Tired of the Holidays/Going to work/Constant food

[momof3_angels 465]

OMG, how are all of you coping? Where I work, everyone has been celebrating since before Thanksgiving, with food of course. And mostly crap food (also known as yummy sweets that I can't have). Fortunately, my cubicle was moved away from the kitchen/break room and the table that is often used for storing most of the food for the days festivities (which I could always smell as i worked). But where I am now... there is another table of just sweets about 8-10 feet away max. I see it every time I get up. It is always full of sweet/salty Snacks that I can't have. There is never anything healthy on this table (the other one at least had some good stuff). And if seeing this table of sweets was bad enough... the staff around me are talking about the sweets ALL.DAY.LONG. Overall, I am doing pretty well despite the temptations. At most I have had 1 very small shortbread cookie, but I have had a little caramel popcorn the last few days. Not much, just enough to satisfy me. So all is good there. I certainly haven't gone crazy with my eating. But, I have to listen to the people around me talk about food/sweets ALL.THE.TIME. I do a decent job of tuning them out half of the day, but it is really getting on my nerves yesterday and today. Add to that, my "biggest" co-worker keeps going back for sweets again and again and always say really loudly "calories don't count during the holidays". Being my first post-sleeve holiday season, I am extra sensitive and that statement bugs the heck out of me. I know it shouldn't lol. Ugh. I am sitting here at my desk trying to ignore and certainly not judge those around me for enjoying the holidays and the food associated with it, but it is so hard! And I don't want them to half to change because I chose to have surgery to improve my own health. I think at least the people near where I used to sit were much more aware of my struggle and more thoughtful and supportive about it, and I really appreciated that. They at least didn't "rub it in my face" all day (not that these people are TRYING to do that), and they tried hard to be considerate when by not parading around with their food in front of me. Tomorrow is our "Christmas" lunch. It is our most fun celebration every year. I did OK with our Thanksgiving feast at work, but there were several foods I could enjoy within my diet. I hope to do well again for our upcoming Christmas dinner tomorrow, but not sure if it is possible. I won't grab sweets, but I will probably sample what I can of the regular food. Unfortunately, it sounds like there won't be a lot I CAN eat. I know the main dish this time is sandwiches. I know I can take off the rolls, but I don't really want to eat just the meat/cheese (sick of that). There will be a salad, but I am still not digesting salads very well yet. Then the rest is supposed to be potato/pasta salads and such that I really shouldn't eat (and have no desire to eat). And lots of deserts. And if I don't eat the meal, then the deserts will be calling out to me (my co-workers bring great deserts every year... that I can't eat!). I don't know if I should even go or just go home for lunch instead. I don't know. I don't want to miss out, but I fear this particular dinner might be torture. And not sure what I would want bring to eat instead. I wish I didn't HAVE to bring something as a substitute. They change the type of meal every year, and the last 2 years the food would have been great for me... this year... not so much. Anyhow... sorry for the vent, but I figured some of you would understand whereas no one around me will!

[Guest]

Tell me about it.... same here, sweets everywhere you look! I just lost it 2 days ago and went on a binge till I got sick. I stayed sick for about an hour and then WOW !!! I had a sugar rush and so much energy that lasted the rest of the shift. I was a Rockstar!

I admire your willpower. I do not think one day will kill ya... Go for it…..and here comes the bashing....5....4....3....2...1 where ya at Fluffychix?? lol

Good luck on your choices and congrats on your progress.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Guest

[GradyCat 3,695]

I remember this from working in an office one year while I was on Weight Watchers, but I rallied through and took a few bites of a few select things and counted my points. Now, since bariatric surgery, I am retired, so it's more about me not bringing it into the house. When I meet my friends out for lunch and when I just went to our annual girls' Christmas party, I selected only the Protein items and avoided the sweets and carbs. I just went into it knowing that I HAD to make good choices.

[momof3_angels 465]

21 minutes ago, Michael S said:

I admire your willpower. I do not think one day will kill ya... Go for it…..and here comes the bashing....5....4....3....2...1 where ya at Fluffychix?? lol

Good luck on your choices and congrats on your progress.

You know... I would be more willing to sample a couple things that I really shouldn't have (like I did at Thanksgiving - just a small spoonful of a couple different carb items), but I just had 4 weeks where I barely lost any weight (Maybe 1 pound/week max for a month) and I have just lost 2 days in a row so I don't want to blow it!

