Death by candy...sabotage ?

245

Replies

  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 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.

    Seems like a great way to be labeled the office troublemaker.
  • septembergrrl
    septembergrrl Posts: 168 Member
    I'm another one who's going to side with the OP. Yes, it's all about willpower, and no, you can't expect the world to rearrange itself to suit your wants ... but personally, I know chocolate/candy is a HUGE trigger food for me. As in, if it's close at hand I can't think about anything else until either I eat some or it goes away. If you don't have that problem, I don't think you understand how unpleasant it is. (The woman who sits next to the printer in my office has a candy dish, and I don't feel like I can say anything about it because it is in her personal space. It's hard.)

    I'd keep trying to move it back to the lunch room. If that doesn't work, buy your least favorite kind for the dish and be glad it's only two weeks until the season is over.
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 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.

    Yeah.... well.... I agree.
    I have a problem with sweets too. And the office is FULL of them. I take it as a challenge and feel really proud of myself for not giving in. The world does not stop spinning for us........
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    The way I see it, you have two options:

    a) Rearrange your intake to enjoy 1-2 pieces of candy.

    b) Don't eat it. When you feel the urge, drink a hot tea, take a walk, log it and see how many calories you'll spend on something you don't even really like.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    We have a common area for shared food in our office as well. If it were me, I would definitely move it to the common area.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 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.

    Seems like a great way to be labeled the office troublemaker.

    Troublemaker? Hmm...I'm thinking the troublemaker is the one not in compliance with common practice, whether it's official policy or not. Our company's official policy is to leave it to the departments. It is common to send an email to our department's distribution list to make everyone aware that food has been placed in the common area for sharing.

    It's kinda childish to act like candy "belongs" next to the decorations instead of the common place for food.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 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.

    Seems like a great way to be labeled the office troublemaker.

    Troublemaker? Hmm...I'm thinking the troublemaker is the one not in compliance with common practice, whether it's official policy or not. Our company's official policy is to leave it to the departments. It is common to send an email to our department's distribution list to make everyone aware that food has been placed in the common area for sharing.

    It's kinda childish to act like candy "belongs" next to the decorations instead of the common place for food.

    You can opine on how things 'should' be all you like. Reality is that if you are the one person going against the common trend in the office, and it's something management are choosing to not enforce, you are causing friction. Doesn't matter if it's fair or reasonable.

    Management want to have the work done with the minimal stress and friction possible. Petty squabbles over candy bowl position are not going to be greeted well.
  • fat2strongbeth
    fat2strongbeth Posts: 735 Member
    Put something healthy, such as clementines, under the tree so you will take that instead of the candy.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    I tried putting fruit in there before last year also (to share) and that also got moved and replaced with candy. I can't believe how some people are reacting to this. I didn't "take anything to management" and we don't have a policy about it. It was a simple conversation between employees. I highly doubt I would be viewed as unprofessional or a troublemaker. I could site another handful of conversations I've had with this same person that were petty and mean-spirited. Like her comment "you can't go to the gym everyday." I think some people highly underestimate how addictive sugar can be. That's all.

    I simply wanted advice and I also appreciate the tough love. No one needs to be judgement or rude about such a silly topic.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 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.

    Seems like a great way to be labeled the office troublemaker.

    Troublemaker? Hmm...I'm thinking the troublemaker is the one not in compliance with common practice, whether it's official policy or not. Our company's official policy is to leave it to the departments. It is common to send an email to our department's distribution list to make everyone aware that food has been placed in the common area for sharing.

    It's kinda childish to act like candy "belongs" next to the decorations instead of the common place for food.

    You can opine on how things 'should' be all you like. Reality is that if you are the one person going against the common trend in the office, and it's something management are choosing to not enforce, you are causing friction. Doesn't matter if it's fair or reasonable.

    Management want to have the work done with the minimal stress and friction possible. Petty squabbles over candy bowl position are not going to be greeted well.

    Right. The person who is leaving food outside of the food area is causing friction. In my dept, management would probably be the first to move the candy away from the tree if it was seen there.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    I tried putting fruit in there before last year also (to share) and that also got moved and replaced with candy. I can't believe how some people are reacting to this. I didn't "take anything to management" and we don't have a policy about it. It was a simple conversation between employees. I highly doubt I would be viewed as unprofessional or a troublemaker. I could site another handful of conversations I've had with this same person that were petty and mean-spirited. Like her comment "you can't go to the gym everyday." I think some people highly underestimate how addictive sugar can be. That's all.

