[Renwomin]

This would totally depend on my relationship with my boss, but I feel it was really inconsiderate of her to do what she did. If she had no idea you were dieting I would understand. Did she give them to a lot of people at your work and just not want to buy something different for you or was this a specific gift for you?

I would like to think I would bring the cookie back to her and say something like, "Thank you so much for the gift. It was really thoughtful of you, but I am dieting and this is something that I won't end up eating. I do appreciate the sentiment but I'm sure there is someone else you could give this to that would love to have it." Then I would set it down next to her.

If you didn't feel comfortable with that then is there a break room or area (out of sight) that you could leave it for others to eat? I'm sure some people would appreciate it and your boss would see that you didn't eat it yourself.

[Munchy]

Originally Posted by sotypical

She gave you a cookie, she was trying to be nice. Don't eat it. But don't be angry with her either - you can choose not to eat it but you can not control other people actions. Through it away and forget about it.

Yep. My entire company knows I eat healthy. In fact, many make fun of me for it - as they are coming into my coworker's office to get candy, they pass me eating carrots and hummus as an afternoon snack.
We tend to do birthday celebrations with cake and/or other food. For our supervisor's birthday, I went out and got pizza and cake. As I always do, I ate my own food for lunch. I don't eat cake. I never liked it, even when I was a fat kid. My coworkers got me a cake for my birthday this year and last year. I cut it and doled out pieces, but didn't eat it. They knew I wouldn't.
I appreciated the gesture. It's not meant to be harmful or mean, it's sweet - but just because it's nice doesn't mean you need to put anything in your body that you don't want to. You could always give the cookie back, telling her how thoughtful it was, but that you really are trying to eat healthier.

[mandalinn82]

I view food gifts much like some piece of home decor given to you as a gift that doesn't match your style. The equivalent of a non-matching pillow, or a candlestick in a bronze finish when everything else in your house is silver finished. Or, say, a book in a genre you really don't care for. No, it's not the most thoughtful gift, as it doesn't fit in with what you enjoy/use. But I can't imagine being ANGRY over a gift that just isn't a good match for my circumstances/lifestyle/house.

I do the same things with these foods that I do with poor fit gifts. I try to think of someone for which they'll be a good fit (My grandfather, for example, is too thin and has a major sweet tooth, is my cookie candidate)...or I'll donate or throw away the item. I don't have to put the lime green pillow in my earth-toned living room (or eat the cookie!), but I wouldn't assume that the person who bought it for me wanted me to put it out so that I'd look tacky even though we JUST TALKED about how I was redoing my living room in earth tones (OK, sort of a forced example, but you get the idea).

I feel like so many of us put so much work into cleaning up our food environments that we start seeing a cookie as less of a "nice gesture that won't work for me right now" and more a personal assault on our healthy eating habits...an intruder into our safe space brought in by intentional sabotage. In my opinion, it's almost always just a gift, well meant, but that doesn't match to our current choices.

[ma26]

Hmmmmm I would be annoyed also. Maybe say "thank you, that was a nice gesture, but I'm sorry I've worked too hard to eat this. So I'll give it to someone else". I wouldnt have the guts to ask, but I'd wnat to know why she would give it too you knowing your trying to lose weight anyways!

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by beerab

Still- someone out there is hungry and could use that cookie- to them it's food... Specially when there are many people out there starving. Maybe it's my strict religious upbringing but throwing away food makes me feel terrible. I rarely have had issues giving away food to someone who wants it.

I

And you see, to me throwing these foods into my body makes me feel terrible. TERRIBLE. Me eating that cookie is not going to save any hungry children.

I agree with Mandalinn.

I wouldn't be angry - perhaps a tad annoyed that a better and more suitable gift was not thought of for me. And with all gifts that don't suit my tastes - I get rid of them. If I can't pass it on (totally useless to anyone), than I toss it. There is no reason to further aggravate myself by seeing the unwanted item lying around.

[saef]

Those enormous pizza-sized cookies are sooo not worth eating, and also usually slightly stale around the edges.

I think you should take it out back behind the building & take some aggression out on it. (Do you have any aggression in you? C'mon. Everyone does.) Smash that sucker to bits. Leave them for the pigeons or the English sparrows or what-have-you.

Amanda spoke the truth in her response:

I feel like so many of us put so much work into cleaning up our food environments that we start seeing a cookie as less of a "nice gesture that won't work for me right now" and more a personal assault on our healthy eating habits...an intruder into our safe space brought in by intentional sabotage. In my opinion, it's almost always just a gift, well meant, but that doesn't match to our current choices.

