Unhealthy foods at work...

MeliciousGibson

There's a bit of irony that I have to point out going on at the place where I'm employed.

You get "bonus points" or "perks" for being healthier and more environmentally conscious - driving a more fuel efficient car, joining a gym, etc. Yet when someone new is hired mgmt. brings cupcakes. People bring donuts to morning meetings. Ordering pizza's for lunch-time meetings. Today we're having an "ice-cream float" day.

There's a really wonderful company called, "Edible Arrangements" out here that has "boquets" of fresh cut fruits (the melon is even cut into a flower shape). If you're so health-conscious, how about one of these boquets to celebrate someone's birthday or new hiring?

I just think it's ironic to reward people for living a healthier lifestyle, then providing sugary processed foods.

I usually refrain from partaking in these foods (I've brought my own lunch for the "picnic" today), but it's like waving a bottle of tequila in front of a recovering alcoholic some days! It takes an AWFUL lot of will-power to resist - even though when I finally get home I'm SO DARN PROUD of myself!

Anyone else have this phenomenon happening where they are?

MissAlexxMarie

We have a meeting today..and they're ordering pizza!! So I will attempt to only eat the salad! Wish me freakin' luck!

alodell89

I totally agree! Yesterday not only did they bring in doughnuts but since my desk is on the end of the row it has become the treat desk so whenever someone in our group brings in treats it gets put on my desk!! It's really hard...unfortunately I totally caved on the doughnuts yesterday but today is a new day and I am going to do better!

stuffinmuffin

We have cakes for birthdays but that sounds like your workplace takes things to a whole new level! I used to get some fairly nasty comments for abstaining from the office treats (now people are used to my habits and I have also inspired 2 other office members to lose quite a lot of weight too).

There seems to be a culture of 'rewarding' with high sugar treats which personally I think comes from being told that in marketing and advertising.

Well done you for having brilliant will-power and taking your own food in, no doubt it's tough to sit and watch everyone else indulging. I don't eat sugar generally and because I have a diet that is so low in unrefined sugar for such a long time, when I do eat cake or biscuits, apart from going a bit giggly and hyper for an hour I actually feel so cr*p afterwards that I don't find it worth eating it in the first place. Which stops the jealousy when other people are tucking in.... xx

kzivic

I went to a wellness themed lunch and learn seminar a couple years ago. I don't remember what the topic was, but I'll never forget the lunch they served follwing the wellness seminar...fried chicken.

We have bagels here once a month, which I avoid by not going into the lunchroom that morning. The worst are the "cake pushers", those that still push the piece of cake in your face even when you've said no thank you. We've got a few of those here at work.

MeliciousGibson

I went to a wellness themed lunch and learn seminar a couple years ago. I don't remember what the topic was, but I'll never forget the lunch they served follwing the wellness seminar...fried chicken.

We have bagels here once a month, which I avoid by not going into the lunchroom that morning. The worst are the "cake pushers", those that still push the piece of cake in your face even when you've said no thank you. We've got a few of those here at work.

Cake is my kryptonite. I love cake. I can't accurately convey the seriousness of my cake weakness!

I did hold out on the mini-cupcakes for about 6 hours...until I was told one was lemon. My willpower means nothing in the face of lemon cupcakes.


Please note: I'm grateful that my work is nice enough to provide such thoughtful ways of welcoming people, remembering birthdays, and encouraging fun and comraderie at work. I just wish that they would offer treats closer to what they claim their encouraging and promoting.

oldmanstauf

When you think about it though, all of those foods you listed are cheap. Not surprising really.

brittanymarie120

i work at chili's.... lol. it is definitely not easy. not only do i serve amazing food, but i also get 50% off. and of course i never crave any of the "lighter" choices- no, i always crave the worst possible choices. bleh.

sherry9300

Well, I understand the point, but I really don't mind if someone brings something in that's not healthy. I just pass it by...just like I do all the candy bars and pastry that are in our break room "snack bar" every day. We also have monthly pot lucks. I can eat anything, but it doesn't mean I have to eat a lot of it. I just repeat to myself that the second __________(insert "bad" food here) won't taste any better than the first one.

Pizza lunch? Yep, done that, too. Me and a few other "healthy minded" people insisted on ordering a veggie pizza (in addition to the meat lovers, pepperoni, etc...) and brought salad to have with it. Again, moderation. People don't look at me with disdain for my healthy attitude, and if they did then I wouldn't really be concerned with them.

We also have a healthy climate where I work. We are authorized 3 hours of fitness leave every week and I take every minute I have coming.

