food/eating and work environment

spyrosmom

spyrosmom

Cathlete
I'm going to try to ask this question without it sounding mean or judgemental, because I don't want it to come off that way, but this is something that really bugs me. I have always been overweight, and have been working really hard on my diet and in the grand scheme of things I am doing well. My problems occur at work. I work in a call center of about 100 people. I'd say 90% of the people who work here are overweight if not obese. We have at least 10 people who I would says weigh over 400lbs. Almost everyone orders out for lunch every day, with the top picks being pizza, chinese,and burgers. I normally bring my lunch, and will occaionally run over to Panera for soup and salad. People are forever asking me why I don't want to order out. I don't want to eat all the crap, and most of it doesn't even taste good to me anymore. I want to eat my apples and PB or chicken and high fiber tortillas. I don't WANT all that crap. And birthdays all the time, just because I don't want cake doesn't mean I'm being uncelebratory. I don't WANT it. But then I get, the "are you on a diet?" question. And then they call me Ms Skinny (um, not by a long shot) and it drives me crazy. Yes, the pizza smells good, and so do the burgers. And the cake looks yummy, too. But there is no room for that today, and I DON'T WANT IT!!!! I would like to be healthy, and I don't want to look like the rest of the office. sheesh, is that so wrong? Sometimes it makes me feel so out of place.

Nan

PS it also bugs me that all they can talk about what they did last night is related to whats on TV. I never hear any of them talking about anything
physical.
 
No, that is not wrong at all.

I've battled it here at work for years. And believe it or not, I've gotten all my co-workers to eat healthy and we no longer have snacks, cookies, cakes here. Even for birthday's we opt for a veggie tray.

Granted, you have a lot more people working with you then I do, but keep going with what you are doing. Even if it rubs off on just one person, it will make you feel great. And don't listen to them, they are just jealous that they don't have your willpower!

Kudos to you for eating healthy!
 
Monday I brought in winter squash. I received a lot of comments, lol.

"What is that, it looks like baby poop?" "You actually eat that stuff?"

I asked if they had ever tried it-of course no they hadn't.

After a while I got a little irratated and they said "I should know better than to bring that stuff to work and not expect comments." :rolleyes:
 
nan, what debbie said! theyre jealous! they see the changes in you and are pea-green w/ envy they cant do it themselves!

you go, girl!:D:D:D:D
 
I work from home now but when I worked in an office I dealt with that all the time. When they ask you to order out or why you don't want to, just smile and say no thank you, I brought my lunch. If anyone continues to question you, continue to smile and say "It's none of your business" and walk away or turn away if you're at your desk. If you want to get snarky with them about it you can say "do you really not have anything else to worry/talk about besides what I'm eating?" :D

Honestly, it ISN'T anyone else's business and you shouldn't worry or care what other people think, just worry about yourself. I used to get the "Oh come on, one donut/bagel/piece of cake won't kill you" :confused: which is so not the point! Occassionally I would just come right out with the truth: "No thanks. I'm saving my bad calorie quota for the week for something I REALLY want." let them make catty remarks, roll their eyes, etc. You're doing what you need to do for YOU, the hell with them. :cool:

Oh, and when someone asks if you're on a diet, say "no, I just prefer to eat healthy."
 
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Nan - Try to ignore what you don't agree with. People just gotta live their own lives.

But if you're being singled out and criticized for your healthy habits, then you should turn around, slap yourself on the butt and say to your co-workers: "Hey...booty like this doesn't happen by accident! Now shut the hell up."

YMMV, but it sometimes helps to be a bit irreverent. ;):)

spyrosmom said:
PS it also bugs me that all they can talk about what they did last night is related to whats on TV. I never hear any of them talking about anything physical.
Click to expand...

Well I gotta say some of the best conversations we've had in our office are about TV/movies...:eek:
 
First off...GOOD FOR YOU!!! Keep it up.
Change is hard for people and it is hard for some people to watch someone else change into something they wish (or KNOW) they should do too. It is easier to bring others down than to change ("misery loves company") Keep it up, however, because you are a bigger role model than you can imagine.
Be proud of your changes and make NO APOLOGIES!!!
 
