Co-workers eating in office

FLAKMA

So I work in an office building. My office is located in a hallway of about 20 separate offices. The building had a full cafeteria, but these people INSIST on taking food back to their desks and eating. This drives me nuts. For about an hour every morning, then about 3 hours during lunchtime, the entire floor smells delicious. Why can't they eat in the cafe like normal people?? Stop bringing your food into the offices... Its such a temptation. Especially when the cafeteria pumps out breakfast foods like bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, etc.


Anyone else have this problem with their co-workers? What do you do??

FLAKMA

has* a full cafeteria. dont know how to edit.

wolverine66

i don't have this problem. i am this problem. I will eat at my desk sometimes. Sometimes it's to get work done (which I know i shouldn't do). Sometimes it's to surf MFP. But usually, my office mates and I go to lunch around the same time. So I don't think I cause this anxiety in them.

My suggestion is to have a low cal snack at that point.

jlahorn

I sympathize. Somebody in my office makes buttered cinnamon raisin toast every day and my stomach and salivary glands go nuts every time I smell it

OTOH, I am one of those people who prefers to eat at my desk. At my workplace, it's the only time during the day where it's culturally acceptable to browse the internet, which is about 70 million times more interesting than trying to make lame chitchat with whoever's in the break room, or... what, stare at my food until I finish eating? ("Mindfully eating" my 320th salad of the year is about the most boring thing I can think of.)

At least my food doesn't smell like anything?

SezxyStef

you gonna stop going to resturants too? stop walking down the street just in case you run into a food vendor? stop going into the kitchen at home...want a bubble?

Sabine_Stroehm

Honestly? I think you just have to deal with it. Not everyone shares your goals. Not everyone lives your life.
Chew some gum. Eat some popcorn...

Oh, to edit: hover your cursor over the right side of your post and a "gear" will show up. Click it. Only works for an hour.

JenniDaisy

Oh noes Maybe you should send out an office wide email telling everyone they shouldn't eat at their desks because you're on a diet...

jnv7594

Well, my coworkers eat around me all the time, lol. But it doesn't bother me I guess. I eat bacon and eggs all the time anyway...still eat the stuff I love. That way it really doesn't get to me when people eat those things around me or when I go out to eat. In fact, I bring things to work a lot myself that my coworkers salivate over.

KarenJanine

There are many reasons why people eat at their desks, e.g.:
Very few people can actually spare the time to get away from their desks for a proper break.
Many offices no longer have staff rooms as these have all been converted for other uses when the organisation expands.
Many people bring in their own packed lunches and therefore cannot eat in a cafe like 'normal people', as you call them.

So what's the solution? Just worry about you. You can't expect everyone to change their habits because it makes you hungry. If the smells really bother you then close your office door, or perhaps wear a nose peg

dopeysmelly

Half of me says "deal with it!", the other half sympathizes because it's a bit like this at my office too (although the gorgeous smells are usually mixed with egg sandwiches or burnt microwave popcorn or other equally revolting smells).

You do get used it eventually though. It's pretty similar to having cakes, candy, donuts, bagels etc. laying around or being brought it. You just get used to ignoring it eventually.

luvbwfc

The temptation at my place is the metric buttload of donuts/biscuits/choccies that are generally in the kitchen area as its always someone's birthday and they bring in treats. I have learned to live with this situation, and ignore these foods. Sometimes however a colleague brings in a selection of savoury treats such as pakoras / samosas. This is still a weakness for me but infrequent enough that I don't care

AllAboutThatPace

My coworker in the office next to me eats A LOT of Mexican food (one of my weak points). I have been making some Mexican recipes that are a little more healthier than the restaurant versions (less cheese and sour cream, more fresh veggies and salsa, and ground turkey, instead of ground beef.) I make it like a challenge to try and make me a healthy version of what they are eating. Also, I am getting stronger withstanding temptation and it makes me proud when I don't give it!

cwolfman13

I eat at my desk because I go workout during my lunch break. You're just going to have to suck it up buttercup.

You can still eat food by the way...so I don't know why smelling other people's food would be an issue.

williams969

SezxyStef wrote: »

you gonna stop going to resturants too? stop walking down the street just in case you run into a food vendor? stop going into the kitchen at home...want a bubble?

^^This is the cold, hard truth. It may not be what you want to hear; but it's exactly what you need to come to terms with.

And what the heck is wrong with bacon and eggs? I eat those things, even on a moderately low sodium, mindful of my nutrition, cholesterol-lowering diet. It's all in the dosage. Keep your head in *your* game and work to get out of others'.

Mewcenary

Deal with it [TM].

Harsh, but there will always be bad things to eat / do. Willpower is a requirement if you are determined on changing your lifestyle.

If the problem is that you really are sitting there hungry though, then that would indicate there is something wrong with your food strategy.

Sabine_Stroehm

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I eat at my desk because I go workout during my lunch break. You're just going to have to suck it up buttercup.

You can still eat food by the way...so I don't know why smelling other people's food would be an issue.

I also work out during lunch, and eat at my desk after.

seltzermint555

I feel really lucky that in my current office this is never an issue. But I know what you mean. For me though (and I know people always get so ticked off when I say this) it's more of an issue that it seems totally unprofessional to me for people to spend a lot of the workday preparing snacks, munching, spreading out lunch across their desk/work space, and so on. It just kind of grosses me out to be honest. It was never an issue of being tempted or jealous of the "yummy smells" for me...more like "Jeez do you really need to spend 15 minutes cooking in the employee kitchen three times per day?"