    I simply wanted advice and I also appreciate the tough love. No one needs to be judgement or rude about such a silly topic.

    I think you are conflating responses to other posters with responses directly to you.

    My statement about being viewed as a trouble maker was a response to another poster's suggestion that you keep moving the candy after it's been made fairly apparent that consensus view in the office is that it belongs where it is. Statements others have made about policy are purely hypothetical.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Punch her in the face!!!!
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    I just get by on sheer will power as we always seem to have something in the office that is not part of my eating plan.

    I will need to make an exception sometime soon. One of our long time co-workers has a wife that makes amazing homemade treats (including caramels, fudge, and toffee) that he brings in each year a few days before XMAS. I'll likely to decide to have a single piece of each treat and will be sure to tell my co-worker to let his wife know that her treats are so amazing that someone in the office who seldom if ever indulges found her treats irresistible. (These treats really are to die for).
  • septembergrrl
    septembergrrl Posts: 168 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:

    Well-said. I don't think any of us are asking for the world to revolve around us, just for a little compassion.

    If the OP was asking for no treats to ever be brought into her office, or for the deli in her building to stop selling brownies, your hyperbole would make more sense. She isn't.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:

    Well-said. I don't think any of us are asking for the world to revolve around us, just for a little compassion.

    If the OP was asking for no treats to ever be brought into her office, or for the deli in her building to stop selling brownies, your hyperbole would make more sense. She isn't.

    But there is a middle ground that states that while it's reasonable to politely ask, it is also reasonable to politely refuse. Everyone has their own motivations and drivers, and your perceived needs may not be sufficient to outweigh their perceived needs. Leaping to the conclusion that non-compliance equates to callousness and sabotage is just as unreasonable as leaping the conclusion that asking for help equates to a complete inability to exercise willpower.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I see nothing wrong with requesting the bowl be in the lunch room. It's still a communal area where anyone can get to it.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Am I being unreasonable?

    Yes. You know the consequences, you make the choice to take stuff from the bowl.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:

    never said I was perfect and never implied that I was...

    you say I have "perfect abs", which I highly doubt that as I have seen other that are way more shredded then me..and guess what..I eat some candy, carbs, and even pizza...the point I am trying to make is you can eat what you want as long as you are hitting macros and eating in a deficit..

    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    And yes I think people should exercise some will power...when I was 210 pounds and 30% body fat I had a zero willpower..it took me six years to get to where I am ..so excuse me for assuming that people can, and should, develop similar habits...
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    #firstworldproblems
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,082 Member
    I'd be frustrated in your situation as well. I'm a bit confused about the table, can it be moved or does it have your work items on it? I think you were very mature to ask for it to be in the lunch room and see no reason why it can't be in there instead of having it right next to you despite you asking for it to be placed elsewhere. I actually would be tempted to toss it (wouldn't, but would be tempted) as asking for it to be moved a and moving it only to have it back the next day would frustrate me so much.

    I would first see if the table could be moved. If that's a no, somewhere that's also a center spot but not under your nose would be next. Perhaps talk to your supervisor about how you can handle it better might be worthwhile as someone's putting it back by you. We're faced with so many temptations this time of year to have one so close while working would really be tough to fight. I hope your co-workers will listen as moving it every morning only to have it back the next morning would be incredibly frustrating. Could you replace it with a bowl of fruit? :)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    It can be incredibly difficult to have something you really enjoy the taste of right in front of you for the taking all day. I don't bring things like that into my house or keep them at my desk at work for that reason. I can walk by them in the grocery store, but I can't forget they'e in my cupboard.

    The OP isn't asking there be no candy in the office. She's simply asking to move it to a different communal area where others can enjoy it and she doesn't have to look at it all day and be tempted. I don't understand why anyone has a problem with such a compromise.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:

    Well-said. I don't think any of us are asking for the world to revolve around us, just for a little compassion.

    If the OP was asking for no treats to ever be brought into her office, or for the deli in her building to stop selling brownies, your hyperbole would make more sense. She isn't.

    I would never say that. And it should be noted there are numerous other goodies typically in our lunch room this time of year (like most offices). I resist b/c it is out of sight - out of mind. This is purely about it being so close to my desk and someone deliberately putting it back in my face.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    It can be incredibly difficult to have something you really enjoy the taste of right in front of you for the taking all day. I don't bring things like that into my house or keep them at my desk at work for that reason. I can walk by them in the grocery store, but I can't forget they'e in my cupboard.

