It was me both asking for advice and ranting a little. Thanks everyone!

It sounds like it's more of a social tradition, like you mentioned.

If it's about social eating habits - then just factor those into your calories.

When the girls at my work bring in donuts, I make sure that I've had my healthy snack first, and then if I still want one, I'll take one and break it in half. Then I'll fill up my water bottle and drink it down because the sugar makes me really thirsty.

We get company lunch every so often, or we will go out to lunch out of the office. I get a salad, or a sandwich, or a pasta dish (when I've been eating very clean) that I can cut in half. I order water and tea, and I don't crave the soda anymore.

These are healthy choices that I make even though my coworkers are ordering the fries and eating the entire portion of their meal. My advice is this: try to separate their hunger and cravings from your own. You may not know what they've been eating prior to work - maybe they save their calories for work only, or maybe they're not watching their weight at all. Who knows?

All you can do is focus on your hunger. Awareness of my hunger - physical or mental/boredom - really helped me stop overeating. If you're eating healthy snacks and meals, drinking lots of water, then you shouldn't be physically hungry. If you find that you're eating out of social obligation/tradition, then focus on that and start taking small, healthier steps.

Case in point, my husband is on a bacon kick this morning. Lol, we've both been dieting, and he decided that he's earned his bacon fritatta. I'm not really hungry for bacon, so I made me own egg, black bean, veggie mix this morning. Even though I'm not hungry for it, I'm happy that I don't impose on his body's cravings.

While we don't have to go through this journey alone, it is solely up to us individually to find - and do - what works for us.

Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

I have the same problem working the night shift. I always feel like i need to eat. I have been on the night shift for 5 years now, and just started to not take any money with me to work. That vending machine is just to tempting!

I totally understand. I work overnight 3 times a week at a hospital, and I swear around half of my weight gain is due to those long, stressful nights. The best advice I've recieved is to just pack 1-2 high-protein snacks that will keep you full, satisfied, and energized. A protein bar or shake is perfect.