A Guide to Surviving the Office Ice Cream Social

I work a 9 to 5 job in a typical office. That means FOOD all the time! Donuts, chocolate, bagels, pastries, birthday cakes, cookies, a concoction of rice chex peanut butter, chocolate and powder sugar Erin's mom made called "puppy chow" we simply refer to it as Crack! Seriously, if its sugary, loaded with saturated fat or carbs, you can probably find it in our office ... and the latest temptation: Ice Cream!

There's no secret to finding the willpower to say no, you just need to learn to resist the temptation of snack food. Easier said than done I know, but it MUST be done!! Look the other way, carry healthy snacks with you like carrot sticks, drink a glass of water, physically remove yourself from the temptation...leave the room, go for a walk... do what ever it takes!! And do NOT give in to peer pressure from your co-workers. It's hard for them to all be understanding of the choices you are trying to make with your life style, so sometimes you might need to just physically remove yourself from the lunch room and take a step outside instead.

But what if you can't resist and really really want that ice cream? Take a look at your options and choose the healthiest. I re-vamped my diet and now I'm typically eating 1500 calories to keep the pounds falling off. I was good for breakfast and lunch. I had room for a small snack in my diet. (just a side note, I don't do fake sugar, I could eat a lot of crap that has fake sugar in it, but I will blog later about how fake sugar hurts your diet more than it helps it)

Well how the hell can you enjoy ice cream at low calories? Well, today I enjoyed a 105 calorie serving of ice cream WITH a toping.. here's how...

GOOD OL' PORTION CONTROL

According to nutrition labels the typical serving size for ice cream is 1/2 cup or 4oz.

But the average serving of ice cream runs you 130 calories or more and provides little nutritional benefit... well you're eating ice cream so you gotta know you've thrown any thought of getting a few vitamins out the window when you dug the scooper in. But there's still hope for salvaging your diet. Edy's makes a type of ice cream that is part vanilla yogurt and about 100 calories a serving!





See the little note on the bottom there about checking the label? You should probably do that because the one I ate was the same product but it claimed to only be 90 Calories a serving. So anyway, I scooped out my 1/2 (assuming that it's 90 calories as the package said) I could go for a topping.

Reddi Wip offers a great line up of low cal whipped toppings!


I went with the fat free kind. A serving was typically 2 table spoons which is a nice little dollop on your 1/2 cup of frozen vanilla yogurt!

Now you're ready to eat a delicious frozen treat for around only 95-105 calories! Enjoy it very very slowly. When was the last time you savored your food and enjoyed every last bite? As everyone else in the office is shoveling down bowls of ice cream three times the size of yours (also three times the fat and calories)... you can just sit there and slowly savor your portion guilt free. Eat it slow enough you won't be waiting around for everyone to finish theirs, and you won't be tempted to grab seconds.

What if you're craving a ice cold sweet treat and you want something a little more substantial?

Try an edy's fruit bar. Most flavors are only 80 calories!!

What if you're away from home and want something cool and refreshing on a hot summer day?

Try to find a frozen yogurt shop! Frozen yogurt shops are popping up all over the country. They typically offer a small low-cal serving and fresh fruit topings, not "fruit" smothered in sugary corn syrup.

Boston:
http://www.bostonberryline.com/

DC/Baltimore:
http://www.mryogato.com/

California/New York/Texas:
http://www.pinkberry.com/

Chicago:
http://www.berrychill.com/

Denver:
http://chillinyogurt.com/

I found all of these by doing a google search of the city, and frozen yogurt. Personally I've tried Berryline in Boston and it was de-lic-oius! Since I live in Baltimore I'm going to have to give Mr. Yogato a try.

Anyway, so there you go! Dieting does not always = torture. If you do eat too much, it's ok you're human! Make sure you keep exercising especially if you have a bad day.

Get out there and get some exercise then hop back on the band wagon the next day.