Is your workplace helping you weight loss?

My workplace is EVIL when it comes to trying to lose weight. There is always some kind of crap around and out of 15 people there are only three of us at a healthy weight.

Mine is pretty darn supportive. We have a full gym and large pool. There are aerobics, strength, yoga, water, and nutrition classes. We've got basketball courts, soccer fields, racquetball, baseball (kickball) and disc golf. There are trainers on site that will work with us individually. We have a full library on health and wellness topics as well as two nutritionists and several life coaches. The cafes always have healthy choices; some of the items are grown right here at a self-sustaining farm. We have special programs to help stop smoking, lose weight, run a 5K. They really make available absolutely everything anyone here could need to be healthy in all aspect of our lives.

What’s amazing to me, is how many people don’t take advantage of it.

Where do you work, at the YWCA or something?

Nope, a tech company. Our doctors are even onsite. Pretty awesome really. I'm very fortunate.

Please tell me where to send in my applicaton...I am so there.

Thats awesome!! I would love to be able to run on my lunch break and take a shower!! My work place is not supportive. Most everyone I work with do not understand why I eat the way I do and work out. Frustrating sometimes.

We have showers in the building that we are allowed to use and we get a big delivery of Fruit to our office every Wednesday.

On the downside, we have a HUGE box of Biscuits that are for meetings....hence the damn Gingernuts on my diary every other day....they are the lowest Calorie ones in there though - I could actually go for the really nice cream filled ones, god knows how I don't some days lol!

My company does fit challenges and stuff, but I never actually have signed up for them. They also have decided to get rid of all the old vending machines and put new ones in with "healthy" snacks. (Mostly carb heavy and still not good overall.)

The area I work in, not so much. My old boss brings donuts in every Friday. There's the breakfast club which does include fruit, but also includes bagels and pastries and all kinds of killer tasty stuff that I just don't want any of. (I have been asked to join several times but I never do.) And there's often cake or cookies or something else like that in the kitchen.

The building I work in has some classes they offer on site for a reasonable cost, which is actually what got me started on this journey. A friend talked me into signing up for the boot camp class last fall. She no longer goes, but I rarely miss a class, and when I do, I make it up. I also now go over to the gym that does the class and do CrossFit and Olympic lifting there. I love it!

It sure does. We have a faculty gym downstairs that is open to all faculty, and they allot us 3 hours a week for fitness. Since I work on the Air Force Academy there are a bunch of running trails, and hiking trails as well. Sometimes on non school days our office will take a half a day, and go hiking on the trails around us.

My workplace is schizoid.

If you want to join a gym or something like Weight Watchers or a smoking cessation program, they will pay for half. There are also showers, though I work out at home and have no use for them. A few months ago, they started providing free fruit in our breakroom.

However, we have vending machines with almost no healthy options. Ditto the cafeteria. I only eat there once a week and get a burger and fries, but still, if I wanted something healthy I'd be limited to salad or a grilled chicken sandwich and they have a huge menu. Also, at the same time they started offering the free fruit, they also started providing free soda.

As for my coworkers, fuggedaboutit. 70% of my coworkers are overweight and more than a handful are morbidly obese. Those of us who eschew the treats that are brought in or limit ourselves to a reasonable portion are made fun of and told that we need to "live a little". The peer pressue to eat junk food when it's brought in is like some bizarre version of high school. I can't believe these people are adults when they try to get me and others to gorge ourselves silly on whatever "treats" are brought in. The words "No, thank you" are the opening salvo of war.

They also equate my 2 mile roundtrip walking commute to climbing Mount Everest give me looks of pity when the weather is inclement, no matter how much I protest, and truthfully I might add, that I enjoy my walk.

Mine is a nightmare. I work in a hospital and work shifts. It gets crazy busy so we don't always get regular breaks which is really hard. There are always sweets/chocolates being handed round, and on nights (when your willpower is at its lowest ebb) there are usually cakes, snacks, doughnuts etc etc. The combo of low blood sugar because you haven't had a break in 8 hours, being up and working at 3 am and someone handing round chocolates and urging you to have some, is an evil combination!

Currently, there is a group of people doing the Biggest Loser challenge. A coworker lost 62 since beginning weight watchers in January

While my workplace is chock full of super active people (hikers, runners, cyclists, etc) this place is constantly full of bad food! We have a birthday party for each employee that usually consists of cake or some party, and expensive ones that you feel guilty for saying no to.

I made it well known that I was on a weight loss war path and wouldn't be partaking of all the gut-busting goodies, but I am still offered them. The other day I was offered a tiny, delicious looking, buttery-smelling, banana rum muffin that my co-workers wife made for the office. I asked the guy how many calories were in them and he just stared at me. He came back later and said his wife said about 350, HA!

I think they will get it eventually.

Definitely not a helpful work place environment. I am a teacher, so if kids aren't bringing in birthday goodies, the PTA is providing us with luncheons. The staff lounge always has junk in it, I avoid it like the plague. The cafeteria gives away extra cinnamon rolls for free if they have extra. Just bad news. Yet there are a few who consistently bring their own lunches and eat healthy and exercise. I am trying hard not to have that environment define me and instead realize that I am in charge of my own choices regardless.

Helping? Hahahahahaha...No. Not at all. My office helped me gain weight.

We have many catered meetings at my office so there is always leftover meeting food. Morning meetings may produce leftovers of pastries, muffins, and bagels. Fresh fruit too if you're lucky. Lunch meetings will have assorted sandwiches, potato chips, sometimes pizza, etc. Then there are always baked goods being brought in: cookies, cakes, etc. On top of that, in my department two different people keep giant candy bowls stocked with assorted and changing goodies.

These days I rarely eat any food I didn't bring in, except for the rare work pot luck or group cake event (going away party or something).

Do we work at the same place? haha. Mine is exactly the same.

I think it is. I work graveyard so I have the frequent freedom of being able to go outside and walk for 30-45 mins. there is a track close by and many buildings with numerous flights of stairs I tackle. as for food we are pretty much on our own. I learned early during my weight loss journey to leave my wallet @ home. this way I resist temptation to hop in my car and just go pick up fast food @ McDonalds/JitB/etc etc etc

my office does occasionally have potlucks. I control myself and have a taste of everything. last years Xmas was a good accomplishment for me. EVERYONE in my office I work with gained 5-20 lbs. except me, I lost 12 lbs.

My boss let me change my hours so I can go to the gym earlier and allowed a co-worker to go part time so she can pursue a semi-pro golf dream.
We have no break room, they made it into an office!
They let me use the calibration floor to practice Tai Chi on my break.
Very few treats brought in, some folks bring in stuff from their garden, (fresh veggies!)
Very positive notice and encouragement given for fitness gains of all sorts.

I work for a travel company and we actually have a dedicated 'snack table'. This where you will usually find chips, cakes, chocolates etc.
To make it worse, even when we don't bring anything, we have sales reps that come in trying to suck up with a dozen bagels and full fat cream cheese.
I bring a good amount of food to work (including assorted snacks) to deter me from eating from the snack table - but I did give in yesterday and had a handful of cheese popcorn...