I hope this isn't too stupid of a question, but I'm thinking of doing the Wilton classes and going entrepreneurial in the cake business. I'm curious how any of you with weight issues stay thin? I'm currently overweight and doing Weight Watchers, which I'm loving most of all because they stress a lifestyle change, not just a diet. But I'm afraid of being surrounded by cake and frosting and cookies all day, every day. I don't think I have that much will power. Any thoughts or stories to share on how to control yourself, or weight gained after getting into cake decorating?

I also have to say how much I love this site and all the wonderful people in it!!! It is so much fun to just lurk in the forums and see what I can aspire to. Thank you!!!

LorenzoRed

Hey I'm also on WW I can def say though for me, cake decorating has cured my sweet tooth...I now avoid many sweets that before I couldn't!

I'm not a thin person to begin with but I can say that I haven't gained weight because of this - the truth is being around all of these sweets has turned me off of cake, icing, cookies and pretty much sweet food. I like salty food now...lol

I tend to agree... The more you are around sweet food the less you tend to eat them,.... I know thats the case for me and a few other people...
Often i might have a lil nibble every now and again but no where near as much as i use to before i started decorating!

I worked my butt off after having my second child to lose about 60 pounds, and then I started doing cakes, (I have a major sweet tooth) but i can say though that it has not affected my weight. When I try a new recipe I take a small taste then pass it to neighbors to taste for me as well, it works out well that way, and any tester cakes I save one piece for each of my kids then send the rest to work, or the YMCA where I work out, or my neighbors or the teachers at my kids school.

I think that just remembering to eat healthy and exercise is key and you can still have come cake as well as long as you remember to not go overboard. I have faught back a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember, my trick for that is to keep a bowl of ripe, in season fruit around when I am baking so I have that readily available to grab instead of a piece of cake. I am also very strict on my exercise routine, no matter how many cakes I have to do I always get my 3 mile run in and weights 5 times a week.

I have fought my weight for my whole life. I wouldn't say that I have gained weight because of cakes. I do try to be aware when I am baking and mixing. I often chew gum while icing the cake, so I don't taste here and there. Good luck.

I haven't gained weight because of doing cakes... I give the cake tops to my sweetie and our dog (who LOVES it when Mommy bakes!), and if I really need a fix, I'll make a single cupcake for myself, if there's enough batter. For the most part, though, inhaling powdered sugar and mixing so many batches of cake batter, I get sick of it pretty quickly. I do admit to licking the bowl after mixing the batter, but I make sure it's well-scraped before that, and only lick the spatula and beaters. No more standing over the batter bowl with a spoon... oh wait... did I say that out loud???

I complete agree with the others. Since I have started baking cakes, I just don't eat them anymore! When I make a new recipe, I have a taste, and give out samples to friends and family to taste, but I generally stay away from cake these days. I wouldn't worry too much about it!

Good luck!

bake it, smell it, get it out of the house...that's my motto. I am actually turned off by most sweets these days because the house frequently smells like a bakery. I don't think it has affected me, if anything I eat less now because I bake all day. I do make sure I have carrots, fruit, and lots of water available all the time.

Geez....I guess I am the one helpless jerk that still can't get enough cake. I still love cake scraps, especially chocolate, and have no self-control. And yes, I have a weight problem. Buttercream is my form of crack. I think I need an intervention!!

I must say, I'm a Lifetime member of WW and since February I have gained 10 lbs from trying all my creations. I've never really liked desserts and went to school to be a pastrychef. Even working in all the restaurants, and bakeries over the years I never ate the desserts. But for some reason, now I just can't stop myself!
So Ellepal, you're not alone!!

I am however, trying to get back to my meetings so that I can lose those 10 lbs! I just have to get back the courage to step back on that scale!

My husband laughs because I don't eat that much cake any more. I've never liked sugar cookies so I've been making them for the kids because I won't eat them.
I'm not super thin and I've lost weight in the last few months.

I've gained weight-= but I also stopped nursing- so I'm not sure which is to blame. I guess a little bit of both. My down fall is the cake batter and the cookies. My DH is to blame for those cookies. He whines if I don't save a few for him- but then he lets them sit there for days and I have to rescue them before they get stale- all that hard work down the drain!!???

