Food Sabotage At Work

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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    every time I see these threads I think of that Beastie Boys song..."Sabotage!!!!"..

    OP - seriously, it is an office environment and not everyone has the same health goals. Every time I walk down to the break room there is a bowl of candy bars, or a thing of donuts sitting out, sometimes I stop and have something, sometimes I do not. I suggest you do the same...
    -
    FYI - just because someone likes to eat candy and baked goods does not mean that they are purposefully sabotaging you ...

    when the waiter at a restaurant mentions dessert, is he sabotaging you too??
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    herrspoons wrote: »
    By not eating them?

    Yep...

  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    That's not sabotage. That's just folks living their own lives.

    ^This...

  • vamaena
    vamaena Posts: 217 Member
    I'll only take baked goods if I can fit it into my day. If's it's storebought then I won't even consider making room for it.
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  • stacyjh1979
    stacyjh1979 Posts: 188 Member
    We have stuff where I work ALL the time and most of it is not healthy stuff. I typically know about it ahead of time so if it's something I want then I plan ahead and save calories for it so I can fit it into my goals. A lot of the time I either have a very small amount or I just pass on it entirely. Only you can decide which items are "worth it" to you and which are not. I've learned to think about this pretty hard as there have been a few times I ate something and almost immediately regretted "wasting" my calories on the item.
  • I understand what you're going through. It's so hard to say no to snacking when everyone else is saying yes. Possibly bring your own snack with you.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    In for sabotage!

    beastie-boys-sabotage-o.gif
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    1) Pick up snacks
    2) Walk them over to the trash bin
    3) Loudly dump them in
    4) ???
    5) Yell "Come at me bro!" to the first person who looks at you funny
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
    The battle is in my mind. If I don't think about it, I won't eat it.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    1) Pick up snacks
    2) Walk them over to the trash bin
    3) Loudly dump them in
    4) ???
    5) Yell "Come at me bro!" to the first person who looks at you funny

    I so want to see this happen...
  • Ryandecheney314
    Ryandecheney314 Posts: 139 Member
    Here is a step by step process that helps me not eat all the donuts, candy, pizza etc that people bring into work

    Step 1. Dont eat it.

    that its! works every time.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    One way to be successful is to remove any words from your vocabulary that makes it appear as though the consequences of your decisions are someone else’s fault. The word sabotage means a conscious and deliberate action and that is not the case when co-workers bring in food. Even if it was the case, you don't have to eat any of it. Since you know this happens, plan for it ahead of time by saving a few hundred calories if you want to eat any of it.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Milvardea wrote: »
    Try to walk the long way around them, so you don't have to see them. That helps a lot. Don't let anyone park snacks near your desk. Make healthy snack foods more accessible than the junky stuff. If you have to walk by the snacks, try really hard not to look at them, and repeat your goal over and over in your head while you do. "That snack isn't going to help me to get to my 45 pound weight lose goal!" I tell myself, as I walk by the counter where they keep snacks. Also, I do occasionally just have one, and work it into my day.

    Google has free M&Ms for their employees, and they found that if they put a lid on the candies, and put healthier snacks right next to them in open containers, "In the New York office alone, employees consumed 3.1 million fewer calories from M&Ms over seven weeks. That’s a decrease of nine vending-machine-size packages of M&Ms for each of the office’s 2,000 employees."

    Humans are very out of site, out of mind creatures, (and saying "Just don't eat them" is not helpful, by the way). Perhaps you can provide snack "bins" to the office that have lids, or make sure the lids on the doughnut boxes are closed.

    Even better, try providing a healthy alternative right next to the snacks, to keep yourself on track, and help others in your office to make healthy choices. I keep an emergency bag of dried fruit that I put out a bit of next to unhealthy snacks in the office to help all of us trying to lose weight.

    Remember to have faith in yourself, your diet plan, and your decisions to eat healthier. You can do this! Also, remember, if you eat one small piece of candy or a doughnut, it's not the end of the world!

