Is your workplace diet friendly?

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Replies

  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    That 1/2 hour for a walk is awesome!

    It's great! And we have a little mini-park next door with a 1/4 mile walking track.

    I've only worked here since January though so maybe I spoke too soon - don't know what the holidays are going to be like! I don't mind too much anyway. I will take a small piece if someone brings in a special homemade something; otherwise I remind myself that I can buy my own candy and baked goods whenever I want them, so I do NOT have to eat them just because they are available.
  • deedeefelldown
    deedeefelldown Posts: 57 Member
    Not at all. I'm right next to the vending machines and every time I turn around there is birthday cake.
  • MDfour
    MDfour Posts: 20
    Not even a little bit. On top of the candy bar shop in the break room right across from my cubicle, there are donuts or bagels or cake or cookies or chips or all of the above that someone will have brought in every single day. It's also holiday season, and our entire floor is supposed to either bring a dessert to share for the department party or pay 5 dollars. Most people bring desserts, and all the leftovers stay in the break room after the party (and there are always a million tons of leftovers - about 50 people bring in desserts to serve 100.)

    However, the company is pretty health-focused, so about twice a week we get emails about healthy snack ideas. So that's a plus.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    Mine definitely isn't!

    We're totally undermanned so there's not much time off for PT! On top of that, the hours can be strange which cause eating time problems! On top of that... when someone passes a test/examination (which seems to be a least once a week!) they have to bring in cakes... likewise when several have had a test, the top scorer and the bottom scorer have to bring in cakes/sweets! Usually iced doughnuts!

    Started to get better with people baking their own treats which means some healthier alternatives and better portion sizes... (if you give in to the temptaion!) and they're trying to factor time in to people's work shifts for COMPULSORY PT due to the branch/Trade (Air Traffic Control and Assistants) seeming to have one of the highest fail rates for the RAF Fitness Test. High levels of stress don't help admittedly and when you're not having chance to burn off the adrenaline you inevitably end up stressed, higher levels of cortisol in your blood, higher blood pressure etc... And generally speaking...we're all caffeine loaded too!

    Val xx
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    Is your job diet friendly?

    mines is not, since it's halloween season, candy is EVERYWHERE. hershey chocolate, reese cups, snickers, you name it. the office has it. On top of that a manager brought in rolls, bagels, and muffins to work for the office.

    Eh, yeah I know EVERYONE is not on a diet.

    No my workplace is not eat healthy friendly in the least. It is up to me to adhere to my own goals without being tempted.

    I don't have sweet, starchy cravings any longer so it doesn't affect me with what anyone else eats or has on their deak.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
    Heh - as I was reading this thread, a co-worker brought in donuts. :laugh:
  • mezzosoprano89
    mezzosoprano89 Posts: 81 Member
    My work almost always has snacks and food in the backroom! It's hard to say no, and sometimes I eat something small, but I now always bring my own snack or lunch to work so that I know exactly what I'm eating and that it's good for me.
  • klewis81
    klewis81 Posts: 122
    I work at a school, but we have our own dining service. It can be really bad for the diet if you want, but it can also be a tool to help you eat more healthfully. We have free breakfast and free break food in addition to the free lunch and you can eat lots of pastries and sweets in the morning and fried, cheesy things for lunch. There are healthy options though, and we have lots of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Since I have joined MFP I have been able to stay away from the temptations (chicken tenders, chocolate chip scones, fettucine alfredo) and instead head for the salad bar, the fruit bar, the brothy soups, and the veggie burger patties. It sure takes a lot of willpower though!
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    There is only 12 people in our company. There is a break room, but only a soda machine, no candy machine etc.
    Very seldom someone will bring a sweet, they are more likely to bring something from their garden. No one would push a food item, or ask, "should you be eating that?" There is a sidewalk where its popular to walk at lunch. My boss is OK with me using space to practice Tai Chi on my break if I want. He's also OK with me changing into my exercise wear before I leave work.
  • amaion17
    amaion17 Posts: 27 Member
    i work at the elementary school cafeteria so, not always. but i pick and choose and its portion controlled so its not too bad.
  • jollyholly1024
    jollyholly1024 Posts: 9 Member
    My workplace is definitely not diet friendly! I work at Dominos as a delivery driver so I am in and out of my car with pizzas all of the time. On top of that people bring in doughnuts and cookies! It sometimes gets difficult but I just chew lots of gum.I mean like lots of gum lol
  • Alisha_countrymama
    Alisha_countrymama Posts: 821 Member
    Yes and No, We have a fridge stocked with candy pop and schwan's food like breakfast pizza's, hot wings, pancake on stick etc. But I bring my food or buy stuff that is healthy as well, like cheese sticks, veggies, and ranch. Hummus. Ect. So yes there is junk, but we're going to be faced with Junk food for the rest of our lives, better start now.
  • jmeeej
    jmeeej Posts: 125 Member
    Not in the slightest.

    Every day there are donuts, cookies, or muffins sitting on a counter because someone brought them in the be nice.

    People also think I'm crazy when I eat a bowl full of tuna or am peeling hard-boiled eggs into my garbage can. LOL. At the company BBQ's I get strange looks when I as for my burger without the bun.
  • Huskeryogi
    Huskeryogi Posts: 578 Member
    I use it to my advantage. When I craving homemade brownies (I make them from scratch) I make them and eat one and then bring the rest to the office. Everyone loves me and I only consume one brownie instead of the whole pan.

