pressure from coworkers to eat junk food

i think this may have been touched on before but i must vent.

every work related function i go to has brownies, cookies, donuts, etc...WHY! it's so frustrating. i'm relatively new here at my office and my manager bought us all pizza from pizza hut on friday. he was like "make sure you get a piece...go ahead and have some...why dont you want any?" i was like "i brought something but thank you"...it's almost like i insulted him. later that day we had a team meeting and someone brought 5 different kinds of ice cream (i checked for low fat...none in sight) with chocolate sauce, the works. once again i went to leave and my manager said "arent you going to have some ice cream?" i said no thank you (i was going to the gym shortly afterward and was trying to stay strong. again it seemed like he was offended. like i was too good for the food.

i'm sick of it. they have healthy food in lunchrooms for schools, they need to have the same standards at work. i eat my lean cuisines every day for lunch while my coworkers get mcdonalds or chic-fil-a. it's almost like some people look down on you for that like "Why dont you want to come to lunch with us while we eat a 1000 calories in one sitting?" Frustrating.

I think you should talk to your manager and explain.  I can't imagine someone not understanding about wanting to eat healthy.  Good Luck!

I have the same problem at my job. They fill the break rooms with cookies and crackers and junk food all the time. (They do bring in fruit once a week) but most of the time it's junk. I get so frustrated because it's hard to be strong when all that junk is around. It's hard. What I find helps me is if I plan out my snacks and if you can, take them with you to these meetings so they can see that you're making a healthier choice. Maybe that would encourage them too. I don't know what to say about your boss seeming insulted. If you just show them that you're trying to be healthier though, maybe that will help.

That is so fustrating. It sounds like you have alot of self control and that is a good thing. I remember that type of thing going on when I worked for a large office. It was like they were always trying to de-rail what you were doing.

Just remember that you are eating healthy and they arn't so you are ahead of the game.

you just have to work around it... like most things in life, everyone else isn't going to change because you are...

1.  ask your manager to order a fruit platter when they order stuff (I've done that in my office when we've had luncheons - so now we always get fruit and salad along with the other junk)

2.  have one slice of pizza with everyone ... that way you're not separating yourself too much from the rest of the staff ... and shows that you want to be part of the "team"

3.  go with the gang once and a while to McD's, etc., and plan ahead and order smart (the Asian salad w/grilled chicken and ginger dressing is 380) - for the same reason as #2 above ... office politics, etc. 

4.  find an alternative restaurant to McD's, etc. and invite the gang to your "new find of a wonderful restaurant"...

and hang in there, because it does get easier to resist as the pounds melt away

Is it possible that your co-workers are looking at you and thinking you are too thin?  5'6"  / 118 pounds might be a bit on the light side.

Everyone wants to help people that they think might be in trouble...its human nature.

i just wish the office candy jar wasn't right outside my office.

i know what you mean though. i worked in a school for a few years, and let me tell you, teachers love their treats! it was so hard to avoid them. that's probalby why i gained weight while working there.

I worked in the back office for a bank for 8 years and it was the same way. In the beginning I really gained weight then I saw what had happened to me and lost 25 pounds the 3rd year I was there. I learned I had to make compromises. Not participating is not good "team work". If you always say no thank you they really do give you a though time for wachting what you eat. I would have 1/2 or 1 doughnut, that would be my treat. If it was birthday cake I always did the cutting so I could get my self a very small peice without it being so noticable. Going out to lunch go sometimes and be careful with what you order. I don't be embrassed occasionally to say I am really wachting what I eat and I just need to stick with my salad today. They will understand as along as you don't isolate yourself, that will get you no where. But, don't expect the culture to change because you have, it probably won't. Like my sister says "It an offense to served fired food anywaywhere except the southern USA. Whats wrong with these people?!" But, she knows it is not going to change.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I really do appreciate it.

If they think I am too thin than whatever, they can think what they want. I do eat though, healthy food. If they offered something other than cookies and pizza I would be happy to join in. If they offered celery with peanut butter I would be more than happy to eat some. I just don?t want to be forced into eating crappy junk food. Maybe I will bring in a fruit platter with cheese and crackers tomorrow.:)

I used to work in an office while I was still in college as a part time job, and there were ALWAYS treats there.  I was trying to watch my weight, but at the same time, being vegan, I can't eat that stuff anyhow (but let me tell you, it would get pretty tempting at times!)... 

