Why is food ALWAYS involved?!

[millergirl314 168]

We have potlucks or BBQ's at work sometimes, a lot more during the summer months and even if I bring something for everyone else, usually it's the only thing I can actually consume, all the usually suspects I either cannot have or just choose not to. And they always bring soda pop, so I bring my own lol.

[michellew1 72]

For your birthday party, how about healthy turkey burgers ( with or without a bun ), sweet potatoes fries , ( homemade or storebought ), zucchini brownies or look up a diabetic or low fat cake recipe ! Dont forget the fresh fruit and raw veggies ! Happy Birthday !

That sounds like a great idea. Thanks

[MisforMimi 760]

So, I'm about 8 weeks post-op from the lap-band and at a short stall. I know pre-surgery, this would mean I was already binging because I was pissed off I wasn't losing enough yet.

Well, I've had a few down days, and it seems EVERY DAY at work, there is food for some reason or the other. Last week, a food delivery was mixed up, so there were Bagels and muffins downstairs. Yesterday, there was cake in the conference room 10 steps from my cube to welcome the new employees. Today, bagels and muffins on the correct delivery day for an agency meeting, THEN, Cookies this afternoon to meet the employees we had cake for yesterday.

I mean REALLY. This is why America is fat. Soooo many people at my agency complain about gaining weight once they work here because there is ALWAYS food. And I just watch people; loading up their plates with 2 bagels and a muffin. A cookie in each flavor. I'm not saying I don't want one, and the availability constantly makes it hard to resist. Since surgery I have not given in, but damn sometimes I want to!

Can anyone else relate?

At my work, several of us have instituted a salad potluck on Fridays. Any one with lettuce in their gardens and myself bring lettuce and everyone else brings in a topping. Without instituting a sign up sheet we've ended with beautiful arrays of vegetables some garden grown, lean Proteins, eggs and dressings. It's infectious. People love to participate. Yes, we have our share of pizza, donuts and sweets but you gotta combat the fastening stuff somehow.

[esskay77 785]

Unfortunately, I can relate to this. My favorite food? Free food! I don't know what it is but if there is free food around, I HAVE to have it and I even hoard it. I don't know why. Well, actually, this is what I used to do. Not anymore but it does still pain me to not partake in free food, whatever it is.

At one place I used to work at, they brought in free donuts, muffins, etc. every Friday. I was usually one of the first ones in so I would go grab a muffin and a donut and coffee and take it back to my desk. Then I would go back and take another donut or muffin and pretend it was like my first one and bring that back to my desk and put it in the drawer. Then, I would go back AGAIN and do the same thing! And I would eat it all! Yuck. But it was free. On the other days, I was usually pretty good and would bring in my own food.

Where I'm working now, they don't do that kind of thing very often so I"m happy about that. We have a cafeteria and I usually get a one egg omelet with spinach in it and salsa on top--MMMMM. Or sometimes I bring in a hard boiled egg and a yogurt. Or sometimes I will get fruit and bring a Protein bar. And lunch is usually the salad bar---a bit of chicken, red onions, green and red peppers, cukes, tomatoes, radishes with some balsamic vinegar on it.

But, next week I'm driving long distance (2 days) to visit family and I"m not sure how I'll eat on the road. I'll bring some stuff with me but that's usually only good for the first day. Ideas of what to bring? Right now I have Protein Bars, a hard boiled egg or 2, I might bring the Isopure drinks to make sure I get in some Protein but I hate to drink a lot of fluids when I'm driving. Other? Especially protein--what do I bring that I can drive with? I guess I could eat yogurt at a rest stop when I get gas.

Thanks!

[Colleen C 169]

Oh some of these stories had me chuckling! Just when we each feel a little sorry for ourselves we share stories and can see clearer how many of us are going through such similar circumstances. I don't work in an office but wow, yes, free goodies would be hard to pass but we just know we have too.

I think if I did work in an office I would have to become the new party planner in charge person. At least get two sides to the food/snack table. If one side was bad, balance out with some good ones. Hard part is most people do seem to go for the not healthy side.

I try to think of it is throughout my life, I already got my quota of junk in, now time for healthier.

Colleen

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

it always makes me chuckle (in total irony) that the places i worked where there was the most and worst food were hospitals and the research institute on addictions. i gained so much weight in these places!

its a real problem... my H has food allergies and is constantly confronted with FREE Cookies, donuts, etc. etc. at work. its constant. my daughter has been allergic to red dye since she was a toddler and the amount of PURE JUNK in all her activities and classes is astounding.

[Jack 855]

"Can anyone else relate?"

yes, you have identified one of the major realities in most of our daily social encounters!!!