FLAKMA

Wow ok thanks all, I guess I am just being a wimp about it. I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

LessofBrian

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Honestly? I think you just have to deal with it. Not everyone shares your goals. Not everyone lives your life.

I got fat from my own poor eating choices and sedentary lifestyle. Once I realized, understood and accepted that, I began my weight loss journey. I never expected the world to change for me; I was the one going to change. I still enjoy food but eat now for fuel. It's not an easy change to make, but once I got on the right track it became easier.

To the original poster: I understand many of these comments may be a tad rougher than you'd hoped for, but, in the long run, if you stick to your goals you'll come to realize the world owes you nothing. Making good, positive choices for your health will come with huge benefits.

999tigger

I sympathise in that the smell might make you think of food, but i thought it was accepted practice to eat at your desk (mostly non smelly food) especially if you are busy. Not soemthing that would really bother me, but would just deal with it.

aakaakaak

OP, how about you sack up and grow some willpower. The only person who feeds your face is you. If you worked in a restaurant would you complain that the smell of all the food you had to cook was ruining your diet?

csuhar

dopeysmelly wrote: »

Half of me says "deal with it!", the other half sympathizes because it's a bit like this at my office too (although the gorgeous smells are usually mixed with egg sandwiches or burnt microwave popcorn or other equally revolting smells).

Same here. I totally get how tempting it can be to smell others' food. Just yesterday, someone had something with a garlic-butter sauce that had me drooling and considering a trip to the nearby convenience store, but I've got to make sure my waist is as small as it can be for my fitness test, so I just had to endure.

But in the end, I can't fault them, not only because we have neither a cafeteria nor a break room where people can eat, so if you've brought your food, you're eating it at your desk, but I'm the kind of person who's eating at his desk throughout the morning because I can still be eating upwards of 3000 calories even when I'm losing weight. I know a bunch of my troops are out there being active, too, so I don't expect them to do all their eating at a conventional mealtime.

EmmieBaby

I tend to eat at my desk because I work reception and need to be near the phone (even with my mouth full)

to avoid "temptation", make your own nice smelling lunch or a cup of tea to cancel out the other smells?

AbbieBeckett

Some of these comments are getting really harsh, like someone's already said "deal with it" you don't have to add your slightly meaner variation of "deal with it" on top.

OP, I would suggest having some low cal snacks at your desk for when you get hungry/can smell other people's food, although this breaks your 'eating only in the canteen' rule! I would also suggest adding the tasty things that you're smelling (such as eggs and bacon) in to your lunches so it's less jealousy, more looking forward to being able to eat it yourself come lunch time

PrizePopple

FLAKMA wrote: »

Wow ok thanks all, I guess I am just being a wimp about it. I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

"So I work in an office building."

Except it would seem you no longer work in radiation, so what does it matter? It's an office building, not a medical institution where cross contamination is a very serious matter.

gobonas99

FLAKMA wrote: »

I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

No...that does NOT carry over for jobs not working with hazardous materials. I eat lunch (and breakfast, and snacks) at my desk. Two reasons - (1) my staff is also at lunch (sometimes in the break room - which is small and only has seating for about 8 people at a time...sometimes at their own desks, sometimes they go out), so I can actually get some work done without any interruptions, and (2) it is the only time where I can take more a minute or two to be on the internet (I usually catch up on the news during lunch).

I can honestly say that it is a RARE occasion that I do NOT eat lunch at my desk (even if I get takeout, I bring it back and eat at my desk)...I can count on one hand the number of times in 2014 that I ate AWAY from my desk (a couple of lunches out with a friend, and a couple of company lunches where we actually left the office).

Thorbjornn

• No one is a snowflake.
• The galaxy orbits a super massive black hole, not each one of us.
• It's not all about us as individuals.

maybelle184

Find a way to smell something else! Whenever people around me are eating and it's giving me cravings, I take a whiff of my pack of mint gum and that helps. Also making mint tea and smelling that could take your mind off the cravings. Maybe even air freshener? I know that won't solve the problem for the full 3 hours that people are eating, but smelling mint is shown to reduce cravings.

My problem is hearing people eat around me while I'm working makes me crave crunchy foods like chips and cookies. So I've started wearing headphones and listening to music whenever my coworker brings out a pack of crisps.

Sometimes it's better just to avoid.

get_fit2009

Bring your own healthy stuff so that you have something to snack on if temptation strikes. (I also try to picture a coworker sneezing on the food in the break room, LOL.) I find that for me, it is all about being prepared with what *I* need for me so that I am not tempted to eat what others are eating just because it is there. On the other hand, if it is a day where I have the calories built in to enjoy the treats, I indulge. But on a daily basis, I bring my own stuff, and plenty of it so I don't run out of it and get hungry for crap.

missiontofitness

FLAKMA wrote: »

Wow ok thanks all, I guess I am just being a wimp about it. I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

If there are no rules in place at work preventing people from eating at their desks, then they are allowed to eat at their desks. Even if they're injesting "beta particles".

I know it may be a temptation, but learning moderation and "no" is important, especially at the work place. Consider it practice of the skills you are learning.

ninav1980

guilty, I always eat at my desk. Damn cafeteria is too cold. I suppose there is no way of getting around smelling your coworkers food unless you work from home. Goes with the territory