    But yeah it's terrible. They know I'm being careful about what I eat and one of my co-worker purposely brought in peanutbutter M&M's cause he knew I wouldn't be able to say no to those. But I limited myself to 2 servings.
  • I've found that with proper planning, you can even fight off the office temptations. For example, I was rushing to work one morning and grabbed a Lean Cuisine (butternut squash ravioli) to pop in the microwave at work (normally I make an omlette with EggBeaters and bell peppers). When I got there, the break room was packed because it was someone's birthday & they had doughnuts and bagels. I scooted my way in to the microwave to make my breakfast and as soon as I took it out and put it on a plate, everyone was staring enviously at me! They all asked me what I was eating and commented on how good it smelled. Even later in the day, people were saying how they should've thought to bring a frozen meal for breakfast so they could avoid the carb caravan that usually populates the break room.

    Plan, plan, plan! And it helps me to keep Altoids at my desk any time candy is around. I pop one in my mouth and the thought of eating candy with that overpowering minty taste just turns me off.
  • CanuckLove
    CanuckLove Posts: 673 Member
    My work sucks too LOL
    Plus I travel a lot with it and they supply us lunches and its always the worst, most fatning foods ever. I find it a real struggle :(
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    No, we have no kitchen, fridge, microwave or kettle etc., just a water dispenser and a hot drinks machine.
  • GwynnBochanan
    GwynnBochanan Posts: 15 Member
    My workplace there is constantly donuts and my neighbor brings mini candies to put at his desk also there are vending machines everywhere. What I have started to do is bring my lunch including a few apples with me to work. Everytime I find my resolve wavering I eat an apple, after the apple I feel satisfied and can get back to work.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    I work in a k-12 school in America. need I say more?
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    The room that I work in has a bowl of chocolate candy always, not just for Halloween. It is where the stressed out teachers come for a piece of candy. I bring all my food for the day since I work another job when I'm through here. I have plenty of healthy things with me to eat so I don't get tempted. I can't eat one piece of candy and I'm doing to good to mess up now.
  • voluptuous_veggie
    voluptuous_veggie Posts: 476 Member
    We have the occasional cake or donuts brought in, but for the most part, it's a very healthy environment...but then again, I work in the nutritional center of a hospital! We always are having healthy competitions that involve food and exercise, and are always receiving additional benefits if we participate, etc. We even have our own CSA farm that provides employees with a weekly box full of fresh, organic fruits and veggies. I love where I work!
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,342 Member
    I work at a doctors office and it is definitely not diet friendly, especially during holiday seasons. But my coworkers are diet friendly and never offer me anything bad, and if they get me a treat it's usually something small or it's not food. They never pressure me to eat anything either so that helps.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I usually look at junk food and think, "19 lbs lost by NOT eating this" It just doesn't seem worth it anymore. :)
  • jah7700
    jah7700 Posts: 276 Member
    Yes... There is no deli / restaurant / food cart, so as long as I eat what I bring for lunch and don't give in to going out I'm pretty much forced to stay on my diet.
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    Nope. They order alot of pizza, and occasionally cake and many other places that aren't exactly healthy. It was tough at first, but I finally managed to just say 'No' to it all.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Yes! Our cafeteria is amazingly healthy. Best salad bar I've ever seen, everything made from scratch... I love the food at work. And it's really how it should be, considering I work for a cancer research center.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    My office is OK.

    We have a communal kitchen so people tend to either buy their lunch locally (sarnies and pasta salads), eat out our buy ready meals / soups etc that go in the microwave.

    People don't tend to leave many 'tempting' things laying around, it's normally just things like salad stuff / humous etc

    We used to have a tuck shop with crips and choccie but now we get a weekly delivey of fruit.

    People bring in cakes on Birthdays and special occasions. Occasionally peole bring in sweets for no apparant reason LOL!

    Occasionally we'll have a company wide lunch which will be take away (pizza or Chinese)

    On the whole we're a pretty healthy bunch.
  • smashatoms
    smashatoms Posts: 144 Member
    Not in the least.
    We have pizza Friday's, which is when everyone orders their OWN pizza.
    On top of it my boss has a drawer full of candy and snacks that she is always offering me.
    It breaks my heart to turn down a perfectly delicious Twizzler every day!

    You gotta do, whatcha gotta do!
  • erd2011
    erd2011 Posts: 15
    I work with a staff of predominantly men, so no surplus of baked goods brought from home.

    In general, yes, mine is diet-friendly. Everybody provides their own beverages and food except for the very occasional Saturday a.m. meeting (maybe once a year, someone will bring donuts to the meeting). Around Christmas, clients start bringing in goodies but not as much as they used to.
  • Dona_Maria
    Dona_Maria Posts: 78 Member
    I work in an office, so naturally there is A LOT of food pushing going on. I just tell myself, "NO" I have to learn there will be a lot of unhealthy food and I have to learn to live with it. We have potlucks every month, donuts, bagels, weekly, things people are trying to get rid of every other day. You just have to learn to resist; I want to lose weight therefore I will NO eat junk food on a regular bases.
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