people have to associate "nice" with food??!!!!!!

seriously...yesterday - at work, I was working on a project that had more than the normal workload...and when the TA (tech associate) realized she had messed something up that I needed to go back and change, on all 10 pages...she (very nicely) brought me a bag of M & M's as a "I'm sorry I screwed up - I need you to redo this" sorta thing...

and - one of the girls here that i work with closely (same position/department - we're DP's desktop publishing) - is ALWAYS bringing in cookies and whatnot and today she brought in the OH so evil...candy corn! I just gave her a (she knew i was kidding-kind-of-nasty-look) nasty look and she asked, 'cm'on...why the look?' and she then said, "i just can't eat an entire bag by myself..." and i was all, "that's the problem, I can!"

And, no - it's not as easy as people think it is to tell people, "hey, don't bring food in for EVERYONE to share"...especially when no one else is watching their diet.

I mean, i've gotten fairly good at just not even taking any of the "brought-into-share" food...

but then I feel like they think I'm being snotty for not sharing...

or, another example - yesterday a few of the girls went out to a bar afterwork - which believe me, I would have LOVED to socialize - but because I knew I was already going out tonight with my normal (not work) friends - I had already planned tonight as my going out night - so I felt bad that I didn't go - because I knew that if I had - I'd have probably gone overboard and had too much to eat and too much to drink.

i just wish there was something else that existed that people could socialize or be "nice" to others with - that didn't involve food!

ok. just needed to get that out. lol

I have worked at several hospitals in the past and it was the norm to have a lot of junk food around. I never thought much about it when I wasn't trying to lose weight and would eat liberally of this junk. But, with trying to lose weight we're probably hyper-aware of what is proffered. I have even had people treat me like I was anti-social and making them "feel bad" for eating it. With as much wt. as you have lost, they have to know that you are eating healthy and bringing candy to you is just not right. Keep turning them down and maybe some day they'll get the hint.
BTW, 2 weeks ago I went to MIL's for the day to do yard work for her. She sent 3 large bags of chocolates home with me and my DH. He doesn't eat candy at all and me and my DD are closely watching our food. She knew this. I just put it up and will hand it out for Halloween. Save myself some money. Funny thing is, she's trying to watch her wt. so she didn't want in her house. LOL.

I had the same issue at work, but once the girls saw how well the three of us on Weight Watchers were doing they all jumped on the bandwagon. Our morning meetings have gone from "who's turn is it to bring dougnuts?" to "Have you tried this smoothie? It's only ONE point!"

I think that people use food as a reward because it is universal, eveyone eats. I just said no thanks a lot until everyone jumped on board. They may have thought it was snotty, but I have to do what is best for me.

I had a problem at an uncles B-day party when the food was burgers, chips, hotdogs. . . I brought myself chicken and broccoli, the uncle asked if his burgers weren't good enough for me. I just told him I was watching what I eat.....He went into a tailspin.

DH's grandma is making zucchini bread. Instead of saving the zucchini she is making it and giving it to us. She knows we are both watching our food intake. For her and her husband she makes it low fat low cal, but for me and Dh....NOOOO.

:-D

That's the one thing I hate is honestly feeling anti-social. I only JUST started this position about a month ago - and I honestly love working with the people whom I work with...but - after I posted my first message this morning - around noon the other three girls asked me if I wanted to go to the Chinese buffet with them. I politely turned them down - but I really HATE feeling anti-social. I like them and would LOVE to go with them - but I told them the truth - I know myself better and If i WERE to go with them, I'd overeat (especially a chinese buffet) - and I have TaeKwonDo tonight after work, there's no WAY i want to work out on a stomach overstuffed with chinese...

but I also don't want them to start thinking that I think i'm "too good" to go out with them.

And they ALL know that i've lost weight. we talk about this stuff all the time - AND one of those girls is ALWAYS brining smart ones in - even though she's not "on" weight watchers - but is "trying" to lose weight from what I can see - but she isn't serious about it like I am. And another one is ALWAYS complaining that her pants are too tight and she wants to fit back into her old jeans...

part of me almost wants to scream at her - "ok, with the way you eat, you will NEVER fit into those jeans!" i mean, i DON'T want to be mean or rude like that - but it's true. you HAVE to work hard and change your habits and your eating lifestyle to get back into those jeans...and going to a chinese buffet is NOT going to help.

ok. i'm going to go make my smart ones and can of corn now. :-P

I'm just thankful there's so many out there who understand what i'm going through. :-D

You'd think that bread with zucchini in it would be at least partially healthy! LOL I remember making it back in high school--it's like 50% oil! Yummy, though. The things people come up with.....beer bread....cream cheese coffee cake....

14.5 years at a hospital for me (quit just over a year ago--goodbye stress!), and yes, there was always someone with a candy bowl on the desk and everyone brought in goodies for the break room. Holidays and birthdays were the worst. The boss always had us do a potluck for holidays and it was some sort of tradition for the person who was having the birthday to bring in all sorts of "cultural" foods. One guy would make Swedish meatballs every year for his birthday and a Filipino would bring in egg rolls and pancit. Fun, but fattening!

