Theres ALWAYS chocolate in the office!!!

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Replies

  • dancing_daisy
    dancing_daisy Posts: 162 Member
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    EmilyShearon wrote: »
    My company had a mouse problem and cracked down on cakes and sweets and food (products :) being left out in the open. Not sure how this helps you, so just an observation. :)

    That's the solution...bring a mouse into work and realize it near the sweets table... they'll never bring sweets again! LOL!

    Ladies and Gentlemen we have found the solution!!!! Bring out the mice!!!!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,615 Member
    There are always chocolates and other snacks in my office too. But they aren't mine.

    Most are the Social Club's food and if I want some, I have to pay for it ... so it is easy to ignore.

    And if there is one of those "free food in the kitchen" emails ... I am not a circling ravenous vulture.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    Sassie_Lassie wrote: »
    I never understood posts like these. Just don't eat it. When I worked in an office I had no problem saying no to the cakes, cookies, pizza etc. that would be readily available. If there was a pizza party I'd bring my salad. Birthday? I'd politely decline a slice of cake. It's not that difficult and after a while people stopped bothering me with their food because they knew I wasn't going to eat it.

    I agree. While I understand having weaknesses towards certain foods it's all about either just saying no to it and sticking to your plan or having a little of something and tracking it and moving on. But stressing over it doesn't help you any.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    dancing_daisy wrote: »
    cbelc2 wrote: »
    Could you have a discussion with the source of this policy? Do others feel the same way?

    I do wonder this! I'm relatively new so not sure yet, its been a bit of an eye opener! No one really talks about it, it would make much more sense if these things were to be spaced out or atleast balanced with the fruit thats kindly provided for free.

    You know now you say it, I wonder why its so difficult to bring up? No on talks about the fact that food gets throw away routinely!

    Before you go around trying to change things, who exactly is bringing in the food? At my last job we had clients that would bring in food. It would have been very rude to tell them to stop or not accept it. The best we could do would be to tell them we had a lot of people that brought us food and a lot of it went to waste. This stopped some people but others still continued and we continued to accept it.

    At my job now, my coworkers bring in the sweets. I'm not about to tell them they can't bring goodies in for the office just because I chose not to eat them. If they are particularly tempting, I will ask them not to leave them by my desk (the office "goodie table" is right next to my desk). Other than that, I don't care what they eat.

    If management is providing the sweets, I wouldn't say anything. Again, you may not want them but your coworkers might. Even if you talk to your coworkers, they may be too shy or embarrassed to tell you yes, they do in fact enjoy eating a nice big slice of cake for breakfast every day instead of fruit. If your bosses are providing something they feel is a moral booster for the majority of the office, you could be insulting them by saying you personally think it's wasteful. Just my opinion.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    dancing_daisy wrote: »
    cbelc2 wrote: »
    Could you have a discussion with the source of this policy? Do others feel the same way?

    I do wonder this! I'm relatively new so not sure yet, its been a bit of an eye opener! No one really talks about it, it would make much more sense if these things were to be spaced out or atleast balanced with the fruit thats kindly provided for free.

    You know now you say it, I wonder why its so difficult to bring up? No on talks about the fact that food gets throw away routinely!

    Is it really a "policy"? Or is it just that people you do business with send gifts (which IME are often food-related), and people bring treats for the office? That's what it is where I work, especially around holidays, and with the added wrinkle that one co-worker has a family bakery/catering business on the side and likes to try out items with us (and no, these are not "products," they are food).

