This is the time of year my office does a lot of fundraisers and philanthropy. There are bins at each of the doors for food donations, mass emails sent out about different organizations that need volunteers or money, etc. For the next two weeks starting today we have a Rolling Dessert Cart. Yes. They actually roll a cart through the entire office building, up and down the aisles and pass every single cubicle with the most delectable desserts and sweets for sale, all for a good cause of course. I'm talking huge chunks of fudge, wedges of cheesecake, all kinds of cakes, pies, and cookies.... AAAaarrrrghhhh!! And it happens every day at 9am and then again at 1pm. My goodness, you guys. I need you to be strong for me. I can smell it already and they're not even in my section yet. I can't even hide outside because it's so cold out there. I'm chowing down a nice juicy red pear and it's actually helping to keep me full, but my problem isn't that I'm hungry. My problem is that I am an absolute sucker for sweets.

Oh that is just mean! We always have tons of food in our office kitchen, but at least I can steel myself and put the blinders on before I go in to get coffee.

If it were me, I'd donate some money but not take a dessert, and then feel smug that MY donation was worth more because it didn't cost them something to feed me. lol

Or maybe head for the restroom when they are almost there?

You can do this!!

I made it through the first wave! When the nice lady stopped at my desk I politely said no thanks and kept my eyes on her---I didn't even wanna see what was on that cart! I think it should be easier the next time it comes around; I'd already have finished my lunch by then and shouldn't be hungry at all.

Would it be possible for you to tell the cart lady to skip your desk? You can always donate to the cause without buying desserts.

F.

No, I won't do that. She shouldn't have to take the long way around to get to the next desk because of me. And it might not be the same person doing the runs each time, so I don't wanna have to explain to them each time... No one here even knows I'm dieting. I kinda wanted to keep it to myself, just in case. I think if I just busy myself during the morning and afternoon runs, I should make it. It was a lot less tempting last year when I wasn't on diet, though!

If nothing else, at least it's a mobile temptation and will continue on! You don't have to sit there and look at it all day long. All you need to do is just hold strong for a moment, and once they are gone you don't have to deal with it.

I know it's so much easier said than done but I am a firm believer that if you just hold strong in the moment and don't give in you'll be so glad you did. You never regret turning down a treat, but you almost always regret giving in when you didn't plan on it.

I promise you once it's out of sight, it will be shortly out of mind.

Good luck!

I just have to chime in that that would be torture for me. You are not alone and you can stay strong. At lease you know the times it will be coming through so you can prepare yourself and also know when you can let your guard down.

What a visual temptation but I know you will hang strong and just white-knuckle through each roll-through

ONe of my mantras is 'just because it's there doesn't mean I have to eat it'. And you feel so proud of yourself when you pass it up!

Well, first of all, I think that if you should never feel embarrassed to be on a diet. its a choice that YOU make for your benefit. There's nothing wrong with that.

I also think that its great that you dont tell her to avoid your area. The better you get at simply saying "No" the faster you'll reach your goal.
That said, if you know you'll never get anything - it probably saves you both some time and energy to skip over you. On the flip side, maybe you can have some water, healthy snacks, or even appetite suppressant pills on hand JUST in case you need them for some extra help.

Oh man that would literally be heck (the other word was censored, lol) on wheels. If you made it through once you can do it again! Good luck and

Thanks, girls! I made it through yesterday and today wasn't that bad because I knew I could already do it! Of course, I went home last night and had the most beautiful dream of eating the biggest softest moisted chocolate cake ever!! I swear I could almost still taste the frosting when I woke up! I packed a pretty good lunch today that's kept me nice and full---open faced veggie "meatball" sandwich, pepperjack cheese stick, and some baby carrots. Building the sandwich kept me occupied and the carrots gave me something to snack on 'cause I'm an oral person (that sounds grosser than it should). I didn't even notice the first cart go by and I'm sure I'll be able to "visually appreciate" the cute cupcakes without actually partaking

I thought of this today when I went into work and both my room and the staff lounge had cake, bagels and brownies for a co-worker's birthday. There was nowhere I could go that did not have sweets. I ended up going way way over my daily Points allowance (I use weight watchers), and even over my week allowance.

The positive thing is that I ate without guilt, though. I realized that if I was going to eat the food, to own it and do my best later. I didn't feel ashamed or sneaky or try to hide my eating.

Maybe you could have a treat on the last day of the cart and really enjoy it???

Sounds like a dieter's nightmare.