    Keep on keeping on, my friend!

    Actually, it is. Everyone has to deal with tasty treats in their lives. If it's not at work, it's samples at the grocery store, or the dessert cart at a restaurant, or food at a holiday dinner.

    Putting the treats out of sight at work does not help you deal with situations where the food is right there, in your face. At best, it's a good technique to use until you've mastered self control in easier settings and can handle having the treats out all of the time. On the other hand, developing the will power to say no, or learning how to portion control, works in all situations.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    Branstin wrote: »
    One way to be successful is to remove any words from your vocabulary that makes it appear as though the consequences of your decisions are someone else’s fault. The word sabotage means a conscious and deliberate action and that is not the case when co-workers bring in food. Even if it was the case, you don't have to eat any of it. Since you know this happens, plan for it ahead of time by saving a few hundred calories if you want to eat any of it.

    She%27s_right_you_know_meme.jpg
  • kbc7288
    kbc7288 Posts: 10 Member
    1) Pick up snacks
    2) Walk them over to the trash bin
    3) Loudly dump them in
    4) ???
    5) Yell "Come at me bro!" to the first person who looks at you funny

    Too funny!!!
  • kbc7288
    kbc7288 Posts: 10 Member
    Of course I know it's my fault if I over indulge....it just FEELS like sabotage :) Usually, out of sight out of mind works for me. I generally can't eat "just one"--I'm a total sugar addict.
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    Branstin wrote: »
    One way to be successful is to remove any words from your vocabulary that makes it appear as though the consequences of your decisions are someone else’s fault. The word sabotage means a conscious and deliberate action and that is not the case when co-workers bring in food. Even if it was the case, you don't have to eat any of it. Since you know this happens, plan for it ahead of time by saving a few hundred calories if you want to eat any of it.
    Yep
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    kbc7288 wrote: »
    Of course I know it's my fault if I over indulge....it just FEELS like sabotage :) Usually, out of sight out of mind works for me. I generally can't eat "just one"--I'm a total sugar addict.

    your post did not say "it feels like food sabotage" ..your post said "food sabotage at work" which implies that someone is deliberately trying to sabotage your progress....big difference...
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I don't work in an office but am around food all day, every day.
    I think just logging food in advance is helpful. You can see if you have room to eat something someone brought or if you want to exercise more just so you can eat it. Think before eating.
    Putting things out of sight can be helpful.
    Say no thank you and get busy with something else. I think if you are keeping busy then you aren't eating.
    Drink water. Have healthy snacks available.

    I see this complaint a lot and wondered do office workers who don't want to eat baked goods or candy ever bring healthy snacks and treats to share with the office? Maybe you could start a healthy office trend/challenge by making it a point to bring something healthy to share regularly. A lot of people might like the idea and change what they bring if you are positive not preachy or complaining.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
    I work in an office full of food lovers. Especially around the holidays. I will usually politely decline any food offers and eat my own snacks. Or, I have found it makes it a lot easier on me to just take the donut or the piece of cake and walk back to my desk. When no one is looking, I will slip the food item into a Ziploc bag (I keep a stash in my desk) and take it home for my husband. For me, that has been easier than trying to explain WHY I don't want a piece of delicious birthday cake, even though they can see that I have been steadily losing weight. I don't think there is any easy answer, but you will find what works for you. Good luck! :wink:
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I work in an office full of food lovers. Especially around the holidays. I will usually politely decline any food offers and eat my own snacks. Or, I have found it makes it a lot easier on me to just take the donut or the piece of cake and walk back to my desk. When no one is looking, I will slip the food item into a Ziploc bag (I keep a stash in my desk) and take it home for my husband. For me, that has been easier than trying to explain WHY I don't want a piece of delicious birthday cake, even though they can see that I have been steadily losing weight. I don't think there is any easy answer, but you will find what works for you. Good luck! :wink:

    This is what I do when my students are having a bake sale and I want to support it. I buy something for hubs.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited November 2014
    I used to log it to see what I'd have to give up to make it fit. That would prevent me from eating it unless it really was worth it. Now I generally ignore most snacks that aren't worth the calories to me without even having to think about it. The things that are worth it I fit in, but that's much more rare.