That's me. Always trying to keep the electric current running in the wire I've strung up around the perimeters of my "safe space." (Also, so none of the cows get out.)

[Renwomin]

Originally Posted by saef

I think you should take it out back behind the building & take some aggression out on it. (Do you have any aggression in you? C'mon. Everyone does.) Smash that sucker to bits. Leave them for the pigeons or the English sparrows or what-have-you.

I wonder how many calories are burned during giant cookie destruction?

[SCraver]

Originally Posted by mandalinn82

I view food gifts much like some piece of home decor given to you as a gift that doesn't match your style. The equivalent of a non-matching pillow, or a candlestick in a bronze finish when everything else in your house is silver finished. Or, say, a book in a genre you really don't care for. No, it's not the most thoughtful gift, as it doesn't fit in with what you enjoy/use. But I can't imagine being ANGRY over a gift that just isn't a good match for my circumstances/lifestyle/house.

that was very well said!

I feel I should clarify - I wasn't ACTUALLY angry, mostly just being melodramatic.

My final decision: I ate a piece of it. I am tossing the rest on my way out of work.

[rockinrobin]

Originally Posted by SCraver

that was very well said!

I feel I should clarify - I wasn't ACTUALLY angry, mostly just being melodramatic.

My final decision: I ate a piece of it. I am tossing the rest on my way out of work.

Ummm, why wait? Toss it now - before any more of it winds up down your throat. Why take the chance?

You don't even have to take it outside. Just crumble it up into cookie dust. No one will know. And you will avoid many wasted calories.

[abreezies]

I threw away a panera bagel that had a total of almost 800 cals last week....I had to throw it away at work because it was my favorite kind and I couldn't chance it hanging around my workspace all day......lol!

[mkendrick]

It amazes me that we have to talk each other into throwing away calories...purposefully wasting food so we're not at a risk of eating it...when so much of the world's population is starving to death. Sorry, that's kind of a random aside, and I have definitely tossed some food so I didn't eat it. It just crossed my mind as I read this thread.

I agree that she probably wasn't purposefully trying to be rude. I have given friends who I knew were trying to lose weight unhealthy goodies without meaning to do harm. We all need to learn to give gifts and show random acts of kindness in ways other than giving food. We don't need to share/give/eat food to celebrate everything.

Personally, I'd break off a bite-sized chunk, throw the rest away where I can't get it, and then eat the bite. Sure, sacrifice a few calories, but then I can feel satisfied that I got to enjoy it without being at risk of snarfing the rest of it. Or, more likely, after eating that bite you'll realize that it wasn't worth the calories to begin with.

[ICUwishing]

We have a great spot at work for stuff like that - there's a piece of empty countertop next to the coffee machine. I swear, they fall on it like vultures. I "shared" two huge tins of shortbread cookies that I received from a well-meaning grandma at Christmas - and I even overheard people on cell phones telling employees in the other plant to get over to our building fast. They were gone in 2 hours! Problem solved!

[MyBestYear]

I dunno, I can see both sides. On one hand, it is a gesture and the person probably didn't realize it would do any harm...

...on the other though, what would people think if the OP was a recovering alcoholic, her supervisor knew she was desperately trying to stay dry, and brought her a 6-pack at lunch? I mean, if she knows you are losing weight and trying to eat healthy and it is important to you, why in the world would she bring you something to sabotage that? It seems.... ... odd.

However, maybe she was just having a moment where she wasn't thinking.

On the 'wasting food' issue, I have no problem wasting food that is not even considered food to me in the first place. Sugar, partially hydrodgenated oils, likely high fructose corn syrup, a chocolate 'like' substance -- all of which most of those types of cookies are made of isn't food. It makes me sad people are hungry and I do what I can to help, but I won't treat my body like a garbage can because I don't want to throw junk in the garbage.

Just my opinion.

[Alexandra]

I hate throwing away anything edible, but I have no idea where to donate perishables in my area.

[Windchime]

Originally Posted by canadianwoman

It is not food. It is a cookie. Not one bit of nutrition in it.

This. I occasionally have to remind myself of this very fact....yes, I want the carrot cake but just because it has the word "carrot" in it, doesn't mean that it has any nutrition or that it's even food. It is a treat, not food.

I would probably either toss it (when my co-worker couldn't see it) or I would take it the the break room unwrap it, and cut it into smaller pieces so my coworkers could each have a piece. If they want.