Lorenzo, thanks for posting this question, I've been wondering the same thing myself! I will definetly try chewing gum when decorating, that seems to be my danger zone. Maybe we should start a weight loss board under the non-cake topic section. Good luck with your WW!

Shelle

I still LOVE cake and buttercream. Can't get enough of it. I too am on WW and I've gained back 10 of the 65 that I've lost, but still working on it. I do try to make sure I have lots of Altoid Peppermint Gum when I"m baking. The strong peppermint pretty much kills the taste for anything else.

I love cake scraps and now I've found a way to avoid them.

When I began I would put scraps in a bowl for the whole family to enjoy. Then I realized how quickly I could be the culprit of my whole family gaining weight. So to please them and me I would save very few scraps and the rest would disappear in the garbage

Then I learned the great trick of putting a papertowel and heavy object on cakes as soon as they come out of the oven to level them (& it makes them more dense too). Now I have NO cake scraps

As far as icing, like many others, we get tired of the sweetness. But (thanks to CC) I've learned to freeze leftover colors so I try to do that as quickly as I can to get the icing out of our site. It sure saves a lot of time and hassle too

Oh Lorenzo... Where do I begin?

I have been fat all my life. 3 years ago I decided I need a lifestyle change and set out to do it. I lost 75 pounds and had a tummy tuck to remove the hanging skin. I kept it off for 2 years. I achieved this by getting up every morning at 5:30 and going to the gym, and journaling EVERY morsal of food I ate for 2 years. I am a carb addict, so I literally could not keep sugar, flour , butter, etc in the house because I would be sitting there at night and all of a sudden need to whip up a batch of sugar cookies! Then last Nov I sold my business and decided to go into cake decorating. I have gain 30 pounds since then. ( a total of 50 in the last year) None of my close in my closet fit. WHy have I gained this weight? I haven't seen the inside of a gym in 4 months. I can't seem to find a time that fits that I can't make excuses for. When I'm up all night decorating, I just can't get up to go work out. I haven't journaled in 7 months. I am still trying out recipes trying to find the right ones- imagine being an alcoholic and getting a job as a wine taster!!!

So now that it is summer and I have no clothes to wear, and not to mention I feel like crap cardiovascularly, the good news is, I don't crave sugar so much any more- i still eat it because it's right there infront of me and I don't seem to have the will power to "just say no"- and I am getting more settled into a routine and hopefully will be able to get a workout schedule down and get back on track. My plan was to start the cake decorating and get my personal training certification and do that part time to keep in shape, but the temptation of baking was too much. But I feel I can do it now.

I am so disgusted with myself. It's one thing to put back on weight, but most people don't spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgury and then do it. Plus I hate seeing people I know because you know they are all doing the "oh that's to bad, she looked so good. tsk tsk" thing. But I am okay. I know what it takes to loose the weight, and I know I can get fit again. I miss the feeling of being able to go to my closet and just grab something knowing it will fit- not looking at it trying to figure out what is going to make me look the less fat.

I am writing a book called " I Was So Sick Of Being Fat, So Here's WHat I Did..." to tell my story and motivate others like me. And hopefully do some motivational speaking. The good thing is now I have a good "before" shot for the cover- I didn't have any fat pictures from before!

Here's the secret to loosing weight- calories in = less than calories out. Ha! And you didn't even have to buy the book!

Sorry to go on and on- it's a subject I am passionate about!

Add me to the list of not wanting sweets any more. I'm about 15 pounds overweight and hardly eat any of my sweets any more. The chocolate covered Oreos are another story, but I don't make them very often at all. Baking cookies all the time has certainly turned me off to them. I've done WW on and off for a few years, just counting points though.

I'm the type that can never have enough sweets. I've caught myself licking batter bowls, beaters, and even snacking on spoon fulls of buttercream. I just love sugar but let me tell you, I love my size 2 jeans even more. This is why I run... so I can have my cake and eat it too. Seriously! I also find it helpful to keep a mouthful of gum while I'm baking to keep myself from snacking. The way I see it, my weight will always be a battle but I'm never going to give in and stop the fight.

