As I walked toward my office the other day, I was intercepted by my supervisor. “Oh! I brought in donuts today! Come on! Let’s go get one!” So I did. Someone else had brought these little chicken nuggets wrapped in biscuits, and I had one of those too. About three hours later I snagged another donut. Later on, after a meeting, my supervisor then “surprised” us with King Cake. So I had a piece. I was full of doughy doughy sugary goodness for the whole day. And it hadn’t cost a single penny.
Part One: ALL THE FREE FOOD!
There are other costs associated with food that sometimes we forget about when blinded by not having to buy/prepare a meal because it was provided by another source, whether it be work or school. That free food cost me 633 calories. Approximately 50% of my caloric intake per day. Approximately 73% of my daily recommended fat in four items.
So I learned that the corporate world is like college. Free Food. If your experience was anything like mine, then you knew that whatever organizations you joined would have pizza, every career fair you attended would have a sandwich tray, every board you served on would have cookies, and so on. Before you know it, your pants are feeling a little tight. Your fingers feel a little swollen. You are feeling sluggish and can’t remember the last time you did anything outside. But it’s a dinner you don’t have to buy. And if you’re quick, it’s lunch for the next day too.
But at what point does that desire to be frugal (well I can save a lunch if we’re being taken out by my supervisor, well I can save a packet of oatmeal for another time because we have donuts,…) meet up with that wall of fitness? At what point does frugality mean we are compromising our health?
Part Two: EAT OUT ALL THE TIMES!
I see this photo plastered all over the place:
And technically it is totally true. Assuming you have the $200 to plop down on groceries in advance. And the time, knowledge, and supplies to cook. I loved to cook, but in my own experience as a student, I didn’t have the time to spend in my residence hall’s public kitchen. I wasn’t allowed a crockpot or hot plate. I didn’t have anything more fancy than a cookie sheet (for pizza rolls) and a pot to boil water in (for ramen). And with an hour break between classes, how are you going to refrigerate that lunch? You’re not. So like many students, I got into the habit of eating out. A lot. $1 menu. Which is obviously not that healthy. There are tons of great posts on how to make an effective meal plan, so I’m not going into that (check this guest post over at My Alternative Life if you wanna hear more about that too or to make a meal binder go here!). So I didn’t invest the money into pots and pans. I didn’t invest money into groceries. I ate lots of very cheap, very quick food. But at what point does frugality mean we’re compromising our health. I mean. Sodium isn’t that bad for you is it? Three times my recommended serving every day? NBD right?
Part Three: Now what?
Now I do have the means to make my own food. I have a refrigerator at work to keep a lunch in. And when it hit me at the beginning of the year that it’s pretty much now or never as far as getting in shape and losing weight, fitness became something I thought about a lot. I started logging everything I put in my mouth. And suddenly it became stark clear that my office was a minefield of donuts, birthday cakes, and Chinese luncheons.
Things that I can’t partake in anymore and be healthy. Because as I wrote this I came to the realization that what I was doing was not being frugal. Going to a meeting every two weeks for free pizza to take home is not being frugal. Not bringing my lunch and having cake and ice cream instead is not frugal. It’s being cheap. And I choose being fit over being cheap.
So what are your experiences with the corporate, academic, and miscellaneous worlds and food?
This was a challenge for me in my first job post-college, too. I knew I was not going to be able to say no to everything and not feel totally deprived, so what I did was to experiment for awhile and see which treats people brought in really felt indulgent, and which were just temporary highs that really didn’t mean much to me.
For me, there were two of these things: (1) Our company bought bagels once a week from this independent baker that were out of this world. (2) A couple of times a year, we would have bake-offs (chocolate themed for Valentine’s day, etc.), and some of my coworkers were OUT OF THIS WORLD good at making desserts. The rest of it (Dunkin Donuts, halloween candy, leftover sandwiches from board meetings, etc..) were pretty “meh” for me. It was easier to say no to that stuff on a daily basis when I knew that Friday mornings, I could have my bagel and cream cheese with no guilt feelings, and that two or three times a year when we would have these elaborate bake-offs, that I could partake in those wholeheartedly.
For some people, even these few exceptions might knock them off the wagon, and a firm policy of “no free food from work” would work better for them — but this is what worked for me. Worth an experiment, at least! (Like, I would totally give up donuts for King Cake, but that’s just me…)
I think we’re over the birthday hump. We had cake almost every day in January, and my coworkers can get kind of pushy with food: “Why aren’t you having a piece?” I’ve just taken to staying in my office, and a few of my office friends know I’m watching what I eat, so they’ll just not tell me if there’s food or they’ll warn me “Don’t go in the break room today
”
What I think has been working for me is that I bought a big box of Cheez-Its and snack on those throughout the day. It’s 150 calories for 25 crackers, so a good compromise. I also drink a lot of tea. But yeah. King Cake was DELICIOUS. I don’t really have any regrets (donuts were another story…)
I started writing a post about the dangers of “free” food awhile ago but never posted it. Maybe I finally will post it….if I do, I’ll link to yours!
But I also have that same problem at work. In fact, I have a bit of a reputation at work, that when free food ends up on the “free food table”, people make sure I know about it. It’s definitely been a problem for me to weigh the free=good versus healthy=good plan. Someone once pointed out that the money I “save” by eating free food or buying the cheaper but less healthy option is really spent by the extra time I need to spend to work off the extra calories!
I know on occasion I still succumb to the tastier options. But then I just use it as inspiration to be all the healthier the next day.
Loved this post. We’ll be strong together against the evils of “free” food!
You definitely should post it! And I did too until I got the reputation of “dieting” which then leads to “Why are you doing that?” “Because I have a BMI of 30″ “Oh, you don’t even look big.” And another aspect I thought about (after I posted of course) was how the food in my office is left out, so it’s not even really sanitary or at some points safe by the end of the day. I just try to keep my own snacks in my office. And who would have thought that something so free could be so bad???
I’n also on a goal to lose 65+lbs (and will still be heavier than you are now when I reach my goal), but when I started my plan, this is what I knew: This cannot be a temporary thing. This has to be a new, forever, lifestyle. And what that means is that I cannot make this into a life a deprivation. If I do that, I will fail. Maybe not right away, but I will fail. So my plan allows me to have half a slice of birthday/retirement cake at the office. If someone brings in donuts, I log the calories and don’t eat one or two of the snacks I brought to work that day. It’s about making smart decisions, the occasional trade off, and giving myself some freedom. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, uou have to allow yourself some wiggle room.
I wish you luck on your goals! I’m trying to make this not a temporary thing, but I know that I can’t simply cut everything out (which has been the source of my failure before), so wiggle room is definitely the main reason I’ve been able to stay on track so far!
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