slightly new twist on familiar problem (treats at work)

My biggest challenge is the unexpected treats that show up randomly throughout my work place. I just thoughtlessly enjoy, which would be fine if it was once in a while, but it's pretty frequent--sometimes 2 cakes will show up at different times of the day. There is no one place that this can happen; I work in a school and the kids have a commons area, for example, or they can be having a special team meeting in our conference room, or maybe a fellow teacher drops something off in the faculty room . . .

Avoiding the "known risks" is easier for me, but I just seem to have no strategy in place for the treats I stumble upon in the course of my day. And I am so thoughtless about what I'm doing, I'll be done with a 2nd piece of cake before I remember I had chocolate-peanut butter bars in the faculty room!

I'm starting to wear more clothes with pockets and I thought about keeping something in my pockets that is a healthy alternative when I see the high-cal stuff. I'm going to ask people to put treats in a slightly different location in the faculty room where they are not visible in the parts of the room I MUST use. Does anyone have other suggestions?

TIA.

I think your "pockets" strategy is great.  I am an avid (sugar-free) gum chewer, so whenever I am tempted, I just pop in a piece.  Seems to work for me!  I think that a lot of times, just letting 15-20 minutes go by allows your cravings to pass anyway ... by the time I am finished with my gum, I've already forgotten about the sweets in the break room.

Best of luck, and just remember that every time you pass up the treats, you are bringing yourself one step closer to your goals!!

Whenever i see sweets I crave sugar but nectarines and green apples kill that craving. So bring in nectarines/apple slices in a purse (Cuz I think storing those in pants pocket might be a bad idea, lol)

Gum is awesome, but I sometimes mistake it as a snack replacement. Not good, make sure to actually eat something in between meals (Fruit slices for example) if you start to feel a tad hungry.

Hi there! I know where you are coming from, as I also work in a school and am constantly dealing with unexpected treats. What works for me is always having healthy snacks on hand. Also, I don't know if this will work for you, but whenever there is something I REALLY want (like pizza), I'll stand back while everyone is getting a piece and I just think about all the germs that are accumulating around the food (from people's hands, breathing, etc) and just thinking about that is enough to make me not want it. But maybe that's just me. Good luck!
Oh, and I love your Guinea pig pic! Sooo cute! (I have 2 myself)

I love the thinking about germs method.

I don't work in a school, but where I do work they bring food up once or twice a week. Fridays are okay because they bring fruit, but the other day is usually donuts or egg and cheese biscuits. Since the work I do is physically demanding, I always rationalize why I deserve the treat. This maybe okay, but when I get home, or sometimes on the way home, I eat something else. 

I'm going to try the germ thing and see if that works for me.

Great Idea!!

Going off the fruit solution, clementines are SO sweet! And very small so would definitely fit in your pockets, or you could say to yourself that you are only going to have a treat at work once a week, so you wont feel totally deprived and like you have to miss out every time, but also wont over do it!!!

I got a kick out of the response which mentioned germs.  I work in a school, as well, and I never have a problem avoiding the high-calorie treats that come through the door.  I even buy the "goodies" that are for fund-raising and then somehow never let them pass my lips.  Willpower?  No.  I simply think about how many times I have cooked with these kids (and my son at home) and had to remind them to wash their hands, get their fingers out of their noses, stop scratching while cooking, etc.  While I am smiling and saying how wonderful everything looks, I am thinking of my "outs" to avoid them.

I don't know if you smoke?....  I don't.  And so if people came by my office with free packets of cigarettes it wouldn't bother me or tempt me in the slightest because... I don't smoke. 

I tend to treat cakes in the office the same way.  I 'don't do cakes'... and colleagues have stopped asking me if I'd like one because they've worked out that I 'don't do cakes' as well.  It's just a silly mind-trick but it seems to be working so far.

Great ideas, people; thanks!