At the end of the week someone takes a turn to bring cakes and fruit at break time.

Well these days I don't both eating any of it and bring in chopped veg or protein shake etc.

Today I got comments on it from a newbie at work. It was too funny! I tried to explain sometimes I do eat cake- rarely tho! what I didn't mention is I don't eat "treats" at work in a hurry surrounded by colleagues. Gee just cause there are cakes doesn't mean I have to eat them. I love eating healthy and the comments didn't bother me but I really wanted to say that people just don't know how good they could feel etc.

So do your work colleagues comment on your food?

Yes, it was a group hobby at the organisation I used to volunteer at!

Once I was sitting down in the kitchenette about to start my lunch - vegetarian pie and a strawberry and pineapple juice - and one of the women sitting across from me twisted her face, sneered "What's that supposed to be" and proceeded to poke and prod my pie! What the ****! I'm like, it's a pie? Mortified - don't touch my food!

Sometimes when a cake was available they would try to force me to eat some, which is pretty rude considering I'd obviously eaten a decent lunch. Usually a falafel wrap, soup and fruit.

But otherwise it was mostly benign. All the women were retired and I was in my late teens at the time so I guess it was some sort of maternal thing, they used to have to inspect and make sure I was eating right. Lol.

What was annoying was when I lost weight and they had a drawn out and involved debate about whether I was too thin or not thin enough, which involved pinching my belly fat. Cringe.

Boundaries!

It always amazes me that you're judged for eating unhealthy foods when you're overweight, but then if you start eating healthy and losing weight suddenly people are even more concerned for your eating habits!

Ugh, tell me about it. When I go back to America I expect people to be harping on my lunches nonstop. "That's ALL you're eating?!" etc.

Ugh. Don't even get me started on this. It drives me insane that coworkers think they have the right to comment on my food/body. I lost and regained a significant amount of weight, and am now losing it again, and apparently that makes it open season for coworkers who want to comment.

My office manager routinely tells me I only eat "twigs" (really? A grilled chicken wrap, fruit, etc. is "twigs?") and that I should eat REAL food (i.e. take out), but then says things like "it's a shame you've regained the weight, you were looking so good." She is also behind all the cake that manages to show up at the office for birthdays, which she tries to pressure me into eating. I told her on no uncertain terms that I did not want cake at the office for my birthday, and guess what showed up? An ice cream cake.

I have another coworker that decides to comment whenever she sees me eating anything healthy (which is often), and always in front of a group of other coworkers. Last week I declined a piece of cake for someone's birthday, and she said quite loudly and in front of about a dozen other people, "back on your diet, then?"

Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but I really think what I eat and the current state of my body are out of bounds in terms of the running commentary from coworkers. Argh.

Here's a good one. My manager wanted to join me in the cafeteria. I had no choice but to accept (even tho i really wanted peace and quiet for the 20mins).

She sat down across from me and said, "Caucasians make the best salads."
I said her lunch looked good also

That is hilarious

My co-worker (who is rail thin but not very healthy) likes to comment about my food, "oh, you are eating so healthy," "still packing lunch for your sister too? that's so funny," it drives me absolutely nuts. The other day she said something along the lines of "why are you eating so healthy?" and I went off about how I didn't want to eat crap food and be fat like everyone else in the office. It was mean but she really grates on my nerves. My boss will buy ice cream once every couple of months for all the ladies in the office and I never get any and I always get the "you are being so good" comment, annoying.

My co-worker that I walk with is fun though, she is the pickiest eater ever so I always get her to try stuff I bring in. Seriously she had never had a fresh blueberry in her life (she is 41)! I've gotten her to try butternut squash but gucamole is just too exotic for her. I am so glad my mom exposed us to a large variety of foods growing up.

I'm one of those harpy's. I had a Japanese co-worker who was really tiny, thin and shorter then me. I couldn't believe how little she ate. She finally turned it around and started commenting on how much I ate....so I said. "Hmm, you're right it is annoying. I'll stop" and we continued to eat together not talking about quantity.

