My Job is Ruining my weightloss...

amicklin

Yes, you can. I've gotten in trouble at work for taking too many bathroom breaks. It is agents codes of ethics and business guidelines outlined by the government and other agencies. SO, for the sake of lessening inter office tension I slowed down *slightly* on the water drinking but go to the bathroom when I need to. Beyond that, they can shove it.

to the OP, I wouldn't let them treat you that way. It is unethical for them to do that, not to mention against regulations. And tap water is just fine for you, I assure you! the Municipal water systems have to go through stringent water testing and the bottled waters have totally different (and not any better) water purification guidelines.

Shriffee

Start using a catheter at your desk.

sunkisses

From OSHA Website:

"Medical studies show the importance of regular urination, with women generally needing to void more frequently than men. Adverse health effects that may result from voluntary urinary retention include increased frequency of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which can lead to more serious infections and, in rare situations, renal damage"


Entire page here. My quote came from the section highlighted in yellow.
http://americanrestroom.org/gov/ohsa/index.htm

Take it from someone who has regular kidney stones (2 in October followed by surgery, 1 just last week), you need to know your rights and drink your water. I told my boss flat out, I use the bathroom frequently due to my health and it's not going to change. Let me know how to work around it if you need to.

TeresaWash

Just start peeing in your chair.

That was my first thought.... (and I'd do it)

jbella99

As for your tap water situation at home, check into a Brita filter. This is the one we have:


It helps a ton with our tap water and the filters aren't terribly expensive.

where do i get one of these I have never seen one like that, just the jugs that are a pain in the butt.

kyrstensmom

Your job is not ruining your weightloss...only you are responsible for that. You would be better served to take responsibility for your choices than to blame them on others. You can still drink water at work, but maybe drink less there and buy a filter for your tap at home. You can say no to people and let them have hurt feelings...only you know what your limits are and if you've eaten all you should for the day, and only you can say no thank you.

CiciPorcayo

I am an admin assistanf for a small insurance agency... I am the only one here until 1pm but i usually dont use the restroom til after one when the Administrator is here... she pees all she wants! but I can't hmmmm?

CiciPorcayo

As for your tap water situation at home, check into a Brita filter. This is the one we have:


It helps a ton with our tap water and the filters aren't terribly expensive.

i am in love and going out to buy one of these!

Jennyisbusy

I filter my water at home and keep it in the fridge. I drink a gallon a day and would be BROKE if I tried to buy bottles. Wait I am broke anyways. lol

And try to make the most out of your bathroom breaks. Go right before you clock in for the day and after lunch and maybe you will only need 2 to make the day go by? If you are peeing more than that you can probably slow down the drinking at work, but don;t cut it off. And get a big ol glass at the end of your workday too.

As for the lunches start requesting salads with dressing on the side. Tell them you just LOVE salads right now. People are usually happier too cater to tastebuds than to "diets. " Silly, but that is what my life experiences have shown.

icarol71

find out what your company policy is and if needed and you have personal physician tell them what is going on and maybe they can write a medical note in case the company tries something again. You have to have water and a way to eliminate it. not everyone has a bladder the size of an elephant. as for the lunches, tell your friends and co workers(even the super) that you are either trying to lose weight or maintain what you have and thank them for the lunches but politely tell them you are trying to eat more healthy and start bringing your own lunch and snack to work. As for the chemical taste of water at home, get a filter for the sink or filtered pitcher to keep in the fridge, it works i have one at home myself. You can also for about $40 at walmart buy one that has about 6 water bottles attached to it and pour water through the top to fill the bottles with filtered water to keep in the fridge as well. hope this helps. I have a problem with work hours not the bathroom breaks esp as most diets are designed for day shift workers and not 2nd or 3rd shift workers.

MrsSmith2010

I worked in a call center and there was something called "adherence" to your schedule. Thus, too many restroom breaks would make your percentage lower and cause your performance quality grade to be lower-making it look like you're not performing.