916lude

We have a fitness challenge at my work once a year. My department brought together a meeting to discuss our teams and goals for the challenge and also provided ten or so pizzas for afterwards !!?!?

Donuts or cupcakes are in the break room at least one morning a week.

I also get some comments when I don't join in on the pizza eating. Along the lines of "Not sure why you worry about what you eat... I mean you're in good shape" .. yeah I wonder why...

What gets me though is a person that usually goes buck wild on the pizza will be telling people how to eat nutritiously in the break room afterwards.

MeliciousGibson

I also get some comments when I don't join in on the pizza eating. Along the lines of "Not sure why you worry about what you eat... I mean you're in good shape" .. yeah I wonder why...

What gets me though is a person that usually goes buck wild on the pizza will be telling people how to eat nutritiously in the break room afterwards.

THESE COMMENTS DRIVE ME NUTS!!!

Yes, I'm in good shape NOW - and I've fought tooth and nail for every single bit of it! Would I *rather* be eating pizza and cupcakes? SURE! But I know I'll be bloated and miserable teaching class tonight, and some people tend to be kind of critical of their instructors. I'm being honest - if people see you instructing a fitness and you're not very fit yourself, they may start to wonder how effective either the program is or the way YOU teach it is!

Athijade

Nothing wrong about having A donut or A cupcake or A slice of pizza.

I don't want to live my life to the point I can not partake of these things in moderation. That would be depressing.

DivineRED1

We only have cake day once a month. It's today. I think I will imagine that it has hair in it.

rschmmidt

it's like waving a bottle of tequila in front of a recovering alcoholic some days! It takes an AWFUL lot of will-power to resist

It's like this all the time at my school. We have ice cream float days, cupcake birthdays, covered-dish lunches once a month, donuts or some other sweet pastry treat every single Friday morning. I totally get what you said above.

Do be proud of yourself for not partaking!!

Nice that you do have a fitness incentive at your place of work. Maybe I should bring that idea to school when it starts in Sept.
Be well!

SoozeE512

There's always pastries and chips and baked goods at my office and those are always the most tempting for me! And yet, my office also has health incentives so you can earn money for eating healthier and exercising. Clearly not everyone is on the same page when it comes to getting healthier.

ElizabethRoad

Nothing wrong about having A donut or A cupcake or A slice of pizza.

I don't want to live my life to the point I can not partake of these things in moderation. That would be depressing.

cazwillis99

I'm in charge of the food ordering in my office - I have a box of fruit delivered to the office every Monday morning. We have semi skimmed milk (coffee machine doesn't work with skimmed sadly or we would have that!), if we do lunches I do order food that people will eat but I also order salads - subway platters and salad bowls, pizza and side salads, occasionally we do chinese and everyone gets to order what they want so I just order healthy stuff. Most of my guys appreciate that I am eating healthily because I don't think they always like to say that they want something healthy - I don't give a monkeys - everyone knows I am watching what I eat and having a gluten intolerance really helps stop the comments about me not eating the less healthy stuff. We very rarely do cakes and stuff for some reason. I am now trying to convince my boss we need a treadmill in the office - i reckon I am about half way to getting one!

shbretired

You can have a thin crust slice of veggie pizza, but I think I'd bring it up in a management meeting.

Let's have a salad day, or soup day ☺

cal_73

Ugh... My workplace is really bad. It is our tradition to bring in treats to share. There is almost always a bag of cookies, m&ms, home-made muffins - just about anything full of sugar.

One benefit of being a type 1 diabetic is that it makes a great excuse for not taking part and people usually don't ask twice.

It's still hard sometimes though. I just try and be polite and not show any weakness - if they want to eat bad food so be it.

I'm not that militant either, sometimes I will have a piece of something that isn't too sugary.

opalescence

What gets me though is a person that usually goes buck wild on the pizza will be telling people how to eat nutritiously in the break room afterwards.
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this drives me batty, and we have the same culprits in our office too.

Be proud you resisted, not that you have to each and everytime but I find it to be such a rewarding victory that nobody can take away!
I also told them I have cake 3 times a year and that is more than plenty in my book - my bday, my mom's bday and my husbands bday, luckily they're split out over the course of a year so about every 4 months I still get to have the thing I enjoy most

pastryari

Nothing wrong about having A donut or A cupcake or A slice of pizza.

I don't want to live my life to the point I can not partake of these things in moderation. That would be depressing.

True that.

Audddua

The worst are the "cake pushers", those that still push the piece of cake in your face even when you've said no thank you. We've got a few of those here at work.

There is a special place in hell for those people! :devil: