Well, today we had a bring a dish at work, so since I recently went to binge town I have started to rein it back and I have been calorie counting since Saturday...feeling great and early days in "recovery". So the bring a dish is a spread of carbs and a calorie counting nightmare so I plan to eat only a few carrots and some hummus. Ooooooh, cue lots of comments from co workers! I am seen as a bit of a healthy eater and don't indulge in cakes on a Friday etc. But there were a few comments from a few different people!! It was annoying. Although I had no intention of eating all that "junk" I feel great.
I was just annoyed, for years I was tubby and miserable and now I am slimmer I won't be going back only forwards back to goal weight. So there will be changes....bring a dish is not an excuse for me to lighten up.
So that's partly a rant from me but I stayed on plan, so it's a win.
People sometimes feel threatened and guilty about their own food choices and that leads them to comment on what you eat. Its hard, but try to not let that get you discouraged!
Avoiding the calorie bomb at the office was a great NSV!
I hear you on this - it's now getting to the point for me that people think I'm too skinny, so they watch what I eat and make comments if I down a salad or something (dude, salads can be fantastic). I am NOT too skinny (I'm nearly overweight, jeez) and it's none of their business.
How annoying- seriously what's it to THEM if you don't partake? I had the same issue with a pizza party at work- I was told by a few people afterwards that me not going to the party was frowned upon cuz it showed I didn't participate blah blah. I was like okay 1- I am trying to lose weight, and 2- I participate in EVERY other thing and I don't HAVE to go to everything as it is.
They probably feel guilty about their own food choices and are trying to project their guilt on to you by trying to make YOU feel guilty for your GOOD choices.
This happens to me all the time, even when I am among my good friends. Sometimes they will even purposely order the worst thing on the menu, as if to say that the way I eat is wholly unnecessary. And, no, that's not in my head: After I order something good for you, they will ask very loudly to be told what has the most calories and is most likely to cause a heart attack, etc. That is what they order while smiling evilly at me. *eye roll*
I just shrug it off and keep on keeping on. For one thing, I like healthy food, and more important I like being healthy. And, who knows? Maybe someday my friends will choose to follow my example.
Last edited by Petite Powerhouse; 12-21-2010 at 02:22 PM.
This happens with a lot of different things in a group environment. If you " go against" the group people feel threatened. It is interesting psychology.
No one around here would even think about saying something like that to anyone. However, if they did, I wouldn't hestitate to tell them, "I'm proud of my food choices and the changes I've made in my life. How do you like yours?" then calmly walk off.
No one has the right to pass judgement like that especially in a (supposed to be) professional environment.
Good god, some of this is terrible. I need to work as a garbage collector or something when I move back to America so this doesn't happen to me - I'm terrible under peer pressure, and not at all surprisingly when I had office jobs in the USA I always gained weight. It was an unhealthy environment - all my coworkers were obese and much older than me, so I felt like I could eat a bagel with cream cheese every day and there would be no consequences. There were, naturally.
Contrast: I bring healthy lunches to work (usually vegetable stir-fries) and my Japanese coworkers (most of whom have BMIs of 20 or under) look at it and sometimes way "wow that looks delicious and healthy! good for you." End discussion.
I can't believe Hopeful8's coworkers actually trash talk her lunches like that. And XLMuffinTop your angry words are mild Taco Bell hot sauce compared to what you must be really thinking, right?
I'd just mock them for having the unsophisticated palates of toddlers if they turned their noses up at something as scrumptious as hummus. "Ohh, I'm sorry, I forgot that you only like to eat recipes that begin with a can of condensed soup!"
Super-fussy eaters who'd look askance at anything more exotic than what they might find at a midwestern church picnic in 1962 are NOT people who have a right to discuss other people's food preferences. These are the people who, when they visit New Orleans, I always dread taking out to dinner because all our food here has flavor and they won't know what to do.
Stories like these make me marginally more content with my pitiful work-from-home income.
I'm so fortunate to have the friends I do. We all gained weight together and we're all losing it together. My one beef is that my dear friend who ISN'T doing well but is always trying brings soda, McD's, chips and cookies every time she visits and justifies why each and every time. I know I make her feel guilty and I really hate that. But she never makes me feel like I'm making bad choices. I know she admires my WOE.
At work, I've had a few strange comments like, "Now that you've joined the skinny side..." It's always meant as a compliment, but it's still weird. However, those moments are always fleeting and quickly gotten around with an equally weird look from me.
We had our holiday potluck at work today, too. I did what I always do: Fill my plate full, mingle, eat only the things I actually want to eat, push the other stuff around, and then discretely dump it in the trash when no one is looking.
It's actually much easier for me in my current job (90% male co-workers) than in my previous line of work (90% female). The guys don't seem to notice what I'm eating or not eating. The females would constantly be looming at my selections and talking about what I was eating and getting offended if I don't eat more.... every single time! What is it with some people? I would be embarrassed to act so obtrusively.
I don't have similar work issues, but my boyfriend's family cannot stop talking about the amount of vegetables I eat - as if I am an alien or something. At some point, you just want to say "Look, how I'm eating is simply how the human was designed to eat! I am the normal one and you are the absurdity for eating food with tons of preservatives, sauces, sugar, and fat!"
I already know this X-mas they will be watching over me like a hawk, pushing seconds after each bite... and I mean really pushing to the point that its old and irritating.
Which is funny- I am 'slender' but certainly a normal weight, not skinny.
Stay strong sister!
I agree with Matt - people react out of their own guilt.
A friend of mine, yes the one I'm going to be spending 24/7 for a week on holiday with, perpetually sighs about my food choices:
Do you want to share a scone with me? (No thanks)
Do you want to share a sandwich with me? (No thanks)
Oh, I couldn't eat a whole meal. (She's eating a vast scone, I'm eating a vast salad but hers is 'just a snack' mine's 'a whole meal')
You've got to have a drink. (I have no objection to alcohol but I don't often waste my calories on it)
She's already contacted the tour operator to demand soy milk and low fat food, so everyone knows she has very special dietary needs. By day 2 she'll be on high fat foods and wine - sticking to the soy milk though!
I have no need to draw attention to myself, so will be making healthy choices from whatever is presented to me.
ow, button pressed for me there, I think! Bottom line: comments from others are really annoying; even more annoying from real friends whom you actually rather like, apart from this issue!
People commenting on your healthy food choices!