A couple thing I did to help with that:

1. positioning to the bathroom. Are you close to one, far away? Is there anyway you can arrange to switch places with someone to be closer?

2. hand washing. Washing your hands adds another minute or two to your trip. Let's be honest here...if you're JUST peeing, you're not touching anything too crazy. I would sanitize my hands as soon as I got back to my desk with Germ X.

3. shorter 'scheduled' breaks. Coming back 5 minutes early from lunch every day gave me "banked" time off the phone to use for quicky restroom breaks.

While it's important for you to go to the bathroom, I understand the company perspective portion of it. They'll probably be more lenient with you if you explain why you're doing it and offer up ways that you're helping to make it work as well. Plus, with time your body will adjust to the water intake and eventually you won't have to go as much anyway. Good luck

ecsf1013

I second this - we have a Brita pitcher and it is in constant use. My husband has always had a large cup of water at his side; now that I have a Soda Stream and can drink unlimited seltzer, my water intake has gone way up.

fitnesspirateninja

I had a kidney stone ten years ago and got yelled at by a teacher for using the bathroom too often. Sometimes people don't understand health concerns (especially if those health concerns are preventative, like eating healthy foods and drinking a lot of water). It can be really difficult to have good boundaries, but you will most likely need to be firm about your needs in order to succeed at this. I come from a big family and there is always a birthday party, wedding, baptism, or some other event. There's always cake and other fatty, sugary foods. I bring my own snacks and avoid the foods I don't want (or work out before if I want to have some cake). It's hard to say no, but it's my responsibility to take care of myself.

Good luck!

sportyredhead01

The bathroom break thing is insane. Def. check your HR dept. I "go" often at my office and no one has said anything to me about productivity. If they did I'd say "I can't concentrate with a full bladder."

On the office food, when my boss buys lunches, they are usually really greasy (pizza, wings, fried foods) and I just can't eat them. Between the grease pooling on the top and my Lactose Intolerance I'm scared to touch that stuff. Usually when I say "Lactose Intolerant" people leave me alone and say nothing else. Even if you're not, I suggest saying it because it gets people of your case without a bunch of questions.

Good Luck!

HopefulLeigh

Sounds like you are ready to give up. People all over the world make their diet work no matter what the circumstance. If you want to, you will figure it out. As far as what you CHOOSE to eat for lunch, well, the same goes for that. Keep on... don't give up yet.

I agree with this. I spent years blaming my weight gain on my circumstances (grad school, low budget, etc. etc.) and it got me nowhere. There's always going to be something or someone that can ruin your efforts, but you need to make the choice to overcome this. It's ultimately up to you whether you succeed or not.

Make the choice to do this thing!! You can do it!

Wed 03/07/12 01:40 PM
Your job is not ruining your weightloss...only you are responsible for that. You would be better served to take responsibility for your choices than to blame them on others. You can still drink water at work, but maybe drink less there and buy a filter for your tap at home. You can say no to people and let them have hurt feelings...only you know what your limits are and if you've eaten all you should for the day, and only you can say no thank you.

I agree with all of this. If you want it, you'll find a way to do it. If you don't, you'll make excuses. All of this sounds like a bunch of excuses and finger pointing. No one is shoving food down your throat. No one is telling you at home that you can't have a water filter or use the bathroom. Your work is not ruining your weight loss - you are.

HotCuppaJo

Just start peeing in your chair.

Haha. Thread winner!
That'll teach 'em.

Lol...yep, that was my favorite advice, as well!!!

everyoung

Too many bathroom breaks? Talk to your HR. Don't know how many are we talking about here: 2 breaks in a 4 hours or 4 breaks in 1hour?
Friends and co-works always buying free lunch? Tell them to get you healthy lunchs, like Subway sandwiches that you be able to count the calories or salads with dressing on the side.

