I work in what many would consider to be a beautiful office. Beautiful wood accents throughout, gorgeous lobby, nicely maintained bathrooms, who could ask for more? As much as I love my work environment there is one thing that, as somebody who struggles to eat healthy, I absolutely hate, the constant food!!! It's not so bad in the summertime, however in the Winter and Fall it seems like a day does not go by where I do not get an email with something like "fresh cookies in the café!" or "I baked a cake last night and brought it in". You see, I work in an office with probably 200 people, and they do what is called a "birthday celebration". Once a month we celebrate everybody's birthday for that particular month with "cake day". On cake day there is an announcement that is made over the loudspeaker alerting us to the presence of hundreds and hundreds of slices of cake available in the café. Then, like cows, we herd into the café and take our plate (or plates) of cake slices. We also have a monthly breakfast buffet, usually held on a Friday, where seemingly limitless quantities of waffles, bagels, assorted croissants are available for the taking. Occasionally, a fruit tray may make an appearance, but the ratio of "healthy" to "crap" is usually 1:10. Just last week for example there was a Sundae party, where we could make Sundaes to our liking with various toppings. A SUNDAE PARTY!!!!! Oh, and did I mention that out of the 200 so people that work at my firm, dispersed over the 4 floors of offices, I have the location CLOSEST to the café. The café is literally 5 steps from my desk. So whenever somebody heats up something, brings in something delicious, yup, I can smell it. Talk about torture!
I love that my firm is so committed to providing us with treats to boost morale and keep spirits up and yes at the end of the day it is all about personal responsibility. I do my best to avoid the naughty options provided on an almost daily basis however it gets hard when the aroma of cake is lingering around your office and co-workers are walking by at a steady pace with their plates asking you "why didn't you get a piece... go get one!". I make sure to keep my desk stocked with some essentials which are: Luna Bars, Fiber One Cereal, Mini chocolate drizzle rice cakes, and I also keep the fridges stocked with healthy options like apples and cottage cheese (which I figure are the safest bets to avoid that office thief).
I personally find it important to have a safer option to reach to when a horrible option is so easily accessible. Don't even get me started on how the healthiest option in our vending machines are Pop Tarts. So if you are like me and find that your work environment is not conducive to your weight goals, it is important that you make your own surroundings as beneficial as possible! Think ahead and keep a stash of healthy choices by you at all times so when that birthday cake looks too good to resist, you can reach for a sensible, pre-portioned snack and still enjoy a treat but not feel guilty.
P.S. - In addition, my boss keeps an aquarium-sized fish bowl filled with chocolate at all times in her office..... so if I can maintain my will power so can you!
