Working in the food industry = depressing

Animaniac87
Animaniac87 Posts: 74
edited October 2 in Motivation and Support
While making a lifestyle change to become healthier and skinner it has become really depressing to work in food industry. I'm not talking about not being able to eat the food, I really don't want to. I'm talking about watching all these extremely obese people come in and order foods with 1000+ calories. It just makes my heart hurt to see them do that to themselves.

I'm the general manager of several ColdStones (ice cream parlour) and when I watch these 350+ lb ladies come in and order larges with extra fudge, extra cookie dough, extra whatever it makes me so depressed, they eat 1500 calories as a snack!! That's what most of us are supposed to eat in a 24hour period, but for most of them it's a midday snack. I feel like screaming at them, but I know it's none of my business. It's thier life and they can do whatever they want with it. BUT it affects me more than I can explain. It makes it depressing to come into work, it makes me want to cry and scream all the same time, I just want to refuse to help them. I am almost to the point where I feel like I need to quit.

Does anyone else out there work in a food industry with similar situations like this? How do you deal with it? How do you keep positive? How do you keep from refusing to serve them?

ANY feedback would be welcome.

Thank You

Replies

  • bjenny12345
    bjenny12345 Posts: 118 Member
    I would feel like a drug dealer to the obese people that are buying what they clearly have nearly overdosed on. That probably isn't helpful, but maybe you can learn from the mistakes they are making?
  • JayAlexander
    JayAlexander Posts: 268 Member
    I work in a deli and the worst part for me is watching adults force feed their children fried foods. I don't feel bad for the adults, they can make their own decisions. It's the kids that have no choice but to eat what they are given, that makes me so sad. It's just setting them up for failure later on in life.
  • leilani♥
    leilani♥ Posts: 579
    I would have a hard time with that. You could flip it around and use it as motivation & be grateful you are no longer living that lifestyle. It's a great daily reminder of what could happen if you were to stop your lifestyle change!
  • warlocksmistress
    warlocksmistress Posts: 27
    I work at Dairy Queen. I often think to myself "Do you REALLY need that?"

    And then I feel extremely guilty, bad, judgmental for being so horrible to others. :(
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    haha They're so big, they HAVE to eat that much just to maintain. Just think of yourself as LUCKY that you don't have that problem.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Gurl, chill. If us fatties wanna chow down on 1500 calorie icecream, let us. Honestly for all you know they could be having that as their only meal of the day or have exercised their butt off earlier (I have burned 1500 all in one go before). But really a person doesn't need an excuse to eat like crap. It's their body, and health is NOT a public moral issue. It's between a person and their own body. Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's not ONLY the obese people ordering the crappy stuff ;) You just aren't going to be thinking of it the same way if it's a skinny person ordering it.
    The best way to deal with it: Don't be size-ist. Support health at every size, but don't judge people for being unhealthy... :) Chill and let people enjoy their lives, no matter how many oreos they're dumping in their ice cream.
  • Sparksfly
    Sparksfly Posts: 470 Member
    Gurl, chill. If us fatties wanna chow down on 1500 calorie icecream, let us. Honestly for all you know they could be having that as their only meal of the day or have exercised their butt off earlier (I have burned 1500 all in one go before). But really a person doesn't need an excuse to eat like crap. It's their body, and health is NOT a public moral issue. It's between a person and their own body. Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's not ONLY the obese people ordering the crappy stuff ;) You just aren't going to be thinking of it the same way if it's a skinny person ordering it.
    The best way to deal with it: Don't be size-ist. Support health at every size, but don't judge people for being unhealthy... :) Chill and let people enjoy their lives, no matter how many oreos they're dumping in their ice cream.

    I disagree. I think that a lot of people do not have the same education/information that MFP provides to us. I used to go into Cheesecake factory and order the chicken and biscuits for myself. That was a whopping 2500-3000 calories. I knew it was bad for me, but not THAT bad.

    All I am saying is that I can see how it would be depressing seeing other people basically killing themselves because they don't have the same information that we all have.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member

    I disagree. I think that a lot of people do not have the same education/information that MFP provides to us. I used to go into Cheesecake factory and order the chicken and biscuits for myself. That was a whopping 2500-3000 calories. I knew it was bad for me, but not THAT bad.

    All I am saying is that I can see how it would be depressing seeing other people basically killing themselves because they don't have the same information that we all have.