I had gotten my friend, another vegan (hah), a job at this place, and we were copying files in the same area, where the doughnuts happened to be... the HR woman comes out to get her 3rd doughnut, and says to both of us "aren't you going to indulge?"  and I shook my head no, saying that neither of us eat stuff like (she knew we were vegan) and my friend told her he just doesn't really like eating that kind of stuff, but thanks anyhow.

She threw the doughnut back down on the platter, and said "fine!  I won't have anymore either, then!".... and stormed off........ YIKES.

Dawn now you have the right idea.  Try a new recipe that is low cal and delicious and take it in to work.  Maybe then they will be shocked that it tastes that good and is good for them!  also maybe suggesdt that next time someone has a get together at work that everyone be invited to bring something from home.

kind of like a pot luck, that way you can participate too.  Hope you find the solution.  I think we all wish the world was a little more health conscious. :)

I can totally identify. I work at McDonald's, and everyone there eats the food. Of course everyone there is the size of a house or two as well...they all make fun of me for bringing my little sandwhich and carrots...it used to drive me up the wall, but that battle has died down. They've found that I DO eat, and that they're the ones with the problems. It is hard to get through to people who deny their overweight issues and then hear whispers of "anorexia" everytime I sit down to eat my lunch. But you just have to think to youself that you are in the right and they are wrong.

I work at Michaels crafts store.  Its the same thing there.  We have a "party" for everyone's comings and goings, birthdays, etc.  Everyone brings soemthing in and its mostly junk.  It's rough.  Chick-fil-A has a great grilled chicken sandwich, fruit cups, and their wraps are good too. :)

My work was the same. Cookies, doughnuts, cakes, etc.  I have spent the last months educating, (gently)  I mutter things like Bagels have 300 calories maybe I will just eat a third of one.  People usually are astounded at the calories in things. another one is muffins at 600 calories a pop.

I started bringing in a whole watermelon and cutting it up....it went faster than the junk.  Another time I brought in plouts (plums/apricot mix)  Everybody wanted to try it because it was new.  I leave articles around.  I started a bulletin board and posted healthful information.  There is definitely a change in the office meeting, lunches, parties,  we always have healthy choices and the best thing is that I am no longer the only one bringing the good stuff.

Yeah, it's hard isn't it. But stick to your guns and they will eventually give up.

Or even better. Why not bring a nice fruit platter or other healthy alternatives to share with them. Get them eating healthy stuff too : )

     I feel your pain.  The thing is, though, in my situation that it's not so much coworkers as it is friends.

     Example: a friend and I are at the mall.  Uh-oh...  We'd been there for a few hours, just schlupping around, y'know, and after a while the ol' tummies started to grumble, naturally.

     It was around dinner time so we decided to stop and grab a bite.  My pal goes and hits up this little Chinese place where the portions are sickeningly huge (6 oz.+ of chicken plus your choice of a heaping helping of fried rice or oily, oily lo mein noodles), frighteningly greasy (to the point that the left over oil beads on your empty styrafoam plate...  Yeah... Ew! is what I said too...) and thinking back on it just plain nas-tay!

     I'd known that we'd most likely be stopping for food so planned ahead and brought some fruit from home.  So, he gets his grub, we steak out some seats and I whip out my baggie of sweet, sweet goodness.  He's sitting there scarfing down his gut-busting, calorie clock-stopping meal of doom while I slurp down some fructose-filled peachy goodness.  He gets into this huge huff about me not eating... and all the while I'm tearing into this fruit like a lion on a wounded gazelle.  I give him this look and he tries at least twice to force his fork in my face with chunks of chicken on it.  I turn him down each time.

     Eventually, after several more attempts, he gnashes through gritted teeth, ''EAT the f&*$ing CHICKEN!''  I was totally taken aback by this crap, naturally, and just finished my peach, pitched the pit and then sat there while he went on about how I make him feel fat.  Oh, wait... that's right, I left out the part of the story where I put an AK-47 to his head and forced him to buy the Chinese food...  Oy!

     Well...  That was some good, free therapy.  Good, free therapy that I evidently needed.  Haha!  Thanks!  ^_^;;

*cracks up! at tootiefrootie's comment*

hey matisse7,

good for you with the bagels... eating a third of one... actually though, if you guys are getting actual bagels from a bagel store (trust me I work at one) the bagels are actually closer to about 700 cals.... We use high gluten flour, different than normal bagels from say, thomas's or lenders.  I never eat the bagels at work... it's like dieting suicide... lol but luckily when I work there, they are semi old, and I much prefer the hot ones. 

Gypsy