Oh Nan, I can feel your pain. At my last job, it was an office full of that! Most of the women I worked with would CONSTANTLY BUG me about my lunch. UGH! Now I work with old men who could care less what I eat. It is fabulous! The way I dealt with it in my last job was to smile without a word in response. It was HILARIOUS to see their reaction. :) Good luck to you! Keep smiling!
 
Jen brings up a great point. I think some people may feel a pang of guilt when they see you making a choice that is healthier than their own. While your decisions are in no way a judgment on theirs, they may feel challenged anyway.

OR it could be just a social thing. Sharing meals is a favorite past time, and some may wonder why you choose to exclude yourself. You're missing all the fun!

I used to be self conscious about it, especially since it seemed like every meal I ate in front of others was analyzed and critiqued. That's pretty irritating. Now I just ignore everyone. :D
 
I deal with this exact same thing. In fact right now, as I peak around the corner from my cublicle, there is a big plate of Noah's bagles and fluffly cream cheese right there. Next to it, homemade cornbread. Every day there is something high fat, high carb, or high calorie on the table. And every day, someone makes some comment about me not eating that stuff. Whoever said "misery loves company" is right -- people want to difuse their own guilt by seeing other people eat the same crappy food. Just hold your head high, and know that you are doing the right thing and in the long run, YOU will be/are healthier! Who cares what they say -- they just wish they looked and felt as great as you!

I always simply say "no thanks" and smile if they continue to comment. I can run 8 miles before work, they can't. End of story.
 
how irritating!!!

Just laugh it off because the truth would just make the work place intolerable. At least you know you've got us! :) I used to eat that kind of stuff so I really can't be judgemental. But, with the lifestyle I choose to live now I feel nothing but pity for people who are still living addicts to what amounts to crack masquerading as food. I mean think about it, is it really food if it doesn't satisfy hunger for at least a few hours? Chinese food, pizza, and other white foods (bread which I admit to eating today :eek:) don't satisfy hunger, if they did a person wouldn't endlessly binge on them. Ugh :mad: sorry for my rant.

There is nothing wrong with you.
 
lol!!!!

Tamrahan said:
Monday I brought in winter squash. I received a lot of comments, lol.

"What is that, it looks like baby poop?" "You actually eat that stuff?"

I asked if they had ever tried it-of course no they hadn't.

After a while I got a little irratated and they said "I should know better than to bring that stuff to work and not expect comments." :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Only if baby is sick.
 
RapidBreath said:
Just laugh it off because the truth would just make the work place intolerable. At least you know you've got us! :) I used to eat that kind of stuff so I really can't be judgemental. But, with the lifestyle I choose to live now I feel nothing but pity for people who are still living addicts to what amounts to crack masquerading as food. I mean think about it, is it really food if it doesn't satisfy hunger for at least a few hours? Chinese food, pizza, and other white foods (bread which I admit to eating today :eek:) don't satisfy hunger, if they did a person wouldn't endlessly binge on them. Ugh :mad: sorry for my rant.

There is nothing wrong with you.
Click to expand...

Excellent post and you are so right!!

When I binge (yes, I binge sometimes) I never get full. I can eat bad stuff all day long and never feel satisfied. That's why I don't do it much anymore. Crack masquerading as food is such a good phrase. That is exactly what it is!
 
Thanks, at least I know I'm not crazy!! I do eat all the above mentioned crap, just not everyday for lunch. Its a once in a while food. I know I used to be like that, which is also why it bugs me so much. I love the woman who sits next to me dearly. She has to be the nicest person on the planet. But, she huge, and unhealthy. She gets winded walking to the bathroom and when she comes back I hear her huffing and puffing. When she eats, I can hear her having a hard time breathing and eating at the same time. Then she says she needs to eat healthy and has no money, but orders out EVERY DAY. It drives me crazy. Probably partially bc I consider her a friend, and it hurts me to see it. But, we can't change everyone nor make everyone do what we want. *sigh*

And don't me started on all the people here who look at me like I have 6 heads when I say I spend an hour a day working out. They say they don't have time, then tell me about all the TV shows they watched last night.