    I think you need to look into HAES/body acceptance. Not every fat person is dying from being a death fat, just like not every skinny person is secretly bulimic/anorexic.
    Either way, if you're getting depressed because someone may be at an increased risk to certain diseases because of their fat you should also be getting just as depressed when:
    - you see someone smoke a cigarette,
    - find out someone can't afford preventative health care
    - watch a skinny person eat a meal with barely any nutritional value realizing they're not getting enough good nutrients and could get sick from that
    - see someone taking birth control who could get breast cancer due to the added hormones
    - see someone eating a small salad with no dressing at lunch because that could be a sign they're anorexic
    - see someone with a tan because they are at risk for skin cancer which could spread
    - catch someone driving recklessly who is probably incredibly likely to get in an accident
    - hear someone talking about having unprotected sex
    - see someone walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands
    and realize that any of these people could either get sick or die from those things.

    Or...maybe you just have a special place in your heart for judgment and discrimination against fat people and people who eat like crap.

    My point is the best way to not get depressed over this stuff is to not ride around on a judgmental high-horse. So what if they're uneducated on calories? There are craploads of people uneducated on the crap I've listed above as well. <3
  • firmbug
    firmbug Posts: 57 Member
    I work in the food industry, but you have to realize you are doing this for you. You can't control what others do, only what you do and what you put in your mouth! It's nothing to get upset over, it's their body and they are not ready to make the change that you have committed to. Hang in there and keep your resolve! Don't give up or give in! We are lucky to be employed in this economy! Don't quit cuz some fat lady orders a mega dessert/snack/crap! Just tell yourself that you love yourself more than that!

    : )
  • Animaniac87
    Animaniac87 Posts: 74
    I work at Dairy Queen. I often think to myself "Do you REALLY need that?"

    And then I feel extremely guilty, bad, judgmental for being so horrible to others. :(

    That's EXACTLY How I am. When they say "I need a Gotta Have (large) Mint Chocolate Chip" I just want to reply "Trust me, the only thing you need is a gym membership"

    But I agree it's the children that are the worst part. Whne they order thier kids medium or larges I just want to say no! I can only eat a small myself, and clearly I'm not a skinny minnie.

    But thanks guys, I wil turn it around. Use it as motivation of what I don't want to be. Of how I would look like if I keep living the way I was.
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member

    I disagree. I think that a lot of people do not have the same education/information that MFP provides to us. I used to go into Cheesecake factory and order the chicken and biscuits for myself. That was a whopping 2500-3000 calories. I knew it was bad for me, but not THAT bad.

    All I am saying is that I can see how it would be depressing seeing other people basically killing themselves because they don't have the same information that we all have.

    I think you need to look into HAES/body acceptance. Not every fat person is dying from being a death fat, just like not every skinny person is secretly bulimic/anorexic.
    Either way, if you're getting depressed because someone may be at an increased risk to certain diseases because of their fat you should also be getting just as depressed when:
    - you see someone smoke a cigarette,
    - find out someone can't afford preventative health care
    - watch a skinny person eat a meal with barely any nutritional value realizing they're not getting enough good nutrients and could get sick from that
    - see someone taking birth control who could get breast cancer due to the added hormones
    - see someone eating a small salad with no dressing at lunch because that could be a sign they're anorexic
    - see someone with a tan because they are at risk for skin cancer which could spread
    - catch someone driving recklessly who is probably incredibly likely to get in an accident
    - hear someone talking about having unprotected sex
    - see someone walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands
    and realize that any of these people could either get sick or die from those things.

    Or...maybe you just have a special place in your heart for judgment and discrimination against fat people and people who eat like crap.

    My point is the best way to not get depressed over this stuff is to not ride around on a judgmental high-horse. So what if they're uneducated on calories? There are craploads of people uneducated on the crap I've listed above as well. <3

    i totally agree with everything you have to say. ^.^ i mean, i feel sorry for ppl who just had a friend die or were hit by a drunk driver...not ppl who drive all the way to Coldstone and buy tasty ice-cream with extra cookie dough lol

    I have never been considered "big," but when I wasn't dieting I would eat a pint of Haagen dazs on a regular basis for my "nighttime snack," and it was only when I was eating ~4000+ calories per day that I began to gain weight. Not everyone gains weight on junk food is my point. At those weights, they might even be losing >_< Maybe they prefer being bigger anyways.

    My point is, if they do wish to be thin, they are adults and it is their choice whether or not to drive over to Coldstone and buy ice-cream.

    Also, do you think this way when you see someone around my size (not that big) buying a couple scoops of ice-cream and adding in gummies etc? :/ I don't know how to put it, but let ppl enjoy their ice-cream and someones weight doesn't make the ice-cream anymore unhealthy >_<

    Although I understand the OP is being empathetic so means no insult...maybe there is too much empathy ^.^

    ps: I have yet to meet anyone who believes a double fudge sundae with skittles on top (or whatever) is considered healthy lol.

    Even someone uneducated in good-eating can figure out: lettuce is healthier than sundae

    They can also figure out (like most everyone): sundae is tastier than lettuce. Just saying lol who goes into Coldstone looking for health food? XD
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