    It's also helpful that I pretty much eat only at my set eating times, so I am unlikely to even think much about what food is in the break room. I'm more likely to be tempted if it's something connected with our weekly work lunches, but then I also have more notice to decide if I want to fit it in.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    TODAY. My guys and I are painting our warehouse black with pirate skulls and stuff (the outside not the inside, let's not be silly). And my boss decided to pick up lunch for us since it's blazing sun and hard work. So he picked up 4 brooklyn pizza pies and a bunch of Coke. He brought 4 huge slices in to my office and put them on my desk, piping hot and smelling amazing. Eat it! He would say every five minutes as he ran past my desk.

    ...it's gonna get cold

    ... youre gonna waste it!

    ... come onnnnnnnnn you gotta eat some with us!!

    ... bri this is part of your payment, eat it! (nudging it in front of my keyboard).

    Just now I told him i have a bagel with scallion cream cheese and avocado and cucumber in my desk if I get hungry. He made a 'thats not food' face and pushed the plate directly on to my keyboard.

    Know how Im gonna get him back?

    By not eating it.

    At any minute the rest of the guys are going to finish painting and come here and be like OMG YOU SAVED US SOME MORE PIZZA??? and they'll microwave it, devour it and be very happy.

    So will i.

  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Myrmilt wrote: »
    Sigh - existence was supposed to be experience. Auto correct is not my friend today.

    Existence IS Experience.

    and Experience IS Existence?

    <3

  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Nothing wrong with your coworkers bringing in treats and snacks. Your unhealthy relationship with food is not their problem. No diet should be so inflexible that you can't enjoy an office treat once in a while and if you practice moderation (the point of calorie counting in the first place) you shouldn't have a problem.

    If you are always this hangry, maybe consider raising your calorie goal and shoot for an easier to obtain goal like .5 lbs per week. You can also hit the gym a little longer to make up for a high calorie week.

    Ultimately, establish a healthy relationship with food. Coworkers and the treats they bring aren't your enemy, but rather your inability to control yourself around it.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    Stay away from the breakroom/kitchen. If it is like my office the food will be gone in hour. lol

    Love the bowl of candy on the desk by the entrance of the office too.

    Holidays coming: Baskets full of treats, cookie contest, pastries from customers etc...more fun to come. :)
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    I think the OP gets it, guys...she's just expressing her frustration. Just because she's tempted by cake and candy at work doesn't mean she has an "unhealthy relationship with food." Just because she used the word "sabotage" doesn't mean she blames everyone else for her issues. Lighten up, people...sheesh...
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    kbc7288 wrote: »
    Of course I know it's my fault if I over indulge....it just FEELS like sabotage :) Usually, out of sight out of mind works for me. I generally can't eat "just one"--I'm a total sugar addict.

    Way too much seriousness around here. And I have to warn you since you used the phrase "sugar addict." You're about to start a whole 'nother debate about whether sugar is addicting the way heroin is addicting. ;)
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    When I go to the office, I just take and eat my own stuff. People might be surprised the first time you refuse, but they get used to it. And you can always take it home if you want to work it into the next day, I guess. If I want a treat, I want to have exactly the treat I want, not what's just been lying around for a few hours.

    I work mostly from home, with the kitchen literally 6 ft from my desk, with lots of candy, cookies, bread, cheese etc. It takes pre-logging to just stick with what I have planned. And there's nothing wrong with pre-logging treats etc, but self-discipline comes from just doing the same thing over and over again. It's not magic and there's no reason why anyone can't develop it. It just takes lots of practice.
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