Sneeb10

While bathrooms breaks are by law allowed, excessive use with without a doubt annoy any supervisor, on the eating badly at work point, i work for McDonalds and the temptation is always there to eat it on my break as i am entitled to a free meal per shift, but you could always take your own ready prepared meal and subtly let it be known you have done so, on the tap water front, in most supermarkets you can buy 5L bottles for around 99p (in the UK) why not just buy two of these when you do your weekly shop and then you have enough mineral water to hand?

calcorn1

As for your tap water situation at home, check into a Brita filter. This is the one we have:


It helps a ton with our tap water and the filters aren't terribly expensive.

I have this exact one at home, and its great. One con... it takes a lil bit for it to filter the water,and that can be time consuming with the amount of water you want to drink a day, you'll constantly be refilly it.. Brita makes a filter that you actually place on your faucet head and it filters straight from there... I think it's a lil more money, but saves time and there's stopping to refil and wait on the water to filter.

chrissismone

I was like that at one job. I worked as a case manager in a not so nice part of town so I would want to limit my bathroom visits and I would stop drinking water or fluids period and then once I got home I wouldn't want to drink because I would be up peeing all night and not sleeping. Have that come to Jesus moment with your boss and hope for the best.

Rebecca0686

I'm a supervisor at a call center and it is illegal for you to get in trouble for going to the bathroom during the day. The laws are all kind of the same but here in NY, legally, I can't give disciplinary action if the employee has less then 45 minutes of break time in a single work shift. I'm not sure where you are located but you should check the labor laws to find out the time limit.

As far as co-workers buying you lunch, that happens to me as well. I just simply said thanks but I've brought my own lunch today. I also informed them that I've started a new diet and that I'll be bringing my own food.

The water comment I saw earlier though, that it doesn't make a difference if you do or do not drink water through out the day, it was recommended to me that I drink at least 8-10 cups of water a day to help maintain any weight loss. I don't think my doctor would lie to me. LOL Just saying.

I also have the same problem with tap water at home and where I live, the water isn't the best. I found the best thing that worked for me was a Brita filter on my fountain. Also, I've got a Brita pitcher that works pretty well.

Hope everything is going better for you know though. Also, hope this advice was helpful.

delilah47

On the other end of the spectrum (management). We allowed bathroom breaks at the employee's discretion. When the person's other team members started complaining about people being gone more than 5 minutes on a bathroom break, I had to look into it. The bathroom was pretty close to the production floor. At first I timed some of the offenders. Some were taking, 10 minutes or more, breaks every hour besides their regular scheduled 15 minute morning, lunch time, and afternoon breaks. So I find out some of the girls were re-applying their make-up and doing their hair, or making personal phone calls while on the "I can't wait until break time" bathroom break. There are not too many people who can't comfortably wait 1 hour and 45 minutes between bathroom breaks. And.. morning and afternoon 15 minute breaks are not a person's "free" time and potty breaks are a separate issue. These 10-15 minute (depending on which state you live in) breaks were specifically provided by law so people could work their shift comfortably without causing down time for their employer. You'd be surprised how few people had to take a non-break time potty break after I required them to let me know when they left the production floor. It may seem trivial to some people, but when 8-10 people are taking, say.. 2 extra 5 minute breaks a day it cost a lot of money for the company. Not only is one of these people getting paid nearly an hour a week or if they work a full time job (2080 hours per year) that would be 43 (or so) hours per year. That's being paid for an extra week for work not performed. Several of those people could break a small company. You wouldn't believe some of the things I saw. People playing computer games on the production line, personal phone calls, helping themselves in the office supply room when school was starting (to the point of the entire room having to be restocked every night for about 2 weeks before school started), people buying major home appliances on their credit card meant for work expenses, people on work permits from foreign countries using their cubicle phones to "call home" (Asia, Europe, etc). How do people justify it or how do they feel entitled to this type of behavior? So, maybe a quick bathroom break may not seem like a big deal, but sometimes it's the straw that broke the camel's back. Check out the big picture. Would you want to pay an employee for an extra week every year.. for nothing? Believe me, if you ever make it to management, you will see this issue differently.

Just to be clear; nobody was ever refused permission to take a potty break.