I'm another decorator on WW. I'm a lifetime member. I had reached goal, stopped attending meetings, then stopped exercising and then took the Wilton classes. A bad combination of events. I have since returned to WW, have made it goal and maintained it and have continued cake decorating. Unfortunately for me, I am not one of those that is sick of cakes, cookies and icing (You're not alone ellepal ). I just do the best I can to balance it out with exercise and eating well (most of the time ).

Hello, my name is Cheri and I'm a BC Addict...... LOL Seriously, I CRAVE BC icing! It's one of the reasons I got in to doing this...LOL I used to struggle with my weight...just about since I can remember. I'm the woman who gains 80 pounds with each and every baby (3 total) and had to lose it...THREE TIMES! Fortunately, decorating has actually caused me to lose a few pounds....I find I don't crave the icing so much because it's always around...I also make sure I give away any "leftovers or practice cakes". I spend so much time after work playing around with the cakes and icing techniques....I don't have much time to really eat..so that helps. LOL

I also have found that any type of diet that cuts out any specific type of food....won't work for the long term. If something is your "favorite", you'll never be able to completely cut it out...you'll always want it. So, I've learned to simply watch my calories...don't care about fat, don't care about carbs....just how much I'm eating of what I'm eating and how many calories I'm taking in on a day-to-day basis. I also exercise 3X's a week. I usually do about 1400 cals a day....give-or-take...and I have days where I just don't worry about it, too. I've stayed within 3 pounds of my goal weight for a long time since doing that.....HTH.

"Geez....I guess I am the one helpless jerk that still can't get enough cake. I still love cake scraps, especially chocolate, and have no self-control. And yes, I have a weight problem. Buttercream is my form of crack. I think I need an intervention!!:
ellepal- you are not alone!
I blame it on cakes & icings! i started doing this after i got divorced and just had a newborn at home. It was bad enough for me to be carrying the extra "baby" weight. But i have definately put on much more. i can't control myself!

Thank you all so very much!!! I can't believe all the responses and you all have definitely helped ease my mind. As long as I count the points for all those finger-licks and make myself know how many calories that all adds up to, I might be able to resist! Steady2Hands, I especially like the idea of NO cake scraps whatsoever and freezing leftover icing immediately is a practical, yet still remarkable tip. Thanks so much!

I work out!! I've had three babies and lost the weight with all three thanks to exercize mainly....especially weight lifting. Doing cardio only will not give the same results! My body doesn't like to lose much weight when I'm nursing, so it took me a good year to lose the weight with my third baby.

I absolutely love sweets, but have kind of gotten tired of my usual yellow cake. I never thought THAT would happen, LOL!

Courtney

Yes, I admit it. I LOVE buttercream...and butter cake......and butter cookies....oh yeah, and chocolate cake......and chocolate icing.....and chocolate dipped oreos.....well, you get the picture! Im glad Im not the only who has dealt with this. I just had baby #2 in January. Although, I lost all that baby weight, Im still trying to lose weight from baby#1, who'll be going to school in the coming year!!! Anyway, Im doing the exercise thing and I did WW for a while and lost 13 lbs., it's just hard for me to count points. So I fell off the wagon. But then I had some pictures developed and found an EXTREMELY unflattering one of me and I just jumped right back on that weight loss wagon! It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but I am determined to be a size 8 again!!!!

I took up decorating after my hysterectomy in 2005, and have gained 15 pounds. Used to crave sugars and carbs the week before you-know-what, and I would give into it because I knew I was just crazy that one week, and that next week everything would be all better. Now I crave the wonderful, sweet, buttery stuff EVERY week! I'm looking forward to the day that I'm tired of it and no longer want it.

I struggle with my weight too. My biggest problem is sweets and I have finally figured out that one bite of something quickly turns into a sugar craving. So, like Steady2hands, I have to put the cake scraps directly in the garbage. What is interesting is that since I've been decorating, I don't want any icing and whenever I eat a iced cake, I leave most of the icing. Now, if I could just do that with cake too!

I am back on my meal plan and have started to exercise. I do better on the EatRight program, which is a balanced diet. That way, I'm forced to eat more fruits and veggies. Left on my own, I tend to eat more starches.

I am also working out every night on my new elipitcal (sp?) machine. I'm up to 5 minutes right now

Gotta get ready for work! Ya'll have a great day!