I too was amazed at the overwhelming food displays and promiscuous presentation of ever greater orgiastic opportunities masquerading as endless 'enhanced food opportunities'.

My own sensitivities retreated from such embarrassing displays and unwanted assaults on my sense of Bandsters Reality.

My notion of "Sport Eating" evolved from such fantasy spreads.

Social gatherings often more resembled little other than disguised oink-fests. Conferences that relied on sugar-laced gooey disease inducing frenzies momentarily interrupted by some group meeting followed by more sport eating opportunities!

I do believe my 40 years of Morbid Obesity led to the last 25 years of my Type 2 diabetes.

I had to unlearn decades of maladaptive and personally destructive Eating Behavior such as you clearly have identified.

Escape from the Food Prison requires daily discipline. Develop your own Food Survival Kit to use in place of those Belly bombs and pancreas deranging plate-side devices.

You can do it.

[Roo101769 742]

I can relate to this like nobody's business!!! Right now, as I sit at my desk, there is a table less than 8 feet from me. On that table are Doritos, Cheetos, Potato chips, pretzels, Chex Mix, Munchos, Pub Mix, peanuts, mixed nuts, Fudge Strip Cookies, Russell Stover candies and various other candies. And the table is not as stocked as it usually is!!! Every other Wednesday is "square donut day". And occasionally vendors will drop in with goodies. To top all that off, our new company president wants to have company cook outs every other week during the summer which started last week. Since it was a pot luck event I brought in greek quinoa salad. It was delish, but needless to say my healthy offerings don't go over that well around here. ( so I have a ton of it to take home) I ate a cheeseburger w/ no bun, some cheese cubes and the quinoa. But later on I was over come with temptation and had some cake. Ugh! It is hard to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week being confronted at every turn by your worst demon. If self control was not a problem for me I would not have been obese or needed the surgery, right? I can control what I bring into my house, but I have no control at work. ( where I spend the greater part of my week days) It is beyond frustrating because so many people have complained about weight gain and poor health here, yet the snack table lives on!!! Do they really not get it?

[enjoythetime 1,457]

Oh yes, yes, yes, I can relate. If we're having food brought in at work I will have them add a salad for me, if there are donuts, Cookies whatever sweet sugary junk and I'm having a chocalate craving I eat my Protein bar, or some of my skinny cow treats.

This year for my birthday we're not doing the big dinner, cake, etc. I decided I wanted to go to the lake with my family and close friends (who know I've had the surgery) so instead of eating myself into a comoa because it's my borthday instead I will Celebrate the fa I'm going to live longer because I'm not having the big food fest, instead we'll be on a boat tubing all weekend. So buring calories instead of bathing in them:-)

[kat77 63]

So, I'm about 8 weeks post-op from the lap-band and at a short stall. I know pre-surgery, this would mean I was already binging because I was pissed off I wasn't losing enough yet. Well, I've had a few down days, and it seems EVERY DAY at work, there is food for some reason or the other. Last week, a food delivery was mixed up, so there were Bagels and muffins downstairs. Yesterday, there was cake in the conference room 10 steps from my cube to welcome the new employees. Today, bagels and muffins on the correct delivery day for an agency meeting, THEN, Cookies this afternoon to meet the employees we had cake for yesterday. I mean REALLY. This is why America is fat. Soooo many people at my agency complain about gaining weight once they work here because there is ALWAYS food. And I just watch people; loading up their plates with 2 bagels and a muffin. A cookie in each flavor. I'm not saying I don't want one, and the availability constantly makes it hard to resist. Since surgery I have not given in, but damn sometimes I want to! Can anyone else relate?

There always will be temptation. I can relate only with the mind part, I had a RNY bypass so I know I can't eat that stuff. But when it's something I miss having, because I used to be a total carb addict... It is hard mentally. You have to decide what is more important to you, a moment of pleasure or a successful victory over your old pattern of coping. It will get easier to make the right choices and will even make you feel powerful because you have the self control they don't.... Keep strong because there will always be crap food in our lives, right under our noses, yes like they want us fat, but choose to be a strong, empowered woman and use your tool.... Hugs Kat

Edited June 25, 2014 by kat77

[swimbikerun 1,038]

This is actually normal, having food. It depends on who you go around with. In my case, I work with many Indians (Hindu's) and others with restrictions (Muslims, etc.) so it sort of makes it easy.

Granted the Thanksgiving feast was almost every kind of meat, but hey ... once a year ...