My friend told me several months later how hard it was to say anything to me about my comments because culturally she was raised to be ultra polite and non-confrontational and I felt really bad.

For the most part, I'm PROUD of the healthy food that I eat. Even a bit arrogant/holier than thou about it. I'm proud of my grocery carts that are full of whole foods: lean meats, fresh produce, whole grains, etc. I am proud that I don't give in when everyone else is eating treats. I am proud when my friends have ordered grease bombs at a restaurant and lament about it when I'm eating my salad. For the most part, I take the comments and teasing in stride. When I make special orders at restaurants, when I decline treats, when I'd rather eat my own healthy food than whatever junk is available. People give me grief, but if anything, it inflates my ego a little bit, lol. And I do have a bit of a holier than thou complex about it.

However, there are some instances when having my eating habits picked at is inappropriate, obnoxious, embarrassing, and offensive. Just as an example, my fiance's uncle absolutely doesn't keep it secret that he thinks women should "have some meat on their bones." He thinks I'm too scrawny, and he'll loudly bring it up in front of the rest of the family that I'm skin and bones and need to eat something. They rarely have healthy food at their house, so I eat before and wait to eat after visiting...thus, I usually decline food that they offer me. So yes, he never sees me eating, so he assumes I'm anorexic. Just because I don't want whatever fried food they're offering and cake and beer doesn't mean I'm anorexic. Constantly having to defend my eating habits in front of my fiance's family gets old pretty quick. I don't get the pride rush like I do from comments from my friends like "Megan, you're skinny enough...you can eat a dang cookie!" I just feel embarrassed and picked at.

I have also been abstaining from treats at work. I used to be one of the main ones who brought them. LOL. What people don't get is that I believe I am addicted to sugar, also white flour and fat combinations. Baked stuff. I work in an alcohol and drug treatment center. People often make comments that I should try whatever it is and that a treat now and then won't hurt me. I crave terribly even when I have allowed fake sugar things and cheezits. So I have chosen to do without them. People also make comments about how nice I look and how much weight I have lost. Which occasionally is ok. My boss asked me if I am on a "liquid diet" which is totally obsurd as I eat a healthy lunch everyday.

Maybe if you are into sports now just refer to it as training nutrition. My old office always used to comment on people's diets when it was for weight loss, but we also had a guy who ate all manner of unusual things at odd times because he was in training for something that never really became clear, think it was a triathlon, and this was never, ever questioned. It was fully accepted that he had to eat eggs and salads because he was a sportsman. Funny old world that eating healthy food just because is "wrong" and eating healthy foods because you want to run a marathon is "fine" but it might give you some peace, anyway!

It has been almost a year since I changed my eating habits. I have had so many comments....some nice and complimentary on how good my food looks (but it gets excessive) and other just plain rude comments ("That doesn't even look good!", "Ahhhh...that's how you did it...rabbit food.") and honestly I am very tired of it.

I think I will use some of your examples here and just start turning it around to comment on what that person is eating at that moment and see how they feel about it. I don't like conflict, but I also don't like to be scrutinized on any level.

Yeah, I'm looking forward (NOT!) to the chatter about my eating starting up at the office again, as people start bringing in holiday goodies & as others in my department plan the office Christmas luncheon. My abstention & moderation makes others uncomfortable. They want a consensus that it's bingeing time. They don't know what a scary thing it is for me to indulge, or maybe they'd be more compassionate. But my fears are a personal thing & I do not care to share them with all my work colleagues, with whom my relationship is more formal, distanced & professional.

At a restaurant where a bunch of us have lunch several times a year, I tend to always order the Portabello Mushroom Stack - comes topped with Swiss cheese over white beans and arugula. Soooooo yummy. I'm omnivore, but this item hits the spot for me.

The waitress always says, "Good for you."

WTF??? Why is that good for me? And why is one standard menu item worthy of a comment at all? I would suspect that many vegetarians order this since most other lunch items contain meat. Can't imagine what they think when they get that response.