a binge, that it's ok for me to do it too. It did used to be that way, but now, I'm doing better with it, I suppose...at least for the time being. I'll be interested to hear what others are experiencing. In the meantime, I will definitely be more mindful of not mentioning particular foods specifically.

Also, I can relate to searching for something all over the sight. I search for it too. Somehow, maybe I'm searching for the key to success...something that will click in my brain and I will no longer have to struggle like this....but I'm not sure if I'll ever find it. I can honestly say that I have made huge improvements and that's something that I never thought I could do.