Co-workers eating in office

dopeysmelly wrote: »

Half of me says "deal with it!", the other half sympathizes because it's a bit like this at my office too (although the gorgeous smells are usually mixed with egg sandwiches or burnt microwave popcorn or other equally revolting smells).

Same here. I totally get how tempting it can be to smell others' food. Just yesterday, someone had something with a garlic-butter sauce that had me drooling and considering a trip to the nearby convenience store, but I've got to make sure my waist is as small as it can be for my fitness test, so I just had to endure.

But in the end, I can't fault them, not only because we have neither a cafeteria nor a break room where people can eat, so if you've brought your food, you're eating it at your desk, but I'm the kind of person who's eating at his desk throughout the morning because I can still be eating upwards of 3000 calories even when I'm losing weight. I know a bunch of my troops are out there being active, too, so I don't expect them to do all their eating at a conventional mealtime.

Some of these comments are getting really harsh, like someone's already said "deal with it" you don't have to add your slightly meaner variation of "deal with it" on top.

OP, I would suggest having some low cal snacks at your desk for when you get hungry/can smell other people's food, although this breaks your 'eating only in the canteen' rule! I would also suggest adding the tasty things that you're smelling (such as eggs and bacon) in to your lunches so it's less jealousy, more looking forward to being able to eat it yourself come lunch time

FLAKMA wrote: »

I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

No...that does NOT carry over for jobs not working with hazardous materials. I eat lunch (and breakfast, and snacks) at my desk. Two reasons - (1) my staff is also at lunch (sometimes in the break room - which is small and only has seating for about 8 people at a time...sometimes at their own desks, sometimes they go out), so I can actually get some work done without any interruptions, and (2) it is the only time where I can take more a minute or two to be on the internet (I usually catch up on the news during lunch).

I can honestly say that it is a RARE occasion that I do NOT eat lunch at my desk (even if I get takeout, I bring it back and eat at my desk)...I can count on one hand the number of times in 2014 that I ate AWAY from my desk (a couple of lunches out with a friend, and a couple of company lunches where we actually left the office).

Find a way to smell something else! Whenever people around me are eating and it's giving me cravings, I take a whiff of my pack of mint gum and that helps. Also making mint tea and smelling that could take your mind off the cravings. Maybe even air freshener? I know that won't solve the problem for the full 3 hours that people are eating, but smelling mint is shown to reduce cravings.

My problem is hearing people eat around me while I'm working makes me crave crunchy foods like chips and cookies. So I've started wearing headphones and listening to music whenever my coworker brings out a pack of crisps.

Sometimes it's better just to avoid.

FLAKMA wrote: »

Wow ok thanks all, I guess I am just being a wimp about it. I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

If there are no rules in place at work preventing people from eating at their desks, then they are allowed to eat at their desks. Even if they're injesting "beta particles".

I know it may be a temptation, but learning moderation and "no" is important, especially at the work place. Consider it practice of the skills you are learning.

FLAKMA wrote: »

So I work in an office building. My office is located in a hallway of about 20 separate offices. The building had a full cafeteria, but these people INSIST on taking food back to their desks and eating. This drives me nuts. For about an hour every morning, then about 3 hours during lunchtime, the entire floor smells delicious. Why can't they eat in the cafe like normal people?? Stop bringing your food into the offices... Its such a temptation. Especially when the cafeteria pumps out breakfast foods like bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, etc.


Anyone else have this problem with their co-workers? What do you do??

Unfortunately it's your comfort versus their comfort. Maybe many of them don't like eating in the cafeteria or they need a quiet place to study for school. This is one of those things that if it's not against the company policy there isn't anything you can do to change it, so getting upset over other's choices isn't going to help. Eat at your desk, chew gum, drink water. You're going to have to find your own personal way to stay on track without trying to change the behavior of others because trying to get changes made for your comfort will result in many people getting pissed off at you.

In the end you're going to have to learn personal restraint to be successful. Temptation will always be around us and it's a good skill to build.

Its actually a rule where I work to be respectful/mindful of others when you are eating at your desk. It's an open environment and not everybody wants to smell your lunch, whether it's because they are tempted or they don't like the smell of your fish or mexican leftovers, it is common courtesy. Don't understand why everyone has to be so nasty on these forums all of the time.

I work in a rather small office so I can smell everything that everyone eats. I have learned to ignore it, but some days it does smell sooo yummy. :-)

FLAKMA wrote: »

Wow ok thanks all, I guess I am just being a wimp about it. I am a firm believer in work is for working and breaks are for breaks. I don't expect people to stop eating because I'm on a diet. I expect people to eat in the place designated for eating. I worked with radiation for a long time. Bottom line for us in that field is you do *NOT* eat where you work. Ingesting some beta particles will ruin your day. Looks like that doesn't carry over in the rest of the world.

Oh god. Now I'm going to to be eying the doctors I work with when they come back from radiology with doughnuts. I shall never crave a radiology doughnut again. All I can picture now is that they are covered in beta particles lol