Monday, February 14, 2011

Pushers

Here's the hard truth people - I've been slacking. A little extra here, a little snack there. I'm feeling it already. I was really terrible this weekend and completely overdid at dinner both Friday and Saturday nights. I will say that overdoing it now is much different than overdoing it before, but it still doesn't feel good.

Workplace temptations are getting to me. My workplace is very social, so it's expected that you will participate in every birthday, baby shower, team lunch, etc. Don't get me wrong - it's wonderful to have such a great group of people who really care about spending time together. The problem is the food. It adds up quick and it's constant. Everyone means well, but they just refuse to accept that I don't want to eat treats or desserts every day, or twice a week, or at all. It's such a part of that group culture that it's really, really hard to say no and still get to be part of the team. I appreciate that they want me to be a part of the group, but it seems like there should be other options rather than eating dessert. Some groups drink together, my group eats baked desserts together. The hard part is that all of them are pretty thin and have always been that way. They can get away with it. I can't. Sometimes, yes. But not this steady stream of processed sugar. Frankly, I don't WANT to eat it. Desserts just aren't really my thing. I know, I know - how is that possible? Well, it is. I feel resentful that in order to participate I'm expected to do something I don't want to. It sounds like we're going around bullying or stealing, doesn't it? Sometimes I really do feel silly about being so bothered by this, but I haven't felt group pressure like this in a really long time. It's so weird and frustrating. So I'm trying to balance. I'm making concessions here and there, but mitigating the damage by having very small portions. I also wonder if I'm just rebelling. Saying no just to say no. If I have some, even just a little bit, they seem satisfied. It's so strange. I guess I know how uncomfortable it makes me when other people bother me about what I eat, so I try not to do it to others. But there's a couple people in this group that are just total food pushers. I don't know, I'm still figuring out what to do with this. Maybe they worry about me too. I'm pretty regulated in what I eat and I think that's really foreign to them.

But I AM making progress. I told them that for my birthday I want a salad party. They actually thought it was a perfect idea.

4 comments:

  1. tell them your a type 1 diabetic. seriously. It works. they won't do it anymore. oy. people.

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  2. Sorry they pressure you. I never understood that, even when I ate lots of junk. Saying "I don't eat that" over and over again should eventually sink in. What you eat really should not be in their realm of interests.

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  3. Honestly, Christine has a damn good idea!

    Sometimes you have to embarass people a little before they'll stop with the 'pushing'. People always want to know when my husband and I are going to have kids (we've been married 4 years). It's honestly because we just don't want kids right now and may never want kids but when people keep pushing and pushing, I finally tell them, "Look, my husband and I had a miscarriage a few years ago (which is true) and it's been hard to think about kids since that happened." Although the miscarriage wasn't the only reason we stopped wanting kids, it's enough to embarass people to stop asking.

    Good luck with everything!

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  4. A salad party sounds great! I have problems like this at my office too - I used to bake a lot, and my boss keeps asking when I'll make macarons or madeleines or cake balls again. The pressure stopped when I finally said "Since I stopped bringing in treats, I've lost over 100 pounds, so I don't think I'll be baking any time soon!"

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