    I typically don't eat this stuff, but it's just something you have to learn to deal with, IME, and if my co-workers like it (which many do--I used to--and many of the people who like it aren't at all overweight), it seems not my place to try to interfere (especially since I don't get what the alternative would be -- refuse ungraciously as an office to accept gifts? not happening; toss things rather than set them out in the kitchen?; tell employees they may not bring food for the office? -- all ugh, in my mind).
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    How do you deal with it? Understand that NO ONE is responsible for making your decisions, except for you. no one "Makes you" feel or do something you don't want to do... NO ONE is going to grab you and take those treats and force you to eat them. YOU either want more for yourself than what eating those snacks represent... OR your still on the fence and believe that your fate and feelings are the prerogative of your friends, family and co-workers... Your struggle is within you... NOTHING out here can save you from yourself.. YOU have to develop your own resolve and either learn to live with the guilt of failing yourself OR learn how good it feels to be the master of your own destiny.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    EmilyShearon wrote: »
    My company had a mouse problem and cracked down on cakes and sweets and food (products :) being left out in the open. Not sure how this helps you, so just an observation. :)

    That's the solution...bring a mouse into work and realize it near the sweets table... they'll never bring sweets again! LOL!

    Only if no mice are harmed in the execution of this diabolical plan. Then I approve with extreme prejudice and administrative glee. :smile:

    Yeah I thought about that actually... I hope nobody actually does anything to the poor little mouse... :'(
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    There's always chocolate in my fridge. I put it there. I hide it in the deli meat drawer or hubs will eat it all.
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    enterdanger wrote: »
    There's always chocolate in my fridge. I put it there. I hide it in the deli meat drawer or hubs will eat it all.

    Yeah I have to hide my treats too... my husband doesn't understand the word "ration", LOL!
    If I don't hide it, I don't get to eat any of it! #NotCool
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    To clarify, is it employees bringing in the food, or gifts from clients/vendors? Since you're new, I would probably just ask around to find out if this is normal, and ask others what they think of it. I used to work in a small office that would have periods of time with tons of cookies lying around, and none of us were really into it, but no one said anything. We also didn't have a break area, which meant all the food was by the admin's desks and they had people stopping by to get food all day when they were trying to work

    If it seems like others aren't thrilled with it either, and a lot of things are going to waste, maybe it's something you broach with your boss and find someplace to donate some of the food given as vendor gifts. If it's employees, maybe you all enact a change in policy where you limit the amount of treats that comes in. I wouldn't push if everyone else is fine with it, but if the rest of the office doesn't love it either, perhaps it's just a matter of having someone speak up.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I don't work in an office. I always wonder with these posts why people in offices have so much time to eat at work with all these posts about it.

    If you don't want it then don't eat it. Don't bring food. If food is actually rotting maybe complain to management about the waste situation. Or maybe just keep busy doing something more productive and stay away from where tbe food is.
  • bradcfairchild
    bradcfairchild Posts: 74 Member
    I wish I had part of your will power to say no to the treats, not fruit though. I give in to treats, probably, a bit too often. I have a problem with is with diets that cut out 100% of anything. I'm sure it needs to happen sometimes, but is is sustainable. After it's over, what then? The knack here is to find a balance where we can get along with our self and the other people who are in the office. I know it can be a trick sometimes. Asking sincere question to the other in the office to learn about them usually works. I agree with some of the other comments that figuring out what's bugging you about the free treats and what you can personally do about it might be a good thing.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    It's National Hospital Week. Today, they gave us animal crackers and bottled water for afternoon break. I left my animal crackers on the table. There's something like this every day. One day it's salad lunch that I will definitely eat. One day it's breakfast. I will eat their fruit and yogurt instead of my own, they can keep the waffles. Another day it's ice cream, which I will fit into my calories because leg day is real. Friday they are feeding us BBQ for lunch. I'll eat that with no bun and fit it in my plan because they gave me notice.

    Food happens. It's planning it in that matters.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    hassankarimi82 wrote: »
    They are not foods, they are products.

    Wut?
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,741 Member
    jofjltncb6 wrote: »
    Katie662016 wrote: »
    Just think about the fact that yo are going to be losing weight while they are gaining weight. That's a plus, and it makes you look good as well.

    Others are going to gain weight because there's food in the office?

    How is...

    I mean, why would...

    ...

    Uh.

    But that's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.

