Do Co-Workers Hurt or Help Your Weight Loss?
By: Jen Mueller,
SparkPeople Blogger
4/17/2012 10:00 AM
: 44 comments
: 7,238 Views
I’m lucky to work in an office where the environment is generally healthy. We have a kitchen stocked with healthy foods, and it’s very typical to see people using our gym equipment or a workout video at lunchtime. Occasionally someone will bring in an extra box of Girl Scout cookies or leftover cupcakes from their kid’s birthday party. Fortunately that’s the exception and not the norm, because those treats are always tempting when I see them innocently calling my name on the kitchen counter.
Many (if not most) office environments aren’t quite like mine. If candy jars and donuts for the morning meeting are common, you might find it more difficult to stick to your healthy eating plan. It’s even more difficult if you are singled out by co-workers for your newly adopted eating habits. Some might encourage you to “Take just a handful of M&M’s. A few aren’t going to hurt you.” Others might encourage you to skip your lunchtime workout to have lunch out with the group. A few extra treats or skipped workouts can eventually hinder your progress and get you off track from reaching your goals. So what do you do? Do you seem ungrateful for the treat or lunch invitation by declining? Or do you accept knowing the consequences could be negative?
According to a survey by Survey Sampling International, “29% of people on diets say colleagues pressure them to eat more, make fun of their diets or order them restaurant food they know isn't on their diets.” Why do you think co-workers might not be supportive? There could be a number of reasons. Perhaps they are slightly jealous because you are making changes to your life that they should be trying to implement themselves. Maybe they miss the camaraderie of sharing lunch together.
Although you can’t force people to change their attitudes and be more supportive, perhaps you can make changes in the workplace that encourage healthy behaviors. Start a walking group at lunchtime, or organize a healthy potluck or friendly weight-loss competition. A recent study published in the journal Obesity looked at 3,330 participants in a team-based weight-loss competition, including many teams of co-workers. “Those who reported having positive influence from teammates lost a larger percentage of their body weight than others.”
Looking for more information on this topic? Check out Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs to get ideas for how to get your office moving in a healthier direction.
What do you think? Do your co-workers help or hurt your weight loss efforts? How so?
Many (if not most) office environments aren’t quite like mine. If candy jars and donuts for the morning meeting are common, you might find it more difficult to stick to your healthy eating plan. It’s even more difficult if you are singled out by co-workers for your newly adopted eating habits. Some might encourage you to “Take just a handful of M&M’s. A few aren’t going to hurt you.” Others might encourage you to skip your lunchtime workout to have lunch out with the group. A few extra treats or skipped workouts can eventually hinder your progress and get you off track from reaching your goals. So what do you do? Do you seem ungrateful for the treat or lunch invitation by declining? Or do you accept knowing the consequences could be negative?
According to a survey by Survey Sampling International, “29% of people on diets say colleagues pressure them to eat more, make fun of their diets or order them restaurant food they know isn't on their diets.” Why do you think co-workers might not be supportive? There could be a number of reasons. Perhaps they are slightly jealous because you are making changes to your life that they should be trying to implement themselves. Maybe they miss the camaraderie of sharing lunch together.
Although you can’t force people to change their attitudes and be more supportive, perhaps you can make changes in the workplace that encourage healthy behaviors. Start a walking group at lunchtime, or organize a healthy potluck or friendly weight-loss competition. A recent study published in the journal Obesity looked at 3,330 participants in a team-based weight-loss competition, including many teams of co-workers. “Those who reported having positive influence from teammates lost a larger percentage of their body weight than others.”
Looking for more information on this topic? Check out Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs to get ideas for how to get your office moving in a healthier direction.
What do you think? Do your co-workers help or hurt your weight loss efforts? How so?
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Comments
It used to be chocolate cookies, chips and small pastries. Now it is Red and Green grapes all washed and cut in to small clumps. Wheat free crackers and Mild salsa and indiviually wrapped cheese sticks and string cheese.Babt carrots and packes of baked "healthy " choices of various kind of Chips. The women attendees all thought this was really good. Children likes it. Teens just never ate and there were several complaints from the menfolk that they miss the chocolate goodies. When they were there they took way more than the women. I just found that to be interesting. Maybe the women wanted to but backed off knowing they were "healthier offerings".Perhaps too shy to eat them in front of others. - 4/21/2012 7:53:53 AM
Another disadvantage is that people arent really tuned into your regime. like today someone at work asked me if i stopped jogging again. not realising i have been starting it up again with full force for the past week or so! Weight is a HUGE discussion topic at my work. actually everywhere i go its a huge topic. at home - friends etc. its like this universally shared feeling. what i dont get is that we have this intense overkill of bad emotions if we feel the slightest bit of chubby. i dont think it should be thaaaaat important that it measures your self worth as a human being. Actually people in general keep me in that mode - that race to thinness panic. and now and then i have to remember about being healthy and happy and balanced. - 4/20/2012 8:43:29 AM
- 4/18/2012 11:17:00 PM
That has to be the record for understatement of the year, of the decade, maybe even the century!