And thanks, I am thrilled with my progress! Yesterday I was at my surgeon's goal weight for me, and today I am 1.3 pounds under that. I am so excited!

[momof3_angels 465]

11 minutes ago, GradyCat said:

I selected only the Protein items and avoided the sweets and carbs. I just went into it knowing that I HAD to make good choices.

That was my plan, but now that I know it is sandwiches... it sounds awful to me because I am so sick of boring meats/cheese that I shouldn't put on breads.

[AJ Tylo 1,399]

Totally agree This is a pain in the ass! I have chosen to hide!

[FluffyChix 17,415]

14 minutes ago, momof3_angels said:

That was my plan, but now that I know it is sandwiches... it sounds awful to me because I am so sick of boring meats/cheese that I shouldn't put on breads.

Make a lettuce wrap! It's a win win and the bread will only make you feel crappy!! ((hugs)) It is HARD being in an environment where there is so much temptation! I totally get it!

On the flip side though is that we went through incredibly stringent measures to commit to a different way of life. We promised our surgical team (at least I did--I have a contract with them) that I would follow their path, guidance, support, training and that I would work to develop new skills and new ways of eating and making lifestyle choices.

Each time we give in to a craving, we hardwire our brains to that craving/response behavior and it cements that mother trucker in there like super glue. Each time we break from the craving/food behavior, we had an opportunity to build a new neural network filled with "better choices/behaviors."

This is life. It's filled with temptations. It's how we CHOOSE to apply our considerable power that will determine whether we make a choice that promotes health and wellness or one that cements an old, ineffective behavior into our new present reality and future.

With every bite we're either building our future body or tearing it down.

Just "food for thought". Chew on it. And see if it helps you?

@Michael S You are an adult with the power of free choice hon. I'm not the food police. But I am very serious about helping broaden knowledge and experience when it comes to breaking emotional/comfort eating patterns that got us a lifetime invite to the Obesity Ball.

[JAKE H 1,230]

lol its funny you brought this up! you are not alone. i definitely had a little melt down yesterday lol. i was just overwhelmed and had to leave where i was because the food has just been too much, and im getting near my end for goal and i just think every calorie counts right now. im not gonna lie and say i dont grab a mini reese cup or hersey kiss every one in a while, but im really trying right now to hit it hard. so i totally get how you are feeling, luckily everyone in my office knows and i have 2 work moms who keep an eye on me which i asked them to. but i feel your pain and im with you. holiday is almost over and then i go to disney january 4th. lol. im not catching a break until after that.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Just now, JAKE H said:

im not gonna lie and say i dont grab a mini reese cup or hersey kiss every one in a while, but im really trying right now to hit it hard.

I totally get this and do the same thing! ((hugs)) No one is perfect. But by trying for 100% we get way more near that 100% than by keeping a "get out of jail free card" in our back pocket.

[JAKE H 1,230]

2 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

I totally get this and do the same thing! ((hugs)) No one is perfect. But by trying for 100% we get way more near that 100% than by keeping a "get out of jail free card" in our back pocket.

yes. i love that! i follow a guy syatt fitness on instagram. (he curses a lot) but he really breaks down nutrition well and is all about calories, which i think you and i both love. But he is very real about slip ups and all that good stuff. None of us are perfect, and ive found when i really have a craving, a simple Hershey kiss (22cals) with fulfill that craving. I just learned to savor things more and not annihilate them like i did 152 pounds ago!

[FluffyChix 17,415]

1 minute ago, JAKE H said:

yes. i love that! i follow a guy syatt fitness on instagram. (he curses a lot) but he really breaks down nutrition well and is all about calories, which i think you and i both love. But he is very real about slip ups and all that good stuff. None of us are perfect, and ive found when i really have a craving, a simple Hershey kiss (22cals) with fulfill that craving. I just learned to savor things more and not annihilate them like i did 152 pounds ago!

WTG dude! I'll have to check him out.

I am totally at the end of the day about calories and macros and mixing things up enough to have metabolic flexibility!

For me cravings aren't so simple. Some things I could do that with...stop at 1 Hershey's Kiss. But, other things are much harder (oh I'm talkin bout you Mr. Pringles and you Lay's Potato chips and you Adriatic Pizza!) LOL. So you have to know yourself.

[momof3_angels 465]

2 hours ago, FluffyChix said:

Make a lettuce wrap! It's a win win and the bread will only make you feel crappy!! ((hugs)) It is HARD being in an environment where there is so much temptation! I totally get it!