    Shhhhhh, @jofjltncb6, it's ok. They're young and don't know any better.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,741 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    I guess I'm different. I like free food... or "products"...lol.

    i like free food....a little bit too much. :)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    EvgeniZyntx wrote: »
    If someone new to my office was busy trying to make comments or modify the food perks we get because of his or her own sense of what "healthy" might be they would get the short end of opprobrium.

    Don't eat it and mind your beeswax.

    This!

    I recall having a woman in our office a few years ago that was getting 'healthy' and always managed to give everyone a little sneer of superiority and disapproval whenever we would partake in the office treats that were available from time-to-time.

    When it was my turn to be the one turning down the treats because they just weren't worth the caloric bang, I always reminded myself not to be her.

    Don't be her.

    Eyes on your own plate.

    Reminds me of when I was working on a case a while back and another of the lawyers on the case got really into Atkins for a while. When we'd meet over lunch he'd go on and on about carbs and everyone else would kind of roll their eyes but not say anything. The funniest was during a lunch break from a deposition we were all eating with the deponent (co-defendant of his client, not even his client) and the deponent ate a sandwich and then afterwards grabbed a cookie, which was just about as much as this guy could bear, and he spoke up: "No cookie! Too many carbs! You will crash!" The deponent (not as familiar with the diet talk as the rest of us and rather shocked) just looked at him and everyone else started laughing and said to eat what he wanted, of course.

    The cookie was consumed, and yet the deponent managed to remain sharp.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    I think being new in the office you should probably keep your head down for a bit. When you know them better you could probably broach the subject better without coming across uppity or condescending. Right now you guys might not know each other well and saying something might irritate others or give them a less than stellar opinion of you and that just makes for a crappy work enviroment.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    We have a lot of junk in my office too - granola bars, fruit bars, breakfast bars, crackers, all sorts of candy.... Even fruit, sometimes yogurt. Whatever the office manager fancies when she's shopping. Pizza party at least once a month. That doesn't even include anything a worker brings in to share. Today someone brought donuts. I usually bring leftover cupcakes from my kids birthday parties.

    It doesn't bother me. I just fit what I want. I too love free food :)
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    I am alone in the office for the most part so I can easily control what's what. However, there is one time of year when our organization has the World's Finest Chocolates fundraiser with cases of candy stacked in the office. Nothing like the smell of chocolate and cardboard (from the carrying cases). However, I have a self-imposed rule. If one of the kids in the organization asks me if I want to buy a candy bar, I will do it and eat it and make sure it fits in my eating plan. However, for the past 3 years, not a single kid has asked me! And no way am I going to open up a case just to get a candy bar ... Will power is what it is all about.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Sounds like my kinda office!

  • RredSonja
    RredSonja Posts: 307 Member
    hassankarimi82 wrote: »
    They are not foods, they are products.

    Love that so much.

    My office has this happen occasionally - if something is around for a day, and everyone has had their opportunity...I toss it. I find often people are bringing in non-food edible items because they don't want them in their house or the items are approaching the "best used by" date. I guess it's a way to unload unwanted stuff on their unsuspecting co-workers. So far nobody has complained when the junk food disappears.

    I would totally grab that free fruit, every day, especially if it's going to waste! Give it to the homeless you see on the way to and from work, or get an Oriole bird feeder if you live in Oriole habitat. They love fruit.
  • RachNRoll
    RachNRoll Posts: 192 Member
    I feel you. In my office there's always dessert on Fridays (cake with ice cream, creme brulèe, apple crumble) plus one of our clients is a chocolate distributer, so there's always delicious chocolate around.

    But I resist 99.9% of the times (let's say I have cake once every two months), and what motivates me is the fact that I know how much weight I gained by savagely eating all these treats for the past 8 months before starting my cut, and how nicely my clothes are fitting me now that I don't give in to the sweets (and I do have a sweet tooth).

    I do have sweet treats here and there, just not at work. It's a matter of principle and rule that I created in my brain, this way is much easier for me to resist.

    You could also bake an alternative healthy cake/brownie/cookie and eat it while others eat other things, this way you don't feel excluded :)

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