Wendy, you say it's a small dental office. Who brings in the food? Is it the same coworkers? Patients? Vendors? Perhaps you could try bringing in things you like to snack on? Healthy things. You'd have something to put in your mouth when everyone else is eating, and they'd have something healthy to try. Even if they didn't try it and reached for the donuts instead, you'd be planting a seed and setting an example.
I work in an office setting now, but in nursing units it was the same thing. If a patient's family member wasn't bringing in donuts or pizza for us, a coworker was baking or something. Especially on nights! Since we didn't have the cafeteria open, everyone would order out. Usually at a pizza place or Chinese. The last hospital where I worked is when I was on Weight Watchers, and the only way to combat all this constant barrage of unhealthy food was to bring things with me. I got so used to it, that after a while I was able to simply ignore the food lying around, AND the comments. They all saw the change in me, and three or four of them were kind enough to comment positively on it and actually ask questions about WW.
Afterwards, I started bringing in healthy things to share. Often it wasn't touched, but sometimes it was. Then, I started bringing in old workout tapes I no longer wanted. By this time I had found Cathe, and I gave away a lot of old Firms and all my FitPrimes, as well as a lot of other tapes I had bought over the years, used once, and decided I didn't like. You know what? They ALL were taken by people. One VERY overweight RN even asked me if she needed any specific dumbells to use the tape. No one else heard her, but she did ask. I had a spare set of 3#'s and 5#'s at home, and brought them in for her.
I had this job for over a year before I made my WW goal in October of 2003 until this past May, when I quit to take the job I have now at the insurance company. They all watched me maintain my weight by not eating the cakes and the cookies that were brought in. No one said anything by then. They just knew this was "me", and they also knew by then I wasn't going to allow myself to be sucked into an "attacking-type" conversation about my weight or my workouts, so they left me alone. If people brought up the subject with positive comments or questions, I would talk. When they said hurtful things or made sarcastic comments, I ignored them just as if I hadn't heard what they said. It took a while, but they eventually got the hint. As for the food issue, people would ask, "Do you want any of the pizza back there or did you bring food today?" I would politely answer, "Thanks for asking, but I did bring food today." And that would be that. If they did talk about me, I never heard about it.
Now, the two offices I cover at the moment always have food lying around, but they're much bigger than any nursing unit where I work, and it's easy to not have anyone notice when you aren't eating what's brought in. In a smaller place EVERYONE knows if you did or didn't, so I can sympathize with you.
Well, this post is way too long, but I hope it helps!!! Just be who you are, and in time they'll come to realize you have your convictions. They may talk about you behind your back, but who cares? You aren't responsible for their behavior. They're the ones who will have to account for it one day. And, I agree with whoever posted it's because of their insecurities. That's their issue - not yours. You just be YOU. Their words have no power over you unless you give it to them.
Carol