I've been in other offices, of course, but none that seem THIS unhealthy. Makes me sad, angry, and honetly a wee bit disgusted. *sigh*

Nan
 
I worked in a call center for over 10 years and it sounds a lot like where you work. Just about everyone had what we called the res spread. (short for reservations) In my last two years there I joined WW and lost over 45lbs. I know exactly what you're going through. Every day I had to say no to a seemingly unlimited number of junk food offerings. When I was about 10lbs away from my goal people I barely knew seemed to have no problem telling me I was getting "too skinny". I am now at the high end of WW guidelines for healthy weight so while my weight is healthy I am by no means skinny. I just did my best to ignore them and continued bringing my own lunch. It can be frustrating but losing weight is sooo worth it.
 
This makes me feel so fortunate to work at a small salon where everyone has a healthy relationship with food. The owner is a WW "Core Program" devotee and is always bringing in healthy meals, and teaches spinning and pilates classes. I track my food on My Fitness Pal and workout 6X week with CF dvds, the other girls are also healthy eaters and attend a gym and walk to work. We aren't freaks about it, every couple of weeks we get a pizza, or flag down the Mr. Softie truck when he drives by--and we all imbibe in some fancy-pants beer.

I've worked in environments where people have criticized me for my healthy-ish (I'm by no means a skinny-mini) eating habits. I've also worked for salons where the other stylists and owners criticized me for being too fat and unprofessional looking (I'm a size 10). These people were staying skinny from cigarettes and cocaine, so I'm not sure that's a model of professionalism.

To the OP, it seems like your behavior and reaction is on-par with proper etiquette. I guess that if you felt like taking on a project, you could bring in some healthy alternative snacks and ease them into the idea of eating healthier. My husband's military detachment is stuck in an office, this is an odd assignment and they aren't used to being cubicle rats, so they set up a volleyball net outside and play during lunch. I'm not sure if your workplace has a space outside for volleyball, or badminton, but mild, outdoor activity could be fun for everyone.
 
Thanks for posting this - totally hits home with me!

I am a teacher - talk about a job where there is CONSTANTLY unhealthy options. Not only are parents always bringing in snacks to put in the lounge, but school lunches aren't as healthy as they should be.

I eat the same thing every day for lunch and get made fun of by my co-workers. I agree with the rest of the posters though - eating healthy and feeling healthy is SO TOTALLY WORTH IT!
 
cheers to yous that really stick to your diet and don't let others persuade you to eat anything you don't want or shouldn't have. I think it's harder for us girls that are still in the process of losing weight because people will think "oh you are on a diet". And that creates alot of pressure to lose weight and not fail.

Although not always at work, it's something you'll deal with all over in life. When out to eat with friends or other's family get togethers it's easy to feel left out not eating or ordering burgers, fries, pizza, big pasta dishes and getting big icecream sundaes like everyone else. And that "one cake or piece of whatever won't hurt" phrase is annoying. Truth is, all those junk food calories do add up.


I enjoyed reading this thread! Feels better knowing I'm not the only one who might feel out of place eating healthier foods, while everyone else around me eats fattening stuff.
 
RapidBreath said:
Just laugh it off because the truth would just make the work place intolerable. At least you know you've got us! :) I used to eat that kind of stuff so I really can't be judgemental. But, with the lifestyle I choose to live now I feel nothing but pity for people who are still living addicts to what amounts to crack masquerading as food. I mean think about it, is it really food if it doesn't satisfy hunger for at least a few hours? Chinese food, pizza, and other white foods (bread which I admit to eating today :eek:) don't satisfy hunger, if they did a person wouldn't endlessly binge on them. Ugh :mad: sorry for my rant.

There is nothing wrong with you.
Click to expand...

that's the problem, like Debbie said you never feel full on a binge. but those foods are trigger foods for some people, once they have the taste of it they can keep going and going for days, week, etc. For some people it's best not to even eat those foods and start the cycle.
 
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