I recently started a new job and for the first time I am facing the issue of coworkers pushing food. At my old job everyone was pretty independent and you pretty much ate lunch alone at your desk. There were hardly any parties or birthdays or people bringing food into the office. There was no cafeteria and just one crappy vending machine.

My new job is the complete opposite!!! People eat lunch together all the time. They bring food into the breakroom and there is a cafeteria and lots of vending machines. One day one of my new coworkers, I will call him John, brought soft pretzels in and told me he does this every week. I said "Oh great, thanks." And didn't go get one. Later another coworker came by my desk and said "oh, you didn't hear about the pretzels! SHE DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT THE PRETZELS!" I told him I did hear about them. He said "Well then why didn't you get one??? Do you want John to feel bad??" Another (female) coworker burst in, "She's trying to be good!"

Now normally I am a take-no-nonsense kind of person and I would basically mock anyone who said such a nonsensical thing to me. After all, why would my diet hurt anyone else's feelings, I think that's ridiculous. But this is a new workplace and since I don't really know these people yet I have to be somewhat polite. I also want to set the right "tone" because I am not planning on eating any sugar or white flour at work on a regular basis, but I also don't want gasps of shock if I ever do occasionally have a piece of cake. Which is why I don't really want to do a full "share" and say "I am pre-diabetic and I don't eat that stuff", because then if I do have something one day they will probably get hysterical about it. Also I am not comfortable talking about medical issues with my coworkers.

So what do you all do at work about the food pushers, especially people you don't know that well or who supervise you, so you can't just be "rude" to them? How much information do you give them? Is there a good "line" you've used on multiple occasions to get them to just chill out?

I just said, "Oh, that's so nice of you but no thank you." A million times. I always bring my lunch and sometimes eat it with everyone else in the cafeteria. I go to the cake parties with a big glass of water. People quickly figured out I was on a diet and they have been very supportive. Since you're a lot lighter than I am, they may not guess that, but eventually they will respect, "Oh, that's so nice of you but no thank you." unless they are complete jerks.

There is absolutely no reason why you should eat any food that you don't want to eat. Period!

Just say, in your most pleasant voice, "No, thank you. Maybe later."

Stick to it, what you eat is no one else's business.

I usually do what the posters above say.

But if it is somebody like my aunt who actually will look like this --> if you don't eat what she gives you I take it and hide the stuff in my bag. Then I have my boyfriend eat it.

I'm in favour of just saying 'thank you so much' and then just leaving it -- if people ask you again you can just say you're not hungry. Rather than telling them that you are pre-diabetic, would you feel comfortable just saying "i don't eat white flour" ? Then it's up to them to guess if you have a medical need (ie and allergy) or if you are just on a diet. It's a new job, so you can create a new brand for yourself, you can be 'healthy eating girl'

It is hard a first with everyone trying to get you to try the food. That's nice of them...at least they seem like an open and sharing bunch of co-workers!

But yeah, I would do what the others have suggest, just keep saying thanks, but no thank you. I bring my own snacks when I know there will be snacks that I want to avoid--so I munch on that instead.

They will catch on. At my work everyone knows I'm rather into fitness and eating semi-healthy so they are use to it now. I still get the comments that I eat rabbit food and such but it's from co-workers that became my friends so it all in good nature and it doesn't bother me. It's kind of fun being the healthy girl...I never been that girl before. LOL

Good luck!

Yeah, you're right most people are just trying to be nice and include me and this is a good opportunity to become "The healthy eater" in the department. And saying "that's nice of you, but no thanks" instead of just "no thanks" is a great tip. I will have to get used to saying it!

Nice, I like that even better.

People I work with know that I have changed my way of eating and ALL of them are so supportive! But when I am with family and a certain couple of friends, I just tell them "No thanks. Turns out my body doesn't process carbs very well and it doesn't make me feel very good afterwards". In a way, that statement is very true for me.

I did the "thank you very much" response once too when it came to cupcakes. When the person who asked me didn't see me immediately jumping up to get one she brought one over to my desk. LOL Then I had to file it away in my garbage can.

I'm also a big fan of the "take and toss" method. Say "oh wow, thanks!" grab the hot pretzel, walk back to desk, pitch in trashcan, hide it with a piece of paper.

I find it easy to say I have certain food allergies, and I can have a bit of this or that now and then, but on a very limited basis, because if I indulge too much, I will be home sick tomorrow, which is actually true.

I, AM ALLERGIC TO CHOCOLATE! Confirmed by my allergy dr. What I"ve discovered over the years with this allergy, the better quality of the chocolate, the better my tummy gets along with it. Forget cheap chocolate, all I have to do is smell it and my stomach throws itself into cramps.

I am allergic to anything with coco beans, coffee beans, anything that ends in berry and tomatoes. Over the years, it has eased off, but I know my limits.

As I've aged, I can eat/drink, some of these foods, some of the time, but not all of them at once.

So, claim allergies and tolerance. You can have a bit now and then, but you can't over do it.

It gives you the leeway, to have a taste now and then, but gives you the excuse, to back off.

If that fails, LIE, LIE, and DENY! ! Tell them you are hypoglycemic, or diabetic, or it will make you break out in huge nasty dripping hives, or make you choke and turn blue and need oxygen!

People who have never had an issue do not get it. So, if you want me to eat this, keep you phone handy, so you can call 911..

I stick to no thank you like my life depends on it. Usually people back off.

Other things that work:

"Just ate something, stuffed!"
"Just ate a mint" - point at your mouth and make an "ick, mint + food" face

You can say one of 2 things which should pretty much get you a pass and have people leave you alone.

1) My body has a hard time processing some things so I rarely eat them.
2) I have food allergies, it's a long story.

It is alright to decline offers, just make sure they are thanked for the offer. If anyone is offended by saying "No but Thank You for offering!" it's on them, not you.

Hahaha this reads like a Seinfeld episode. Awesome.