What to do at work...

[jebjow2]

Okay, I need some help. I started Atkins on Saturday of this past week. I didn't have to go to work until Wednesday night. So, I was doing awesome with cravings and feeling full. It was amazingly easy. Then I go into work... I'm an ER nurse working the 3-11pm shift. People are constantly eating and it's been so tempting. I wanted to have the chips and salsa other's were eating, I wanted the homemade cute Easter chocolates someone brought in, I wanted the frozen yogurt from the cafeteria people got.... BUT, I didn't eat any of it. I instead went back to the breakroom and ate my carb healthy salad.

Then, when tempted again, I called the kitchen for some sugarfree jello. I didn't eat it right away, but knowing I had it in the fridge .... for some reason... made it easier to resist temptation.

I snacked on small cut up pieces of celery with cream cheese... it just didn't satisfy me.

What mentality should I go into work with? What should I force myself to think. What do you other's tell yourself when faced with temptation? I just did not feel full or satisfied AT ALL. What's wrong with me?

I didn't think work would be so challenging.

It's not only the food either. Prior to Atkins I would drink about 40 oz. of coffee a night with fat free creamer.... the past two nights I've limited myself to about 14 oz with heavy whipping cream. Ha! Last night I even whipped the cream by putting about 2 oz of cream into a sterile specimen cup and shaking it ! My arms actually felt like jello when I was done! I added it to my coffee and had a creamy, frothy treat.

I guess I just needed to vent.

Sorry for the long post!
Thanks for listening.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: What to do at work...

We have all sorts of carby things in my office. There's always candy out, cookies, pizza, free fruit that I can't have (apples, oranges, bananas) you name it. Today, there's jelly beans for Easter. Just one wouldn't hurt right?

Well, I've discovered I can't have just one... one jelly bean, one cookie, one bite, nada, or else it all goes downhill. So that's my rule. None.

What I found helps for me is to make sure I'm eating well.... eating sufficient fat and veggies etc. so that I'm not hungry. Not being hungry makes it 100x easier to resist these things. Have snacks that have a good mix of fats and veggies in them, protein if you can too. Drinking enough water too. And avoiding foods that trigger cravings and hunger. Too much coffee makes me hungry, for instance, so I've cut down on it alot. So does aspartame. Spreading carbs/veggies across all meals and snacks help keep glucose levels more even through out the day too and helps with hunger cravings.

What I tell people is I just can't eat those things and not explain more unless they ask. If they bring in pizza or catered meals, I always ask if they will bring options I can eat, and if not, I make sure I can get or bring my own food.

As for snacks, I like veggies with some full fat dressing such as spinach dip or blue cheese dressing. The fat really helps keep me sated.

It does get easier the longer and more you do this. It is especially hard on Induction and when first making the break from your old way of eating, but stay strong and eat well and it will become easier.

[not2late]

Re: What to do at work...

I work in a doctor's office, so during holidays, we get bombarded with chocolate baskets, fruit baskets, and when the drug reps used to bring in food---pizza, bagels, etc. etc.

I bring a real meal for my lunch. So it's a piece of meat, a veggie like broccoli/green beans/asparagus, I heat it up in the microwave so I have a steaming hot meal. I find these more satisfying and "stick to the ribs" than salads. Sometimes, I start my meal with a soup.

I also have started the "don't bother me while I'm eating" policy. If I have to rush through my meal ( it could be a huge meal) I won't feel satisfied with it. I eat my meal at a non-rushed pace.

The snacks I have on had are high fat and protein type snacks, like a hardboiled egg or some cheese, that I keep in the office frig. But often times, when I get very busy, I don't feel hungry---kind of hard to snack while yelling at an insurance company!

If the coffee you are drinking has caffeine, the shaking might be a hypoglycemic response to that caffeine.

[Georgiana]

Re: What to do at work...

The foods "they" are eating will not help you achieve your goals... as you already know.

For some of those foods, there are low carb substitutes.

I wanted to have the chips and salsa other's were eating

You can make chips from flax, vegetables or cheese... and dip them in salsa with no sugar added. If you can't find salsa with no added sugar, you can make your own... it's pretty easy.

As for frozen yogurt and chocolates... you can have them occasionally in OWL (you'll have to make your own though), but if you use them only to feed a craving, it's better to not use them at all. In general, feeding cravings is counterproductive in the long term.

