Any tips for working in an environment that loves to have tons of junk food? Here's just a small list of the food my coworker ate this week in our little office...

• New most stuffed oreos
• homemade brownies
• mcdonalds.. twice
• pizza hut
• donuts
• cupcakes
• homemade chicken queso dip with chips (in a crockpot on warm 5 feet from me the ENTIRE day)

?

The four woman I directly work with know I'm having surgery in about 10 weeks and I'm really trying to change my eating habits. We all take lunch breaks but sometimes eat at our desks. This is truly showing me I can have the willpower to not indulge. I've lost around 18 pounds so far.

I work in an office where food is brought in all the time and lots of snacks. I make sure I always have my snacks on hand to help with cravings. As long as I have something I don't ever mind the situation.

Congratulations on doing so well against all the food pushers. Your great willpower will serve you well after surgery. Good luck with your surgery date. Could you take some healthy snacks to the office and show them a better way ?

In the first weeks and (hopefully) months after your surgery you honestly won't have the appetite or the space to indulge in big volumes of unhealthy food. I do worry that after that, when you get your appetite back, you might get tempted. I would say use that time to normalise bringing in healthy snacks like fruit and veg so that's what they (and you) expect when there are loads of junk foods swilling around. Sounds tough though.

The alternative would be to ask all of your co-workers to stop bringing in (or ordering in) this sort of rubbish. I have no idea what your relationship with them is like but I can only imagine the response I would have received to a similar request in my workplace. ? Best of luck.

I worked in an office before and after surgery, with similar treats available most of the time.

As Spinoza said above, you won't want to (nor be able to) eat any of those things for a couple of months. It's way more difficult to resist temptation pre-surgery, so you are already doing well!

I found that working in an office made it quite easy for me after surgery, because I had a predictable schedule and could plan what/when I would eat every day and stick to that routine. (That was liquids and soft foods at first, which I would bring from home.). By the time I was able to eat those tempting foods, I had developed new habits and no longer craved junk food, sweets in particular.

If you do slip up, don't beat yourself up about it. We all do, and you just have put it behind you and move forward.

I also work in the office with a constant supply of junk food and people also bring home food for everyone to enjoy. People over here love to batter and fry everything ?. Deep fried bananas are on the menu today.

I've had my surgery a year ago and what helped me to stay away from the junk food was packing my own snacks. I have some raw almonds, salad or high fibre biscuits on my desk at all the time. Whenever I feel like having something, I will just get a few almonds, chew slowly and the cravings will go away.

Surely all that food should be kept in your lunch room or kitchenette not in the open working office space?? I understand having a few snacks at your desk for your personal nibbling (we all do that) but this sounds like day long party eating. I worked in an office where the lead would have an informal catch up team meeting with morning tea in her pod. And another office that regularly held lunches & morning teas to celebrate or recognise just about any event you could think of or create. But once everyone had eaten the food was packed away. You could go into the lunch room to snack on a leftover if you wanted. If people bought in a home cooked treat it was kept in the lunch room too with an open invitation to help yourself. People would grab a coffee & pick up the treat & go back to their desk.

Unfortunately, you can’t stop what others choose to eat but is there any way to influence where that eat it or where it’s stored or shared??

It can be challenging to work in an environment with a lot of junk food, especially when you're trying to change your eating habits. However, there are some steps you can take to make it easier:

• Plan ahead: Pack healthy meals and snacks to bring to work with you. This way, you'll have healthy options readily available when you feel hungry.
• Surround yourself with positive influences: Try to seek out coworkers who have similar goals and interests in healthy eating. Joining a weight loss support group or finding an accountability partner can also be helpful.
• Practice mindful eating: Take the time to sit down and enjoy your meals, rather than eating at your desk or on the go. Pay attention to the flavors, textures, and smells of your food, and savor each bite.
• Be prepared to say no: It's okay to decline junk food offerings from coworkers. Be polite but firm in your resolve to stick to your healthy eating plan.
• Avoid temptation: If there's a particular junk food item that you find especially tempting, try to avoid it altogether or limit your exposure to it.
• Stay positive: Remember why you're making these changes and focus on the benefits you'll experience, both in terms of your health and your weight loss goals.

By making small changes and being proactive about your health, you can overcome the challenges of working in an environment with a lot of junk food and achieve your weight loss goals. Good luck!

On 2/3/2023 at 11:10 PM, Arabesque said:

Surely all that food should be kept in your lunch room or kitchenette not in the open working office space?? I understand having a few Snacks at your desk for your personal nibbling (we all do that) but this sounds like day long party eating. I worked in an office where the lead would have an informal catch up team meeting with morning tea in her pod. And another office that regularly held lunches & morning teas to Celebrate or recognise just about any event you could think of or create. But once everyone had eaten the food was packed away. You could go into the lunch room to snack on a leftover if you wanted. If people bought in a home cooked treat it was kept in the lunch room too with an open invitation to help yourself. People would grab a coffee & pick up the treat & go back to their desk.

Unfortunately, you can’t stop what others choose to eat but is there any way to influence where that eat it or where it’s stored or shared??

no lunch room. we have a conference room some people will eat lunch there. all the things I listed were in our actual administration office where five woman work including me.