    The OP isn't asking there be no candy in the office. She's simply asking to move it to a different communal area where others can enjoy it and she doesn't have to look at it all day and be tempted. I don't understand why anyone has a problem with such a compromise.

    Exactly, thank you!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    It can be incredibly difficult to have something you really enjoy the taste of right in front of you for the taking all day. I don't bring things like that into my house or keep them at my desk at work for that reason. I can walk by them in the grocery store, but I can't forget they'e in my cupboard.

    The OP isn't asking there be no candy in the office. She's simply asking to move it to a different communal area where others can enjoy it and she doesn't have to look at it all day and be tempted. I don't understand why anyone has a problem with such a compromise.

    the candy is under a tree which I assume is in a "communal " area....

    but hey, lets put the tree in the storage room so it, and the candy, wont tempt anyone....good lord...
  • Sovictorrious
    Sovictorrious Posts: 770 Member
    MEH
  • Mavenly
    Mavenly Posts: 23 Member
    The other idea would be to bring in your own bags of candy to fill the bowl. Just bring in candy you happen to hate, so you aren't tempted to go fishing in the bowl. That's what I do with Halloween candy - I love passing it out to the kids, and as long as it's not candy I like - I don't go snitching either.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    It can be incredibly difficult to have something you really enjoy the taste of right in front of you for the taking all day. I don't bring things like that into my house or keep them at my desk at work for that reason. I can walk by them in the grocery store, but I can't forget they'e in my cupboard.

    The OP isn't asking there be no candy in the office. She's simply asking to move it to a different communal area where others can enjoy it and she doesn't have to look at it all day and be tempted. I don't understand why anyone has a problem with such a compromise.

    the candy is under a tree which I assume is in a "communal " area....

    but hey, lets put the tree in the storage room so it, and the candy, wont tempt anyone....good lord...
    The tree is decoration that I assume the OP isn't going to eat. I see no problem with moving a candy dish. She isn't being unreasonable, but this attitude certainly is unreasonable.
  • Scoobydoo1180
    Scoobydoo1180 Posts: 49 Member
    since candy is such a trigger for everyone then lets just close down all the candy shops, donut shops, etc....then you wont have to worry about being "sabotaged"..

    You know, every time I see you post, I'm struck by how awesome your abs are—and how little compassion you have for people who struggle with temptation. You seem to think that everyone should just cowboy up and be a paragon of willpower. Well, that's unrealistic, not everyone is you. Congratulations, you're perfect. Go admire yourself in the mirror, Narcissus. The rest of us have to manage ourselves in a slightly more realistic manner. :huh:

    I think when you ask the people around you for help in managing temptation, and they deliberately do the opposite, it is an attempt to sabotage you. I can walk down a different street to avoid the candy shop, but I can't move my desk at work, and if there's a bowl of candy directly in my line of sight, it's going to grab my attention often. Ever heard the phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it's very helpful when controlling temptation. I would never place a candy dish in front of someone who has flat out told me that they have a problem controlling their urge to eat candy, any more than I'd give an alcoholic a bottle of wine. If someone asks for help, you try to accommodate them, you don't troll them by waving their trigger item under their nose so you can watch them fail. :grumble:

    never said I was perfect and never implied that I was...

    you say I have "perfect abs", which I highly doubt that as I have seen other that are way more shredded then me..and guess what..I eat some candy, carbs, and even pizza...the point I am trying to make is you can eat what you want as long as you are hitting macros and eating in a deficit..

    I don't see how a bowl of candy under a Christmas tree is "trolling it in someone's face"....

    And yes I think people should exercise some will power...when I was 210 pounds and 30% body fat I had a zero willpower..it took me six years to get to where I am ..so excuse me for assuming that people can, and should, develop similar habits...

    Let's no argue but at least agree you would not sit bowls of candy, potato chips and a piece of pizza at your desk you sit at 8 hrs. a day / 5 days a week, right ? Just like at home I sure you keep these items in the panty and you can go to them when you want a treat. You don't leave them out in the open all day long. Pantry = lunch room ??? I could see if we didn't have a lunch room but we do.

    Congrats on your success (I sincerly mean than). I honestly do better in spring / summer when I'm busiest at my job.