Death by candy...sabotage ?

I joined MFP over a year ago and have lost of 20 lbs. (yay). I have come to realize that my problem time of yr. is surprise...the Fall / Winter! I'm less motivated to work out and want to eat more. When I do not work out, I always end up eating more throughout the day. In the past couple of months I've gained about 5 lbs., not too bad but still a bummer. What's worse is I've had a terrible time with cravings, mainly for sugar. When I stay clear of artificial sugar, I’m “on the wagon” so to speak and do pretty well

So my problem is this...of course it's the holiday season so we have candy in my office like many offices do. The office is small, less than 10 people. I am one of the few unlucky people that is actually without a physical office (aka four walls and privacy). or even a cubicle for that matter. I'm just in a big open room.
In front of my desk, less than 2’ away is a small table. On this table is a Christmas tree (so pretty) and eeeeeek, a CANDY DISH! Last year I actually ended up moving that lovely candy dish after two weeks had passed and many stolen calories. I relocated it to the lunch table in another room. I didn't think it would matter much or people would give it a second thought but guess what? The candy dish somehow magically reappearing in front of my desk overnight! I tried to ignore it and mentioned to no one in particular that I noticed someone had moved it back. A few more days past into the new yr. and all decorations and the wretched candy dish went back into the closest, phew!!

Well it’s back and I decided I would be honest about it with my co-workers this time around. When we received four bags of candy in the office, I kindly asked if we could move the (empty) candy dish to the lunch room or just put the candy back there on the lunch table, out of sight, out of mind. I didn’t think this was being unreasonable. This seemed fine at the time. Then we got more candy and my co-worker asks if I mind if it’s in the dish in front of my desk. It’s seemed innocent but why would you ask that ? I said I would rather it not be there). She honored my request but low and behold, there it sits (the next day) with candy!

Am I being unreasonable? Since this table is literally 2’ from my desk, I consider that my unofficial “office area” (remember – no walls). I would never leave a candy dish in someone’s office, wouldn’t that just seem bizarre? And if I did and they asked me to move it, I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with that or take it personally… That seems petty and immature. The simple fact is we have a common area already for food and I simply ask if we could have the candy located there instead. I don’t expect support from my colleagues but I certainly don’t expect sabotage and that’s what it feels like.

RANT DONE - THANKS FOR READING!
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.
  • Number_44
    Number_44 Posts: 97 Member
    RANT DONE - THANKS FOR READING!

    TL/DR

    If you spent as much time and effort into diet and exercise as you do in writing rants on MFP we both wouldnt be having this conversation now would we?

    MMmmmHHHhhmmmmmmmm
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    I'm sorry "rants" would imply plural as in more than one rant. What other rant do I have ?

    Clearly I have spent time in the past dieting / exercising, how else did I lose over 20 lbs. ?? Anyone with any experience will tell you maintenance is the harest part. We are all human and give in to temptation...

    I noticed you just joined this month. I wish you the best of luck!
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Oh I love a good sabotage thread!
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
    unless they are actually putting it in your mouth..
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Sounds like she's being a c___. I'd just move it back every time she puts it in your face. Or move it closer to HER desk. :devil:
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.
  • speedy740
    speedy740 Posts: 141 Member
    Is this person moving the candy dish in front of u overweight by chance or has a jealous side? Just throwing it out there but maybe they are doing this on purpose to sabatoge your achievement, perhaps they are jealous???
  • Spreyton22K
    Spreyton22K Posts: 323 Member
    Dear Scooby,

    Would it help if you bought in your own 'treats' that you have allotted into your daily calorie count, so at least that way you could enjoy something nice but not end up getting into the whole sugary thing????
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    don't eat it ..

    we have a candy bowl and a tub of Christmas cookies in the break room..I just don't eat them ..or I have one cookie for the day and that is it ...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.

    well aren't you a gem?

    Punish the whole office because you can't control yourself...
  • MooMooooo
    MooMooooo Posts: 306 Member
    Either just tip them into a bin and 'confess' that you ate them all

    or......

    wee into a spray bottle and give them a spray - you won't be tempted then (I'm kidding, don't do this)

    I think it's disrespectful - you've been honest and let everyone know what you would prefer and why, they've been given the chance to listen and respect you and have decided not to - plain rude.

    I would be upset if it were me.
  • MooMooooo
    MooMooooo Posts: 306 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.

    well aren't you a gem?

