I need a vanilla wafer-anonymous group :(

It's 4:45 in the morning and I just finished my 3rd handful of vanilla wafers. We keep them in the unit "for the patients", but it's the nurses that eat them more than anything! I have my survival kit but it's in the fridge. Think I need to keep it by me but there are things that need to be refrigerated in it. Oh can anyone give me some advice here!

I have a light at the end of the tunnel where I'll be going to dayshift soon and there won' t be as much downtime. I just needed to get  on here and vent. Other than the fact that i may "dump" on these, they just aren't a part of my BOTT plan!

I crave the vanilla wafers when I'm stressed....I suppose it's my food of choice where Cokes used to be my "drug" of choice. I'm stressed tonight but not busy. I'm gonna go eat a cheese stick!

Thanks for listening!

Janie

Hi Janie

it's probably too late now, but hang in there.  Oh I can relate sooo well to cravings like that, and it is sooo hard.  Easy in my head just to say no, but physically....well that's another matter.

But anyway, you have done the first thing by going and getting a cheese stick.  Plus you have your emergency rations with you - well near by in the fridge anyway!!!!

Tomorrow is a new day (or night in your case!!).  If you can't go cold turkey, try eating one less wafer each nigth and cut down gradually.  Whichever suits and works best for you.  Are there other staff on duty who can be your wafer monitors?  How well do you get on with them (the staff not wafers haha!!!! as we know you have a love affair with the wafers right now).  Could they lock them away or hide them somewhere so you have to ask for them if you need them for a patient?  Could you have a dry crunchy snack stored next to the wafers that you could reach for?

I'm not sure what the answer is as I'm right there with you at the moment, but I'm sure there is.  We just need to keep picking ourselves up and find ways out of the moments of temptation.  For me, it's more than a matter of will power, it's finding an alternative solution that works for me.

Hang in there, you are not alone.  And have a good sleep when you get off duty 

Ruth

Janie,

Just a suggestion, but can you put some Power Crunch or Oh Yeah! wafer protein bars in the same cabinet with the patients vanilla wafers?  Or how about an ice pack in your lunch pack or a small cooler so you can keep it near you at all times?

Wishing you a BETTER today!

Hi Janie,
People think when you work an off tour or night work its easy especially when it comes to eating.  Well, you and I know better...having your survival bag is a good thing. If its an insulated bag you can always use ice packs...they are and have been my saving grace.  I have my survival bag too, and my co-workers laughed at me because its almost the size of a fridge, but I fell of the wagon yesterday too; today is another day and a good day to get back on track.

Dreamgirl119

Pack your survival kit with only things that do not have to be refrigerated and keep it with you  It's the eating that you're using to entertain you - you don't have to eat the very most tasty thing you can think of. - just eat protein and make do with that

Thanks to my fellow BOTTers!
I've got just the ice pack to use in my lunch box. I had to laugh , dreamgirl at your survival suitcase!
You have a point! Eat protein, no matter what my craving may be. I felt better after I ate the cheesestick after my vanilla wafer fiasco. Somehow it seemed to make me feel like I had gotten back on track!

We are having our own super bowl party tonight at work with low cal healthy food. I'm bringing a meat/cheese  tray. I'm excited, not to work but to be able to have a "party" and be able to have what I need and want to enjoy. Of course dependeing on how busy we are is  dependent on how busy we are.

Protein first!!!! Thanks again girls! I'll keep you updated! 
Janie

Good for you, Janie.  You did get back on track with that cheesestick!!!!  You are making so wonderful, healthy changes in your thinking as well as your behavior.  Keep it up!!!