Help! I get paid to eat dessert!

[HauteCakeArtist]

I know life is hard working at a desk and being sedentary for 8 hours a day, but at least you're not surrounded by food.  A part of my job is literally to eat cake when I get to work.  I'm a cake decorator/pastry chef, and part of doing what we do is tasting everything before it goes out. 

Being that I do my job standing for 8-14 hours a day, I haven't packed on massive amounts of weight, but I'm getting older and my metabolism is slowing and it's getting harder to keep it off. 

I've got about 15 pounds I'd like to get off and I know about healthy eating.  We rarely buy dessert or junk food at home, but my problem is at work.  I can't get out of tasting the treats because that's part of my job.  And I've tried just spitting the bites into the trash, but once you get the sweetness on your palate, it's **ahem** near impossible to resist the rest of the day. I try to drink as much water as I can to stay full and to keep the sugar craving down, but it's not a great solution.

Anyone out there who has been through this and has any tips?  I love making custom cakes and I would never give it up, but what do I do to help balance it out in my life?

[susieque]

One suggestion is to join an aerobics class like Jazzecise. It only takes an hour but may be hard to fit into a day.  I try to do the class 3 times a week.  They usually have several classed a day in my area.  Another idea may be to take up jogging or brisk walking.  GOOD LUCK

[carl669]

i haven't been through your situation, but i definitely understand when you say it's "near impossible to resist the rest of the day".  one suggestion might be to try flavored water to reduce the cravings.

i'm not sure if this is what you want to hear, but, at some point, you're going to need to figure out how to just power trough the cravings.  the good news is though, it does get better.  at this point, i can easily take a couple bites of cake and then leave the rest.  so, i'd actually suggest start working on the mental aspect of the cravings.

[SunsetRunner]

know how you feel, used to work in a kitchen cooking, so had to randomly test food to make sure the quality etc was good enough, my god the pounds piled on

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

I, too, have the problem of severe cravings after just a taste of something sweet. But I learned a trick that helps to put my brain back on track -- I brush my teeth thoroughly after I try something sweet. I am trying - mostly successfully - to get into this habit so my brain recognizes tooth paste as "the end." If you cant brush your teeth, perhaps you can try mouth wash? Or suck on a very strong mint, like an Altoid? For me, it was important to get my brain to recognize the signal to stop.

[HauteCakeArtist]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!  I like the idea of having mints or gum or something around so that my body feels like it's "done".  I do pretty well if I never have to take a bite of anything, but once I have to start tasting, it gets so hard to resist.  So, maybe the minty flavor will get me on track and I can really make some progress!

[tealily]

Not the same but somewhat related - I was taught to finish all the food on my plate as a child, even if I was already full. As an adult, this is one of the hardest things for me to deal with... once I taste something, I'm psychologically geared to "finish" it.

So, one of the things I try to do now is a) listen to my body and b) get used to the idea of always letting some food go/getting used to turning additional food down. Most of the time it's a token attempt (eg leaving the last few bites) but I figure you gotta start somewhere! 🙂 Maybe you can just practice turning one small thing down a day and go from there.

[SunsetRunner]

Simply solution to your problem

spit, dont swallow

Now now.. get ur minds out the gutter.

Tasting and spitting out the cake is the same as tasting and eating the cake.

Your taste buds are all in the mouth. Once your buds get to the pastries, you'll know if its good or bad.

This is a trick i used when losing weight.
Pop a snack size snickers bar in my mouth, chew it up good and then spit it out. Sounds gross but it works..

[tealily]

Ooh that's the same technique Karl Lagerfield (head designer and creative director of both Chanel and Fendi) used to lose weight, apparently!

[HelenaFitbit]

I usually bake a lot, so to quiet my cravings and avoid temptations (despite the yummy things I'm baking) I usually have a large, filling meal before getting started. 

A glass of water or a cup of coffee while baking keeps the craving at bay 

[ChrisEll]

I have to taste for work too and here's some tips to help make you spit: (1) log your tasting meals same as other meals, (2) get a fancy colorful spit cup, one that makes you happy, maybe with a funny phrase or picture on it, (3) think of how much more you will enjoy your planned meals/snacks if you don't load up on cake, (4) drink water, (5) taste slowly so you "get it" the first time, (6) talk to coworkers to normalize spitting.  I don't recommend brushing teeth or chewing mint gum as this will dull your taste buds.

[jleist]

spit dont swallow is actually brilliant.. thats how wine tasters dont get drunk