I just did not feel full or satisfied AT ALL.

What was in that salad?

How many calories are you consuming per day?

The fact that you didn't feel full after eating your Atkins meal likely means you did not eat enough.

As for not feeling satisfied... is this only because you think "their" foods are tastier than yours? If that's the problem, why not try some new recipes.

I don't know if the links below were given to you before:

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

The Lighter Side of Low-Carb

Low-Carb Recipes - Recipes for Every Low Carb Diet

[atkinsgal08]

Re: What to do at work...

>> What mentality should I go into work with?>>

For me, it's simple, there are just foods I don't eat. If those foods are around me, it just doesn't matter ... I have DECIDED that I don't eat them.

>>What do you other's tell yourself when faced with temptation?>>

I simply repeat, "No, thank you" and realize that just because <insert food here> is on the table, doesn't mean I have to eat it.

I also used to ask food that was "tempting" me ... "How will you help me achieve my goals?"

[jebjow2]

Re: What to do at work...

Wow... thanks you guys. I just need to go in there with an ATTITUDE! LOL, a good one of course but the mentality that I DO NOT need that crap... and I'm WAY better off in the long run.

For lunch tonight, I packed cuc's broccoli, green peppers with some spinach dip, then I have celery sticks to eat my chicken salad with, and a big fat salad (green leafy lettuce, some onions, tom's, cuc's, cheese, and chicken breast). That should tide me over for two meals while I'm there.

Today is actually my last weigh in for a contest we're having at work. It's been going on for 12 weeks, today's the last day. Can't weigh in until 230 though, which is a total bummer. Since January I've lost 23 pounds, 7 of which were this past week! I'm hovering around a 11% loss. Hope it's enough to place in 1st, 2nd or 3rd. The money I win will be put to great use on our Disney vacation next month! Even if I don't win... I'm 23 pounds lighter. So I won no matter what.

Thanks again.

Jenny

[Elizellen]

Re: What to do at work...

Great attitude, Jenny

[jebjow2]

Re: What to do at work...

Okay, so I'm here at work... triage today, so I have some time to look around here

I'm doing okay. I weighed in for the challenge we've been doing since January. I came in 3rd place by 0.2% weight loss !!! I weighed in at 187. I was 196 a week ago today !!!!!!!! I never would have placed had it not been for Atkins. I'm loving this! This is just great. I actually just got the book in the mail prior to coming into work... so I have some motivational reading to do also.

[LateNiteDiner]

Re: What to do at work...

For lunch tonight, I packed cuc's broccoli, green peppers with some spinach dip, then I have celery sticks to eat my chicken salad with, and a big fat salad (green leafy lettuce, some onions, tom's, cuc's, cheese, and chicken breast). That should tide me over for two meals while I'm there.

Have you ever checked your calorie breakdown on a site like fitday.com? I don't like to be the bad guy around here, but the food list above almost sounds like it could double as a low fat diet (with the possible exceptions of cheese and mayo). While the carb choices are good ones, I think you may not be getting much fat which is the calorie type that keeps hunger from setting in. Without the fat, the temptations around you will seem even harder to resist. If you come home after your shift tonight still thinking it was hard to resist, you may want to consider upping your fat numbers. Good luck!

[jebjow2]

Re: What to do at work...

I do use fitday.... today my breakdown was.... 1624 calories, 121.4 fat ( !!!! ), 36.1 total carbs and 13.8 fiber.

That was recording the whole salad I had.... but I didn't eat all of it. I was beginning to feel full, so I stopped myself. The only thing tempting me tonight is the beautiful Easter cookies a co-worker gave me for placing in the contest. Nice huh?!? Now I have them sitting next to me, looking at me... and I'm telling them no. you should see these cookies, they are gorgeous! My family will enjoy them on Sunday.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: What to do at work...

>>1624 calories, 121.4 fat ( !!!! ), 36.1 total carbs and 13.8 fiber.>>

What was the fat %?

I think your calories are low ... you might want to aim for 10-12 times your current body weight in calories.

[Georgiana]

Re: What to do at work...

today my breakdown was.... 1624 calories, 121.4 fat ( !!!! ), 36.1 total carbs and 13.8 fiber.

1624 calories is barely the BMR for someone your height and weight... and if you are walking around a lot, you might need more than that.

Your fat intake looks fine.

Is the salad what you really want to eat or is it more like "diet food" to you?