On the flip side though is that we went through incredibly stringent measures to commit to a different way of life. We promised our surgical team (at least I did--I have a contract with them) that I would follow their path, guidance, support, training and that I would work to develop new skills and new ways of eating and making lifestyle choices.

Each time we give in to a craving, we hardwire our brains to that craving/response behavior and it cements that mother trucker in there like super glue. Each time we break from the craving/food behavior, we had an opportunity to build a new neural network filled with "better choices/behaviors."

This is life. It's filled with temptations. It's how we CHOOSE to apply our considerable power that will determine whether we make a choice that promotes health and wellness or one that cements an old, ineffective behavior into our new present reality and future.

With every bite we're either building our future body or tearing it down.

Just "food for thought". Chew on it. And see if it helps you?

@Michael S You are an adult with the power of free choice hon. I'm not the food police. But I am very serious about helping broaden knowledge and experience when it comes to breaking emotional/comfort eating patterns that got us a lifetime invite to the Obesity Ball.

Unfortunately, I am still having trouble digesting lettuce so that doesn't work. I am just barely eating tiny bits without it totally making me feel sick. And no... I am not doing breads. That is why the thought of the meat and cheese sounds awful! I have had too much of it. And I agree with the rest. I am being very careful with my choices and when I do allow something, it is in VERY small amounts and I select foods that are not a "slippery slope" for me! Most of the time I am doing great.

And funny... after posting this another big conversation about lots of very yummy food occurred 5 feet away from me. I walked away from the area because I was in a bad place to hear the conversation about that very yummy food. I waited to go back to my desk when I knew they had returned to work. I sat down. And my stomach promptly started growling. A lot. LOL. Willpower is a challenge for me today! Going to have to make sure I have headphones and music when I return to work tomorrow. It apparently is a must where I sit!

[momof3_angels 465]

2 hours ago, JAKE H said:

luckily everyone in my office knows and i have 2 work moms who keep an eye on me which i asked them to. but i feel your pain and im with you. holiday is almost over and then i go to disney january 4th. lol. im not catching a break until after that.

My whole office knows now too... but my work "moms" who would help me are no longer near me Like I said, mixed blessing because there is usually more food where I used to sit... but I don't have the support system where I sit now. And there is a division of the two spaces.

I did Disney a few weeks post op. I wasn't tempted by the bad food. I had more issues of "what CAN I eat?" than "how do I prevent myself from eating all this good food". And the fact that everything is overpriced helps say "No, I am not wasting money on that Churro that I can only take 1-2 bites of" lol

[summerset 5,265]

3 hours ago, momof3_angels said:

OMG, how are all of you coping?

Interestingly enough this food overkill makes me not want to eat a lot of the time. It's just like... too much. Plus a lot of the stuff I either don't like or can't have because of some intolerance.

However, if there is something offered I both like and can tolerate I eat it. (Hmmmmm, nice dark chocolate today, the really good one.) 🤤

[FluffyChix 17,415]

7 minutes ago, momof3_angels said:

Unfortunately, I am still having trouble digesting lettuce so that doesn't work. I am just barely eating tiny bits without it totally making me feel sick. And no... I am not doing breads. That is why the thought of the meat and cheese sounds awful! I have had too much of it. And I agree with the rest. I am being very careful with my choices and when I do allow something, it is in VERY small amounts and I select foods that are not a "slippery slope" for me! Most of the time I am doing great.

And funny... after posting this another big conversation about lots of very yummy food occurred 5 feet away from me. I walked away from the area because I was in a bad place to hear the conversation about that very yummy food. I waited to go back to my desk when I knew they had returned to work. I sat down. And my stomach promptly started growling. A lot. LOL. Willpower is a challenge for me today! Going to have to make sure I have headphones and music when I return to work tomorrow. It apparently is a must where I sit!

You know, it wasn't willpower. It was YOU creating new neural pathways and making up new rules about how to navigate through mine fields. Give yourself powerful credit! Congrats. And way to have an action plan for tomorrow!!!

I can't tell you how many times I close my eyes during commercials on TV at night! I can't tell you how many times I walk away from conversation centered around foods. It doesn't bother me anymore to do it. I just go, "Meh. Not today Satan."

You got this. Congrats!! Embrace food aversion and restriction. It's a very finite window for us to maximize!