So early this week my boss brought in a hugh frosting smoothered chocolate cake. Usually this would have been an issue, but the frosting just looked so sweet and waxy so I haven't even thought about it and it's been there ALL week.

But today he brought in two huge bags of giant chocolate cover chocolate chip cookies!!! Cookies have always been a HUGE weekness for me. Fortunatly I usually have no cravings in the AM, but after lunch is going to be a problem. TOM is next week too so I've got a raging sweet tooth this week. Ugh! This is the hardest part of all this. I know I can do and I know I'll feel great for staying strong and there was a loss on the scale this morning, so I'm motivated, but they look sooooo good! What is your favorite course of action in these situations?????

Hate to say it but I would just eat one. I know that sounds weird but I feel like I exercise enough and watch my food intake 99% of the time so having a cookie from time to time is not going to kill my diet plans, if anything, it makes me work a little harder at the gym - run 1 mile more, take an extra class...

I don't have an answer, but I can sympathize. The "treat" table sits right outside my cubicle. And if there's donuts they call to me. Luckily the donuts/cake/cookies don't last long so I try to hold out with my healthy snacks or by chewing gum. When someone brings fruit, it lasts for days!

Good luck and I'll be anxious to see what others say.

I think this would be my choice, but I seem to have an issue with just one. So I think this is something I will inact once I hit maintenance as long as it is just one or 1/2 of one. But in the past that has been worse for me b/c generally it's never just one and becomes 2 or 3 and resisting the 2 and 3rd one is harder than not eating one at all. I have A LOT of work to do in this area and I wish I could find a good book or something to deal with temptations and cravings. I really don't want to be battling this internal diagolog the rest of my life...but unfortunately I probably will...

At my current TOM, I believe I'd have flung those cookies right at the boss's unsuspecting head.

I used to have a co-worker that I wasn't particularly fond of. She came over to my cubicle one day and was showing me all the poison ivy she had up and down her arms. Then she pointed to her INNER THIGH and said she had it there to.

When she was done with her horrifying demonstration... she took my big canister of Jelly Belly's and reached her nasty arm into it and dug out a few jelly beans. I never touched the canister again. I let some of my other coworkers know about it. And then I eventually just threw it away. (I was so pissed, b/c I would only have a couple here and there for a bit of a low cal/no fat treat)

Anywho - my point is... if someone brings in something I don't want to eat, I just imagine someone with nasty hands touching it. Eew! Imagine someone scratching their inner thigh and then fondling your cookie!

*poof* Done. No more craving.

Maybe set a time that you'll enjoy and savor one - about 15 minutes before you leave the office for the day. Then you know it's coming up... BUT if the time comes/goes without you remembering at that time, just pack up and leave for the day without indulging and think how you'll feel on the way home Probably like temptation stared you in the eyes all day and you stared back and WON! And that sets a precedent.

I did great yesterday and then indulged in one otis spunkmeyer cookie at a local community theatre performance, thinking, oh, 150 calories, give or take. Looked it up this morning ... 270 calories. SO not worth that amount to me. If I'd known last night what I know now... grr.

AHHHH! That is absolutely horrifying. I think I would have kicked her, or smacked her hand out of my jar, but the damage would have probably already been done. Blerg.

As for the OP's question, I would take one if I thought I could stick it out with just one. Maybe break it up into little pieces and munch on one bit every time I had a particular craving for it. If I didn't think I could keep with just the one, I would avoid, avoid, avoid. Maybe bring my own healthy sweet treat, and make sure I'm chewing gum every time I pass the table. Good luck!

As for eating just one. Live a little..but what you should do is grab that cookie as you are on your way out the door to go home! Grab it and run! That way, you cant get to a second!

And for the poison ivy coworker..all I can say is... EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I agree to wait till the end of the day. Tell yourself you can have one then IF there are still any cookies left.

I feel for you, cookies are my biggest weakness too. I can easily pass on cake, but I hate having to pass on the cookies. I just keep trying to visualize the scale tomorrow morning and how much I'd rather see a lower number over having the cookie, no matter how much I'd enjoy it.

BUT I will say that if I make a decision to go ahead and have a treat, I let myself enjoy it thoroughly and savor it and not feel guilty about it at all. Yes, I want to stay on plan and yes, I want to reach my goal (or a minigoal along the way). But I do not consider myself as being "on a diet" - I'm just living the way I live, and the way I'm going to live for the rest of my life. And there will be times when I choose to have that cookie - but I want to make sure it's a mindful choice and I don't eat something just because it's there.

What I do to avoid temptation like that is I brush my teeth and use mouthwash. Nothing but water tastes good with a minty mouth. By the time the minty-ness wears off, hopefully the sweets will be gone!

COOKIES!?! WHERE?!

Step away from the cookies! If you're able to eat just one; that's great. I'm not good with this for most foods, so I just look at it like it's not a food for me. Like so many foods in the grocery store; they're just not things I eat so i ignore them!