I am so so frustrated.
Let me start off by saying that I know I'm not overweight... I'm not looking to lose weight.... but I am so so so so tired of bingeing.
So, I'm a baker. This is like being an alcoholic bartender. I have absolutely NO self control when it comes to sugary things/simple carbs. I eat, out of control at work all day long. The only reason why I haven't put on weight is I exercise obsessively 7 days a week to 'cancel out' how much I eat.
I don't understand.
I LOVE healthy food. I only eat healthy when I'm at home. This is never a problem unless I'm at work. I am so ashamed of myself and I just want to stop.
I don't want to quit my job (I love it!) but I have to get out of this cycle....
I just don't know what to do... any advice would be VERY welcome....
If eating healthy is a problem at work, perhaps you need to start planning meals specifically for your working days.
Packing lunches, and taking your break while focusing solely on your healthy food while you're eating.
Even if it doesn't stop all the unhealthy eating, having better options and knowing that healthy foods are waiting for you could curb some of the sugar appetite.
I wish I could help more, but that's the first thing that came to mind.
Beila , 07-01-2011 03:00 PM
That must be hard to do since you're around the very thing that triggers binges all day. I would go insane, but you seem to have some self control as you don't lose it all day. I mean, when you get to work and start to bake, the intensity to binge on a scale from 1 - 10 is probably a 1 or 2, not as high as it would be let's say towards the end of the day and after several hours of not eating and your urge is more like an 8 or 9.
Learn to hone in on this urge-to-binge-scale in your mind. Think about the urges and feelings emotions, before giving in. If your urges are 1-3, just keep reminding yourself of the food you will eat soon, food is coming soon, food is coming soon. And bring your own food to work, as Lovely suggested. If your urges are more like 4-6, try to eat a snack, and bring your own snacks, but make it a good snack because in comparison to the rich baked desserts that you make all day, the healthy alternative must be really good. Peanut butter with veggies, raspberries with greek yogurt, hummus and carrot stick/veggies, full fat or low fat cheese, cottage cheese and strawberries...you get the idea (protein and a bit of fat will sustain you for snacks). If your urges are like 7-10, then you MUST take a break from work, and get away. Run an errand. Clean up in the back kitchen or something away from the baking. Do some task at work that doesn't involve the baking (fulfill orders, computer work, organization, prepping equipment). Do those tasks during the part of the day that your experience the intense binge urges. If you are able to take a break away from the bakery, use that time to eat your meal/snack. Also use that time to relax and think about positive affirmations like "I did it, I took control of the situation, I am doing good, I can get through the day without binging today" and don't think about work or stresses as this brings up negative emotions and may spin you in the bingeing direction.
As you bake and have to taste things...try to quickly eat a nice mint or tic tac to quickly remove the taste of sugar from your mouth so it's minty again. Brush your teeth after lunch and breakfast so it's minty again. This minty feeling in your mouth can serve as a way to refrain from the sugars from tasting and eating the food at the bakery. And as we all know, sugary food causes tooth decay, and you don't want to leave your mouth unclean after eating a sugary dessert. In the long run, you'll get cavities.
Good luck and I hope you can end binging despite your profession. Think of all the skinny baking chefs out there and how they are able to control themselves around food.