WTF is wrong with people?!

Ok, normally I would relinquish this rant to my journal, but seriously, the comments from my co-workers about my eating habits have been going on NON-STOP for almost a year.

Why is it anyone's business what I eat?  I never make comments about how other people choose to eat, nor do I talk about my own food choices.  I don't see why they think this is socially acceptable.  I actually get anxious to go into the kitchen for fear of what stupid small talk I'm going to have to endure.  Today's exchange:

I was in the kitchen washing my afternoon snack consisting of 85 grams of green beans, and 100 grams of carrots.  It totals to about 65 calories.

One of my co-workers walks by and says "Look at you, the healthy person again."  I uncomfortably giggle, and expect her to mark that as the end of the conversation and keep on walking. 

No, she presses onward "You're going to eat ALLLLLLL that?".  I stared blankly at her.  She repeats "You're going to finish ALLLL that in ONE day."

I responded back "It's 65 calories of vegetables, that's nothing".

I uncomfortably laugh again, and she finally goes away.  By her reaction, you would think I was eating an entire chocolate cake or something.  WTF?!  I know people are just trying to make smalltalk, which is why I generally try to laugh it off even though on the inside it makes me insecure.  But seriously, can't people just talk about the weather.  It's so weird for them to always be commenting on my food!

Does anyone else encounter this on a regular basis?  What do you do?

I work for the YMCA and I hear crap all day about what I'm eating or not eating!  I also get tired of the personal comments about how I look, etc. 

I think that people assume if you are at a normal weight, you are "free game"  for any comments, because you must not have insecurities or feelings. 

Original Post by andie-1:

I think she was just  probably shocked that it is possible to *eat all that* there are people who still believe that you have to eat baby portions.

Next time just straight out ask *why do you ask*? and see where it takes you.

 Well said.

This is my standard response to questions I feel are inappropriate from other people in general (personal, rude or otherwise.) It tends to make them think for a minute about what they just said and even how they said it. As Andie-1 suggested - try it and see what happens.

i feel you kaffwyn!  I hate eating at my office, because I get tons of comments on what i choose to eat.  "the wedding's over, you don't have to eat salad anymore!" is super annoying.  i like eating salad for lunch :)

i basically just snack all day at the office, usually at my desk. fruit, yogurt, granola bar, peas and carrots, tuna and crackers.  that way i avoid the lunch room.  and if i bring leftovers, i just wait till 130 to go in and eat, cause it's usually empty.

sometimes i'll go out to eat, but people usually don't say anything when we are all at the same restaurant.

I Really dislike cheese (except for feta). I've learned to eat it in meals and what not, but for the most part I ask for everything without cheese. 

You don't know how often I am called a weirdo, people laugh in my face or people don't believe me. Sure I maybe able to not really taste it sometimes, but why add the cals if I don't need them?

Last month I met a "friend" for dinner and asked the waitress if they had cheeseless pizza. My "friend" (she annoys the crap out of me now) bursts out in the most OBNOXIOUS laugh and asks the waitress "have you ever had that request..seriously??!?!" and the waitress pretty much joins in on giving me ****!

I was really pissed and told the waitress "well, I'd rather remove something from my diet then continue to be fatass". 

It was soo annoying. How rude to have the whole resturaunt turn around at stare at our table bc of not liking cheese...rude and stupid! lol!

I love when people comment about how often I eat.  I have a whole shelf full of healthy snack food at my cube and people actually know me for it.  Whenever I get a comment (usually from someone who is overweight) about how I am always eating, I like to say "Oh yeah, it's the only way I can lose weight."  When people comment on my healthy eating habbits, it only makes me want to keep it up.

God workplaces are awful for this - there seems to be no rules! I had the same thing happen to me, and more. All the women I sit with at lunch are all fairly slim, and a new girl that started is really big, like 140kg or something. At this time I was 110kg, not far off the new girl.

They would sit there and make fat jokes about her, saying things like 'wheres ______ today? Oh don't worry, you can't miss her."

and

"did you see _____ face when the lunch bell rang? I thought she was going to eat me!!  cackle cackle screech.

It made me so mad! I sat there for ages just fuming, but these were older women, there were 4 of them and one of me, and I felt that if I said anything I would cause a rift, and I'd end up hating coming to work - and I love my job.

But then one day, I went to the shop and bought lunch, it was 6 california sushi rolls and 3 rice paper rolls with lettuce, cucumber and steamed chicken - a lunch that came to  a grand total of about 380 cals.

I put it on the table and they all looked at me, then one said "wow! Thats alot of food! You must be hungry today!" while she sat there and ate soup out of a can and a bag of potato wedges, probably about 800 cals worth!

/RANT

hmmm...in regards to the original poster, I've made a comment like that to a coworker before when I saw all she was eating for lunch was green beans & carrots.  I didn't mean anything by it though & was just thinking about how hungry I would be an hour later if that's all I was eating.  So maybe that's where the direction of your coworker's thought-process was going as well?  (Most of my coworker's are on their feet all day working with customers, so we really need to fuel up at lunch time). 

However, you mentioned it's been going on non-stop for a year now & that it was an afternoon snack, so I can see why you'd be annoyed with the small talk.  Maybe they are just jealous of how well disciplined you are when it comes to healthy food choices.  You know how people are--they'd rather reach for the potato chip bag than an apple, so it's probably just jealousy that you're doing so well.

Maybe they just don't know what else to talk to you about?

Often people will just chatter about whatever they can brainstorm at the moment - and if they see food they'll ask about it or talk blatently about it.

Change the subject - or start a new subject when they approach you. Talk to them about your/their outside activities/friends/family a nd then maybe there will be conversation with an actual purpose instead of food discussions?

At our office there are a large number of healthy eaters (in my age group) and people definitely notice when you are 'off' your regular healthy eating schedule. It kind of keeps everyone in line because we KNOW the lunch buddies will notice and gives people some inspirational meal ideas at the same time. I love when I've packed a healthy lunch and get the "OOoooo that looks so good!" comments.

Luckily I live close enough to where I work that I go home for lunch to avoid annoying comments like that. However, at every single meeting we have there are always cookies and brownies and food like that. I no longer eat those things and I've had increasingly more comments about it. For example I hear "you're only 23 you should be eating cookies while you still can" a lot. And "Is the food here not good enough for you? I never see you eat anything." I really want to respond and say I don't eat that crap because I don't want to look like you in 20 years! But I don't because i'm not that mean. Sometimes I wish I were!