    Punish the whole office because you can't control yourself...

    Maybe punish the whole office because they aren't respecting her wishes to keep the candy in a different room because she ADMITS she is having a PROBLEM with it.

    She's doing her best - her workmates are in the wrong here - this is how I see it.

    If she didn't speak up and just threw them away then that is wrong.

    If this was people smoking in the office and she asked them to move to another room and they refused would that be different?

    Overeating lollies is not just a health issue but also a cosmetic one - sweets make you fat, ruin your skin, make you tired and contribute to diabetes and other assorted health problems. It also may or may not be addictive - but certainly some people have a huge problem saying NO to it.
  • annekka
    annekka Posts: 517 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.

    well aren't you a gem?

    Punish the whole office because you can't control yourself...

    I don't think she's asking her colleagues not to have candy at all. She's just asking them to keep the candy dish somewhere else where she won't be as tempted to eat it. I don't think that's an unreasonable request.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.

    well aren't you a gem?

    Punish the whole office because you can't control yourself...

    Maybe punish the whole office because they aren't respecting her wishes to keep the candy in a different room because she ADMITS she is having a PROBLEM with it.

    She's doing her best - her workmates are in the wrong here - this is how I see it.

    If she didn't speak up and just threw them away then that is wrong.

    If this was people smoking in the office and she asked them to move to another room and they refused would that be different?

    Overeating lollies is not just a health issue but also a cosmetic one - sweets make you fat, ruin your skin, make you tired and contribute to diabetes and other assorted health problems. It also may or may not be addictive - but certainly some people have a huge problem saying NO to it.

    the workers are in the wrong for putting a candy bowl under a Christmas tree??? Bahahahaha that is hilarious ..

    and your smoking analogy is pretty extreme...
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    The thing is... it is not your "office" You don't have an office. The table with the tree and candy dish are actually "public" (as in all employees have access to it).

    Honestly, deal with it. Don't be a jerk and dump the dish into the trash or hide it. That will just make everyone else upset with you and dislike you. It is also childish.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    Time to learn some self-control. We have a treat table in my office and we all have stockings on our cubicles that get filled with candy during the holidays. I don't need to eat every treat on the table or all the chocolate in my stocking.
  • ohthatzhott
    ohthatzhott Posts: 19 Member
    Time to learn some self-control. We have a treat table in my office and we all have stockings on our cubicles that get filled with candy during the holidays. I don't need to eat every treat on the table or all the chocolate in my stocking.

    I agree, there will always be temptation. Mind over matter. You can't hide all the candy dishes in the world!
  • katznkt
    katznkt Posts: 320 Member
    I'm in a similar situation. There is a "common area" about a foot away from my desk. Honestly, I just live with it. I treat it like training for the rest of my life and as a symbol of how far I have come that I don't have to put every sweet thing in my mouth.

    Although it helps that I offered to buy the candy last time and brought in my least favorite type so I wouldn't be tempted. That really did help.

    My friend brought some in the time before that that was left over from Halloween- a year before. Knowing it was that old was another deterrent.
  • Fenrissa
    Fenrissa Posts: 116
    The thing is... it is not your "office" You don't have an office. The table with the tree and candy dish are actually "public" (as in all employees have access to it).

    Honestly, deal with it. Don't be a jerk and dump the dish into the trash or hide it. That will just make everyone else upset with you and dislike you. It is also childish.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Am I being unreasonable?
    Yes you are.
    Anyone with any experience will tell you maintenance is the hardest part.
    No it isn't - it's far easier being the right weight and having a higher calorie allowance.
    We are all human and give in to temptation...
    Agree!
    Enjoy in moderation and move on.
    If you go over one day go under the next.
    Have a treat now and again.
    Plan better.
    Self-control.....
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    The thing is... it is not your "office" You don't have an office. The table with the tree and candy dish are actually "public" (as in all employees have access to it).

    Honestly, deal with it. Don't be a jerk and dump the dish into the trash or hide it. That will just make everyone else upset with you and dislike you. It is also childish.

    I never said I was going to dump it in the trash for goodness sake...I wouldn’t take it to that extreme.
    I did not intend to “hide” it either, just simply move it to the lunch table which is also a public place everyone can access. I tried this before and someone moved it back in front of my desk. I guess I’m in the wrong for considering that childish behavior.

