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?

Your breath stinks, so sort it out. You should be glad that someone's telling you.

Well, we got to page 2 before personal insults

I'd get some tic tacs or breath spray if I were you. It isn't nice to work with someone who has bad breath and it is difficult to tell them. The "garlic" is maybe a slightly more tactful way of saying "You need better oral hygiene". How would you mention it to someone? Or wouldn't you? Always a tricky one......

I agree Hippo

Ok, having read Yarp's post, am I the only one licking my wrist and blowing it dry?

I can promise my oral hygiene is excellent. I brush three times a day, including once at work (we have individual toilets / sinks) and I have asked DP and friends, all of whom say my breath is fine, teeth are good, no fillings.

Whatever she can smell, its just the diet. I can't have tic tacs on it but they wouldn't make much difference anyway.

BTW - had a Maths teacher who had foul breath. Used to dread him leaning over the desk to check our work. Of course none of us ever told him. How could we?

Orange, believe me, some children do not shy away from telling teachers about anything about their personal appearance or odour that offends them!

Well if you are not going to do anything about it there is not much that can be done. Tell her to stop mentioning it and steer well clear of her.

But it isn't bullying.

Oh - and congrats on the diet - and enjoy the holiday

Oh, wow. No one has ever agreed with me on Mumsnet before. Tis awesome

You can lose a stone in that time on a sensible diet and you won't have foul breath

Telling someone their breath smells of garlic is a tactful way of telling them (from an etiquette book) that their breath is really rank. (It makes it sound like it's something you've just eaten, is temporary and that you can do something about it.) She is sort of being polite! And it doesn't matter how good your oral hygiene is, the smell comes from your (empty) stomach, so all of the breath sprays in the world won't shift it.

I used to share an office with someone who was on the Cambridge Diet for what seemed like forever. She was known to colleagues as Death Breath.

Death breath. Love it.

Think you'd been watching Drop Dead Fred!

It's not actually that tactful to keep going on about it and while I concede bullying is too strong it is making me dread going into the office when she's there.

Tis

Those tablets I mentioned deal with the smells coming from your gut, not just masking the smells in your mouth. So they might be ideal for you

I don't understand why you say others can't smell anything, but then concede she's smelling something because of the diet (the diet does have this side effect, am I right?)

So what is happening here is ketosis, the ketones are getting into your saliva and urine you may not be allowed gum to chew but would it help? It might well be that she's the only one to say anything, op? Apparently this is very common on diets such as Atkins or South beach.

Yarp, to be totally honest I think she's just being a bit rude.

I've no idea what, if anything, she can smell but no one else has commented or complained (and my DBro is autistic and I can tell you now, would have if it was THAT bad!)

Some people are like that, and just like being impolite

What a rude woman. As long as you know you're teeth are flossed, brushed and tongue scrubbed I don't know what else you can do. If she says it again "is everything ok with you? Only you keep mentioning the garlic thing. I think it's got to the stage where you're embarrassing yourself. "

I think it's rude, especially to mention it over and over again. My colleague on the desk next to me us doing a VLCD (600 per day), and her breath is a bit off. Its not really bad, more like when you first wake up, I wouldnt dream of saying anything.
She has taken to drinking loads of water and this has reduced the breath smell considerably.
I agree there could also be an element of jealousy at play.

Drinking mint tea helps and also lots of water the drier your mouth is the worse it will smell