I work in a factory that is about 85% woman, with more than 1/2 being overweight. When people started noticing how I was eating they didn't support me but tried to instead sidetrack me by making comments and offering bad food to me. Why do people do this...is it cuz they don't have success so they don't want to see others succeed??

So I decided to change my break time so I can take break all alone. It sucks because I cannot eat with others but I have to avoid unsupportive people in order to be a success at this. I also keep it a total secret that after work I go to the local ladies fitness gym and workout for 1 1/2 hrs.

Its sad that in a society that is overwelmed with obesity that those who are trying to win the battle of the bulge have to deal with people who just don't get it.

Yesterday the boss's wife was workin at the pharmacy with us ..and we are always discussin my weight watchers and such it isn't a secret .. every friday i go in and they go ..well how'd the meeting go?? the girl I work with .. since she saw how much i was losin .. her mom and sister are doing it as well and having great results .. anyways .. point being .. everyone knows includin the boss's wife that I am tryin to be healthy ...so at lunch she goes to the store out of boredom and i know she was tryin to be nice and everything .. but she bought a basket and put about 3 bags of diff snack sized candy bars in it and brought it in for us .. i was like oy ya killin me here!! she goes ..but ..they are snack sized! lol .. yea .. thank you for that lol .. but I am looking at it as a challenge ..that I can be around these types of things and control myself .. maybe 1 a day in the afternoon .. I am goin to see how long this basket can last! Or at least it won't be my fault if its empty lol

I guess I'm lucky that I don't work away from home. I am not a big sweet eater, being a fish and chip eater

What has annoyed me in the past when I was trying to lose weight is the slim people who I know (surrounded by them lol) that complain they have to lose weight. They are thin, they have put on a few pounds and they go and promptly lose them and then they come back to me and say "see it isnt hard" I think to myself yeah right, I can lose a couple of pounds too, its the other 150 odd that are the hard ones...hehe..

Excuses you can use not to eat the "nice" food:

"I'm sorry, I can't eat fill in the blank because I'm allergic. I'll break out really bad if I eat that." (It's true, it makes me break out IN FAT.)

"My dentist told me to lay off the sweets if I expect to have my teeth in another 20 years. He explained that the more sweets I eat, the more my teeth suffer for it over time. And that means more dental appointments. And I HATE going to the dentist."

"Oh, no thanks. I just ate, & I really am stuffed! I simply couldn't eat another bite."

If someone KNOWS you're trying to diet, ask them "would you offer a cigarette to someone trying to stop smoking or a beer to someone trying to stop drinking?"

Use the "food intolerance" issue. Some people are badly intolerant of dairy products, seafood products, meat by-products, etc. Simply state: "Sorry, can't. Intolerance issues."

Tell them you're ON A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIBED DIET. Then explain that not all diets are about weight loss... some are about healthy hearts, your pancrease or kidneys, stronger teeth & bones, your cholestorol level, diabetes, etc. Explain that altho losing weight is great, it's just a A BONUS, the important thing is that you follow doctor's orders.

If you're religious, you can say you're fasting.

(One of my favorites, because it's true) "I'm considering becoming a vegetarian, because of my love for animals." (Particularly helpful when someone is trying to shove fried chicken up your face.)

AND MY #1 THING TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY PUSH FOOD ON ME:

"No thanks! But you go ahead! It looks better on you than it does on me!"

I smoked for 8 years and when I decided to stop no one who smoked supported me(sounds familiar with my currant situation). They would continuously offer cigs, blow smoke in my face, etc. Now that I've quit for 6 years Im trying to lose weight. Same thing...nothing but people trying to side track me. People hate to see others succeed at something that they themselves have failed at.

Beach patrol, I love that last excuse!!! I'm gonna use it the next chance I get:0

Hearing these stories, I'm so thankful I work from home. I don't know how I would have managed this diet if I had to go into an office everyday. I seem to recall that it wasn't just the food people brought in but also the siren call of the vending machine. Kudos to all of you who deal with office food and still manage to stick to your diets!

I do have business meetings once or twice a month that involve lunch. At one of them, I was there at the end and there were a lot of desserts left over from the buffet (so, mind you, I was already off the diet because of the buffet). The folks organizing the meeting pushed the extra desserts on me despite the fact that only minutes before we had been talking about how I was trying to lose weight. I know they thought they were being generous, they didn't want the food to go to waste (but I guess having it go to waist was okay), and they didn't really understand how restrictive I have to be about my calories, but it just wasn't what I needed. If I was a stronger person I would have said no, but instead I allowed myself one cookie in the car on the way home and gave the rest to my SO (luckily, he's happy to eat whatever sweets I don't want and is incapable of gaining weight).

People used to bring stuff in at my old company all the time...donuts, bagels, Chinese everytime we finished a big project, and one gal had a Fenway day...where she made the Fenway style sausage dogs, had shelled peanuts, etc.

So, I retaliated.

I took in my low carb whole wheat pizza crust with veggie mozarella shreds and pepparoni style veggie slices and the veggie works, with homemade sauce that was lower sodium. And I didn't bother to tell anyone what it really was. It was all ate, and 3 people wanted the recipe. LOL!