I was a bank officer for a number of years and each one of our different sites had a break room with a full-size refrigerator, a microwave and a sink to wash used utensils.
No matter the location, if I was there during the lunch three hours (folks could only go to lunch one or two at a time to keep customer service levels up). At first, I could get by with saying, "Oh, I was hungry and had an early lunch", or "Thank you but I have a luncheon engagement".
Over a period of time, managers and their crews would lay out a very tempting array of different types of treats. One Assistant Bank Manager knew my wife, who worked for the same banking company - but in the Insurance department, and found out my favorite "I have to shoot myself to say no" meal.
My weakness is skinless, pan-fried chicken.
You know what happened on my next scheduled visit.
It was the very first time in my life I used the excuse, "That looks SOOOO Good, but I have diabetes and eating now would blow my blood sugar out of sight."
OK. I lied. Most people have no idea of the low carbohydrate diet that diabetics have to follow, but that general lack of knowledge worked to my benefit. I started to occasionally bring a lunch with me (a large salad with multiple raw vegetables and a small portion of chicken with a non-fat salad dressing).
There were still some people who gave me the weird-eye, but nobody seemed to feel it necessary to challenge me and bring up the possibility I might not have told the "truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth".
I've always wanted to ask, "What's it to you what I eat? Actually, my family is from Transylvania and we like certain meat dishes very, very rare ... and juicy". - 4/18/2012 8:59:41 PM
It's still an ongoing war. I've told her that I don't mean to hurt her feelings. I really appreciate the thought, but my health comes first. - 4/18/2012 8:11:26 PM
I do see the friendly "contest" as a great motivator! - 4/18/2012 1:34:11 PM
I've worked at other office settings before and what I have now I know is not the normal and I love it and the girls I work with. - 4/17/2012 6:06:50 PM
Everyone brings cakes to celebrate their birthdays/leaving day/promotion, but I have a dairy intolerance, so for my birthday I bring in (just enough for one each) vegan-dairy-wheat-and-nut-free inch-square cakes, and a large basket of fruit, instead. Irritatingly I can't seem to get many others interested in bringing in fruit instead of cakes.
I turn down all the other communal goodies, thinking about the germs helps if the dairy problem doesn't dissuade me. I've done it often enough that the Healthy Living team don't bother interrupting me to ask if I want anything :)
We have no cafe or gym, although there is a dedicated space for storing bikes. The only food available on site is a vending machine full of chocolate and crisps, there isn't even any pseudo-healthy options like breakfast bars. - 4/17/2012 4:44:25 PM
I've started always having a piece of fruit or fresh vegetables available when a meeting is called -- and try to ignore the pleas "Just this once." - 4/17/2012 1:25:48 PM
My co-workers aren't supportive of my healthy choices & they're unresponsive to our company-wide Wellness program (which sort of falls on me because I'm the local rep). So, I'm getting hit with a double whammy! I'm just trying to lead by example & not fall to temptations... - 4/17/2012 12:28:46 PM
When we have potlucks, I always bring healthy food (like our chili cookoff today - I made turkey/mushroom chili!) and my coworkers are always surprised that it's "good for you". But, my thought is - if I bring a healthy dish, at least I know there's one thing I can eat! - 4/17/2012 12:09:15 PM
But my daughter works at a hospital and it's a constant temptation from nurses and sometimes well meaning patients leaving gifts of candy etc. You would think the nurses would be more aware of the healthy way of living. But believe me some are in dire shape of weight loss. She tells me they have to resort to throwing food out sometimes to get it across to someone that their treats aren't wellcome. - 4/17/2012 11:55:04 AM
Interestingly, this new office is MUCH more optimistic, happy, and relaxed. Just goes to show healthy eating and exercise makes for a better attitude and more happiness. - 4/17/2012 11:53:07 AM
I haven't dealt with unhealthy potlucks, but I like the idea of bringing something healthy.
- 4/17/2012 11:26:48 AM
For those of you who struggle with food pushers (and don't have the "vegetarian crutch", especially at work, I've found that being vague about it can really help. You just say, "I have personal reasons for not eating that" or something along those lines & they usually can't argue that. For all they know, it could be a religious thing or a new health problem, and most workplaces won't legally allow people to probe any further because then they're crossing the lines of professionalism. Good article and topic! :) - 4/17/2012 10:49:50 AM
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