Has this crossed a line into bullying?

[TisNotMaidenly]

A few weeks ago I decided to do a very low calorie diet in order to lose weight for summer and have lost a stone and am nearly at target.

For those who don't know, one side effect is a funny taste in the mouth and this can result in bad breath.

When I first started it I was standing next to a colleague and she pulled a face and said 'yuck, you have been eating garlic.' I explained it was the diet, apologised profusely mortified and since then have apologised to people who have all shrugged and said I don't smell.

But this colleague keeps saying - loudly - I have eaten garlic. Honestly, it's really embarrassing me and I am getting very paranoid!

Since I've told her on a few occasions it's my diet, she must know. So why keep bringing it up?

Or am I being sensitive and need to eat a pie?

I don't think it's bullying, but it is rude.

Have you tried a breath freshening spray, or chewing gum?

Don't tell her any more. Just smile and say "I must eat more, it isn't working"

Leave her to it. Save the pie for later

I'm not permitted chewing gum on the diet Worra (also, I work in a secondary school and hate it as a result!)

However, I must say none of the children have commented, which is unusual if it's as bad as she seems to think it is!

Mind you, they probably don't come all that close to me

I imagine the kids would think they'd be in trouble if they said your breath smells

You could try a spray.

'And you've got a face like a wart-hogs ball sack, but at least I can use Listerine'.

(under your breath, of course. Unless you're really peed off).

Go right up to her face and give her a proper big lungfull of your breath then lick her cheek, keep eye contact till you are out of sight.

She will never approach you about anything ever again

Worra, you attribute our little darlings with a fear of authority that I'm not convinced they have

But I will try a spray.

It's just so rude to keep going on about it - makes me so embarrassed!

True

" and you have clearly been eating rather a lot of pies recently",..

Funnily enough amothers, she is rather, corpulent.

Sorry, it does sound like you have stinky breath, and she's just the only rude person to say it to you upfront. I've worked with someone on a permanent starvation diet and it was uncomfortable to say the least. I never said anything because I would hate to embarrass her, but you do need to sort it out.

Well done on the diet tho if it's working for you

Possibly, but I don't understand why she keeps going on about 'garlic' when she KNOWS by now it isn't garlic at all!

All I want to know is what's the diet and how quickly did you lose 1 stone

Cambridge, 4 weeks.

but you do need understanding colleagues

She sounds annoying, i would comment on her constantly repeating things, like how many times does she need to tell you and everyone else she thinks you smell of garlic.

if you haven't been eating garlic and everyone knows you are on this replacement diet then I'd wait till the next time she says it and say

"look you do seem obsessed with this garlic smell, I am only drinking shakes, and the smell is only here with YOU and me, so maybe you need to look at your diet?"

...rattle it right back at her....cheeky cah!

Shu, that's perfect. I love it!

Well done, good for you. I'd say she's jealous.

hippo, the OP hasn't mentioned the woman's weight.

If for example she doesn't need/want to lose any, I don't see where jealousy would come in?

Rude to keep going on about it. I do know I back as far away from my colleague's though, he seems to think it's fine not to clean his teeth until evenings- I find it all very nauseating.

One way to check whether your breath smells is to lick the inside of your wrist, let it dry, then sniff.

I have found the best breath freshening tablets - they are capsules that have peppermint and parsley oils in, and they really seem to neutralise garlic smells - called Optifresh Breath Gels. Not sold in normal chemists or whatever - got mine in Wholefoods

Your colleague sounds really rude, BTW.

Fair enough Worra but I normally find when someone acts out like this it can come from jealousy. Either that or she's just rude, it's not on to make continuous negative comments about someone when the OP has told them all about the cause of the bad breath.

chewing parsley can help counteract and rid of bad smell. congrats on weight loss.

I think you need to be direct.

"I have explained a number of times that it is my very low calorie diet that is causing this smell on my breath, and have assured you repeatedly that I have NOT been eating garlic. It is very rude for you to carry on saying I have been eating garlic, and you need to stop now, please."