    Yes, I agree planning is key.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    Is this person moving the candy dish in front of u overweight by chance or has a jealous side? Just throwing it out there but maybe they are doing this on purpose to sabatoge your achievement, perhaps they are jealous???

    My mother told me if I can't say anything nice...I would definately say jealous...She's made comments in the past about my visiting the gym like "you can't do that everyday". This response was unprompted as I did not ask for her opinion.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    You know, for once, I'm going to partially side with the OP.

    I can also see why the OP would like it somewhere a little less in her face. Studies have shown that we all have limited will-power reserves, and if you can avoid having to exercise it all day, everyday, I can see why you'd want to. So long as you're respectfully talking to co-workers about it, and not just throwing it in the trash, I think you're being pretty reasonable - up to that point. You're being a bit of a pain in the neck not just going with the flow, but I can see your reasons.

    Reading sabotage into their refusal to accommodate you is where you get unreasonable.

    Ultimately, everyone in the office has a right to voice their opinion on where the candy dish should be. I can see why people would want it out in the open - it's one of those warm, Christmassy, welcoming things. Sometimes your wants and needs can be completely reasonable, but still you still don't get your own way because you are in the minority. That's just life. Coping with less than ideal circumstance is a life-skill and is always required when you are sharing space with other people.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    I'm in a similar situation. There is a "common area" about a foot away from my desk. Honestly, I just live with it. I treat it like training for the rest of my life and as a symbol of how far I have come that I don't have to put every sweet thing in my mouth.

    Although it helps that I offered to buy the candy last time and brought in my least favorite type so I wouldn't be tempted. That really did help.

    My friend brought some in the time before that that was left over from Halloween- a year before. Knowing it was that old was another deterrent.

    I thought about that and I think it's a great idea :smile:
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    Dear Scooby,

    Would it help if you bought in your own 'treats' that you have allotted into your daily calorie count, so at least that way you could enjoy something nice but not end up getting into the whole sugary thing????

    I'm going to do this b/c it would be helpful. Skinny cow is great!
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    Move it. Problem solved.

    I'll try that again and see how it goes and just continue to move it. It didn't work last yr. but I'll have to wait an see.

    I'm a *****. If someone sat it near my desk, I moved it away and it came back, I'd dump the whole thing, dish and all into the nearest garbage can.

    well aren't you a gem?

    Punish the whole office because you can't control yourself...

    Maybe punish the whole office because they aren't respecting her wishes to keep the candy in a different room because she ADMITS she is having a PROBLEM with it.

    She's doing her best - her workmates are in the wrong here - this is how I see it.

    If she didn't speak up and just threw them away then that is wrong.

    If this was people smoking in the office and she asked them to move to another room and they refused would that be different?

    Overeating lollies is not just a health issue but also a cosmetic one - sweets make you fat, ruin your skin, make you tired and contribute to diabetes and other assorted health problems. It also may or may not be addictive - but certainly some people have a huge problem saying NO to it.

    I wasn't easy admitting I have a problem with sugar. I felt like a child. I was being sincere when I said it. I have also mentioned int the past I have a history of diabetes in my family. Yes, I know sugar isn't the only culprit but it's pretty bad and contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle when abused.

    I like your smoking analogy. It comes down to someone has a problem and someone else is consuming said drug / food in front of them. I know some people may think it's extreme but it's the best way to explain how I feel.

    The problem with the candy dish being there isn't just resisting it. It's seeing other people eat it in from of my desk and then the wrapper usually gets thrown into my trash barrel, another visual tease.
  • dejamos
    dejamos Posts: 53 Member

    I never said I was going to dump it in the trash for goodness sake...I wouldn’t take it to that extreme.
    I did not intend to “hide” it either, just simply move it to the lunch table which is also a public place everyone can access. I tried this before and someone moved it back in front of my desk. I guess I’m in the wrong for considering that childish behavior.

    Unless it is a corporate policy to have the candy dish there, if people keep putting it where you don't want it, just keep moving it. Doesn't matter why it keeps getting moved back or who is putting it back there.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    1. You're not ever going to maintain your weight loss if you think it's more reasonable to expect everyone to treat you with kid gloves than for you to learn to control your impulses.

    2. The candy dish is not next to the Christmas tree because someone wants you to eat it all and gain back all the weight you lost. It's there because it's Christmas. Christmas and trees and candy ... it's a thing.

    3. If you value your job and your professional reputation, keep your personal problems out of the office.