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Years ago I worked on a team - my boss lost over 100# using weight watchers and I lost about 85 on WW too. Well, she got to her goal and I never did. She substituted her desire for food with becoming a food pusher. Every.single.day. there were mounds of food that she didn't eat, but loved watching others eat. We had constant "parties", potlucks, birthday cakes, donut Fridays, really - there didn't need to be an occasion - just piles of junky food.

Even the guys started complaining about it - everyone was gaining weight. I finally got pissed off about the HUGE, and I mean HUGE bowl of chocolates that sat right outside my office... everybody that walked by took one. All day long... I watched people eat chocolate like 10 feet from me. I made a deal out of that damn bowl and it actually interfered with our friendship because she thought I should just learn to "deal" with my own food issues. You know, she was right but nobody needed the piles of crapfood and she was behaving in a very controlling and emotionlly abusive way, in my opinion.

So, years later, I had the sleeve surgery and finally got to goal. Junky crappy food is still my enemy but I have a better tool to manage it now. One of my techniques is I simply won't place myself in those situations... I realize not everyone has a choice but I do and wont physically work in a location that is so unhealthy for me. I am very open about my battle with obesity, my weight loss surgery - and you know what, normal people are very very supportive. It's incredible actually how supportive my thin/fitter friends are.

My former boss/friend has regained all that weight and then some. I feel bad for her, I really wanted her to succeed since I know that heartache all too well, but I can't be around a food pusher. I know I have metabolic issues, I know I can easily slide into crappy eating but at least I don't try to push it onto others... I really don't get it.

[moonlitestarbrite 902]

my mom has never been overweight. but she had an overweight husband and two kids who were overweight adults. (and i was a fat teen for a while) she is a food pusher. she cooked diet meals for my dad, but kept lots of ice cream and candy in the house at the same time... his weakness. she is a compulsive food shopper and will hoard food. will buy tons and tons of junk and cram her cupboards full. she would buy soda pop on sale and drop off at my brothers house (knowing he needs to be under a certain weight at work). i dont understand her. as a fat teen she would offer me all kinds of crap, ask repeatedly if i wanted seconds, thirds. she claims food is love for her, but its not food she lovingly cooked with her hands. its just garbage.

my MIL certainly enables her food addicted boyfriend. but she is overweight too and claims the reason she makes such bad food choices when she has an autoimmune disorder is her boyfriends insistence on keeping bad food in the house.. so she gets to blame him while she enables him. i get that. i dont get my mom. my first H was abusive to me about my weight.. i worked really hard at the gym. my mom knew this. but she would still buy me crap, special!

i have had to set boundaries with my MIL with my kids, she doesnt seem to see anything wrong with filling my son (who is trying really hard to control his weight!) with take out, candy, junk from morning till night when he is there!

there are a lot of food pushers out there. i think each one of us probably knows a few! they could use some therapy too!

[Colleen C 169]

I think there really are food pushers, just like there are people who want to tell you every calorie you put in your mouth because they are either on a diet or think everyone should be.

Both are irritating for the same reason.

[pink dahlia 2,513]

Unfortunately, I can relate to this. My favorite food? Free food! I don't know what it is but if there is free food around, I HAVE to have it and I even hoard it. I don't know why. Well, actually, this is what I used to do. Not anymore but it does still pain me to not partake in free food, whatever it is.

At one place I used to work at, they brought in free donuts, muffins, etc. every Friday. I was usually one of the first ones in so I would go grab a muffin and a donut and coffee and take it back to my desk. Then I would go back and take another donut or muffin and pretend it was like my first one and bring that back to my desk and put it in the drawer. Then, I would go back AGAIN and do the same thing! And I would eat it all! Yuck. But it was free. On the other days, I was usually pretty good and would bring in my own food.

Where I'm working now, they don't do that kind of thing very often so I"m happy about that. We have a cafeteria and I usually get a one egg omelet with spinach in it and salsa on top--MMMMM. Or sometimes I bring in a hard boiled egg and a yogurt. Or sometimes I will get fruit and bring a Protein bar. And lunch is usually the salad bar---a bit of chicken, red onions, green and red peppers, cukes, tomatoes, radishes with some balsamic vinegar on it.

But, next week I'm driving long distance (2 days) to visit family and I"m not sure how I'll eat on the road. I'll bring some stuff with me but that's usually only good for the first day. Ideas of what to bring? Right now I have Protein Bars, a hard boiled egg or 2, I might bring the Isopure drinks to make sure I get in some Protein but I hate to drink a lot of fluids when I'm driving. Other? Especially protein--what do I bring that I can drive with? I guess I could eat yogurt at a rest stop when I get gas.

Thanks!