Careers that hinder weight loss.

I'm only 23, but have been overweight most of my life. About 3 months ago, I decided to make the change to a healthier (and thinner) life. I have lost 20 pounds so far (with much help from a pricey personal trainer, definietly could not have done that on my own). I seem to be at a standstill now though. My choice of profession is getting in the way of my weight loss. I am a Pastry Chef at a large hotel, surrounded by sweets 12 hours a day. It's easy to not buy sugary foods at the grocery store so as not to bring them home, but I cannot avoid pastries, cakes, cookies, pies...at my job. I'm looking for advice from people who may work in the food industry or maybe have a job that makes it very difficult to avoid temptation. I'm usually good throughout the morning, but by lunchtime I want to devour every peice of cake in the place! Help!

Wow...thats a hard one. I dont envy you.....I love cooking and often nibbling what I cook is a prime reason for overeating. But its not my profession- thank God!

The only advice I can offer you is: try never to be hungry while you are at work- eat full, healthy, proper meals. You are less likely to snack when full. Keep lots of low calorie snacks with you.

Also, take a deep breath every now and then. Its easy to slip off the wagon when stressed out.

Good luck!

I'm not in the food industry, but am often surrounded by cakes, croissants, and other pastries. It would be impossible for me to simply use self-control and not eat any at all, so I usually work a piece of cake or a croissant into my daily calories.

Or maybe, since you're a chef yourself, you can make a healthier version of the foods you're surrounded by and substitute those instead. Maybe make them at home and then bring them to work.

I have been in the business for over 24 years and have struggled with this for MANY years. I am now in my thirties and it took me this long to realize its not the food around you. Its you around the food. Its not that being around food pushes you into eating. You push you into eating. Healthy people have no issues with being around food, but are able to go with out bindging on it or obsessing about it. Soooooooo reality is the problems not in the kitchen its in you. Sure Im stating the obvious............but you have to REALLy investigate that statment and find the why, once you have you will own the "how". 

Working in a burger joint was awful for my weight.  Especially with employee discounts and being so tired and hungry at the end of shifts that it was easier to order a burger on the spot than go home and make something healthy. 

I have a job around tasty treats too.  Hmm.. these are a couple of things I try to do.  Brush your teeth after lunch, drink unsweetened mint herbal tea, chew gum (mint is a favorite flavor of mine and a big eating deterant) and the one I find helps me the most... ge tthe heck outta there as soon as you are done working.  Idle time lets the devil in.

Oh wow, that's such a cool job but it must be the hardest profession to eat healthy in!  I gained weight just when I was working at Walgreens in high school because they sold nothing but junk food which I would eat on my breaks. 

I myself am a personal trainer now.  As you can imagine, it makes it easier for me to stay healthy and in shape.  I'm at the gym every day anyway, I have no excuse not to stay after my sessions and work out myself.  Plus there is the pressure to look the part of my job.  So this leads me to my advice for you:

Find some way to change your lifestyle so that it's easy for you to stay in shape.  I'm not saying become a personal trainer in your free time necessarily, but maybe you could join a sports team that meets a few times a week.  If soccer games are a regular part of your life just as baking pastries is, you will have an easier time at it.  It's really hard to try to eat healthy and to try to exercise if no aspect of those things are part of your normal every day life.  Know what I mean?  Hope that was helpful! 

Original Post by cddemers

Healthy people have no issues with being around food, but are able to go with out bindging on it or obsessing about it.

This is so true.  It's those people who say "no thanks" when offered free food.  I used to eat food whether I liked it or was just meh on it, just because it was free.

I STILL suck at not eating at work... I work in a restaurant and the kitchen messes up, so they give it to us.  Accidentally make extra toast?  Eat it.  Bored?  Make extra toast and eat  it.  If the kitchen's bored they make food sometimes as well.

 Urghh.