Trigger warning - insensitive diet discussion at work?

[usagisan]

At home time today, two female colleagues who I'm friendly with and were sitting behind me started discussing their weightlifting routine at the gym. After a while I joined in (vaguely interested as I'm not fit, but would maybe like to do something about it). They were talking about building glutes and shoulders. I ask about protein and if they're doing a full on diet routine too, in a lighthearted way.

One girl gave a bit of a rant about protein products being high calorie and so a bit useless. I said that I feel a bit funny about calories, having been trained to think that they are bad, but it's v good to think of them as fuel and I'd like to move in that direction too.

The other girl shut down the conversation very forcefully, saying that we must stop talking about calories as it will trigger others in the office, and turned away from us. The office was quite empty.

Was I super insensitive? I agree that banging on about dieting in the office is not great, but surely talking about gym regimes in the first place might trigger some people? I think possibly second girl has ED issues (given her response) but I was talking about my own vulnerability rather than saying 'omg you eat over 1000 calories', etc.

To avoid dripfeeding, I had a mild eating disorder in my late teens/early twenties and am not completely ignorant of how awful it is (although as it was mild and I am OK, obviously slightly ignorant of how terrible ED can be).

Still thinking about this as I like the offended colleague.

Just to be clear, the colleague that was very offended had started the conversation about pistol squats and was talking about protein intake... would that be OK with you or too far?

It's clear you've put trigger warning because after the conversation today, you're concerned that it could... trigger... after being told it could be... a trigger. It would be nice if posters acknowledged that rather than be a dick about it and make you feel worse when you're already overthinking.

In short, no. You didn't say anything wrong or offensive. It may be that she knows something that you don't about someone who was there having an ED but you don't know that and haven't been warned or told not to discuss these things so you can't know not to say something specific.

It does my head in when people start talking about calories

There's nothing in that "conduct and behaviour" that's remotely inappropriate.

It's a fact that every generation thinks the next is worse somehow. Sexism was so rife and sexual harassment at work, it's younger people who helped turn the tide, but older generations keep mocking younger ones for their weight acceptance, fighting fat shaming and ED awareness calling them snowflakes. As we all get older, well hopefully anyway, it's important to realise that just because you suffered through discrimination and discomfort it doesn't mean it's ok or should be tolerated. It's great young people are vocak about triggers. We spend a lot of our lives at work, everyone deserves to feel safe and comfortable.
Seriously though, im off to sleep now. Easy on the bun fight, gang.

I'm guessing you are young and smug and full of your own self righteousness with this twaddle.

You are equating things that are very serious like racism and sexism with a discussion about a gym workout and calories. I despair.

Please show me the part of the Equality Act that says we cannot discuss low calorie food.

I agree that people should not be sexually harassed at work (I never have been btw even in the bad old 80s).

I do not believe that joining a conversation about weight loss and gym and mentioning calories is in any way inappropriate. It’s not remotely akin to sexual harassment.

In fact I am surrounded by young colleagues (twenties and early thirties) who talk more about calories and fitness than anyone else in my circle of friends. They’re in the gym all the time. They send me exercises via Instagram and talk about different types of diets all the time. So the ‘too old to understand’ argument doesn’t really add up.

I got slammed on here a while back, for commenting that four of us in my office were all saying how much we weighed, in relation to a thread mentioning that your weight didn't always match your appearance, with posters saying "You all were happy to share this information with colleagues? I find that unbelievable! How triggering!"
Next time we were together I mentioned that I had been pulled up on the conversation, and wondered if it were inappropriate. None of us could actually remember who instigated the chat. This was met with laughter. We are 3 female, 1 male and range in age from 28 to 59.
Most of us are keen not to offend/trigger, but equally can be empathetic and happy to share with others on similar wavelengths.I guess you didn't read the room.

What "trigger" was involved there? What conversational trauma could anyone have suffered that they'd be triggered by reading that?