Colleagues commenting on how much food I eat

[Chapterstackss]

It has been happening for a while. I probably do eat more than a lot of people, but I eat more on my office days because people bring in snacks and we have cafe etc so I take advantage of it. I am very healthy at home and mostly have healthy dinners so I let myself have a treat at work as we are only in two days a week and I look forward to it.

However, some of my colleagues have been making comments that are starting to hurt my feelings and I’m not sure if I just need to get thicker skin and pull myself together as it’s just lighthearted, or whether I should say something?

some of the comments are:
”I can’t believe how much you eat”
“if I ate as much as you I’d be 20 stone”
”are you going for MORE food?”
“do you carry on eating when you get home?”
”I bet even your husband doesn’t eat as much as you”
“the calories that you’ve eaten in your lunch are more than I have all day”

Amongst other things. Today people brought in baked cakes for easter and there were LOADS left over. I asked if I could take an extra piece home for my husband and they said yes of course. But then a few people started laughing when they saw me wrapping it up saying “oh I knew YOU would be the one to leave with a goody bag”

I know they are just joking and not saying these things maliciously, but I think it’s rude. Why do they have to comment on it? I feel humiliated and like shit about myself. I do eat more than the rest of the people on my team but I still don’t think I eat an obscene amount. I don’t feel like the comments are warranted.

Is it reasonable of me to say something? Or am I just being overly sensitive? I’ve tried to just not eat as much while I’m in the office but then I feel like why should I? If I’m hungry and I want to eat, I should be able to.

You should say and this is me limiting my food intake followed my you are just jealous you cheeky fucker

It sounds like you’re not eating all that much but you eat frequently so it seems like a lot to others? I’m also a big/frequent eater and people have questioned where I put it. It’s amazing that some adults don’t realise it’s never ok to comment on someone’s food, whether it’s loads or nothing at all.

If you’re a healthy weight I should think there’s some jealousy in it, but it’s really not your fault that they have a slow metabolism or prefer to drink their calories or don’t know to eat healthily, or whatever their personal reason is for eating differently.

Personally I would say something like ‘It’s not really very nice to comment on how much other people eat. If you don’t like it then don’t look’

I eat more than my work colleagues and once or twice they've commented but what they don't know is I'm very active- I exercise every day before work.
I think the only thing to do is joke about it.
If it really bothers you, what about having a bigger breakfast or stopping for a coffee on the way in?
I do this occasionally and it keeps me going until lunchtime.

Either commenting on what people eat is fair game for all, or it's rude for all.

You can't pick and choose who's a fair target. Don't give it if you're not prepared to recieve it back. (Not that I'd rush to because it's rude)

I used to get these comments in my youth, normally from people on ineffective perma-diets/ binge eaters or drinkers. They are people with unhealthy, dysfunctional attitudes to food. They push their obessions on to others.
Jealousy is a poor excuse.

It depends the relationship that you have with your colleagues. Where iWork this would just be friendly banter. Myself and one of my colleagues are always munching and we just laugh at ourselves. Really not worth stressing over unless there is a bitchy tone to it.

They are saying it because you're not overweight. If you were overweight they wouldn't dream of it. They are saying in a playful jealous way because you can eat what you want and they can't.

If taking cake home is weird then we are DEFINITELY the weirdest office around! We are only in two days a week so what happens to all the leftovers from today? People have spent their time baking brownies and things and over half is left so what would you prefer happens, it goes in the bin? No… people take some home with them. We aren’t in the office until next Tuesday due to the bank holiday. What a waste for people to spend their time baking and spending money at Sainsbury’s just for the majority of it to go in the bin

They are rude, for sure. But the plus is you actually know what they're thinking. If they hadn't said anything, you would have known what kind of people they actually are.

You shouldn’t have brought the cakes home. The cakes were brought in for you and your colleagues, bringing them home is just embarrassing.

I was wondering this too.

I used to share an office with some colleagues who commented on everyone’s food. One day, when I was particularly short of patience and tolerance, I responded to their comments with ‘I forgot I was sharing an office with the Food Police’.

They never commented again.

😎

People are being weird now about bringing the cake home….. there was a massive tub of home baked chocolate brownies, two tubs of home made rice crispie cakes, another kind of sponge cake that was home made, plus chocolate muffins, Pringles, and easter eggs that had been bought from Sainsbury’s. Some of this stuff hadn’t even been touched by 4pm. We aren’t in the office until next Tuesday so all of this would go in the bin, because bear in mind there is only 8 people on my team and two of them don’t eat in the office. My manager took a few bits home for his kids as well otherwise it’s all just going to go to waste! Absolutely no one in the office found that weird in the slightest

Taking the cake home is weird. Why doesn’t it get wrapped up for tomorrow?

Wrapping cake and leaving it in the office is weird. Who does that?!

Perfectly fine to take leftovers home.

Yet you said in your OP someone commented on you bringing cakes home.

Yanbu I remember when I was an intern and all 4 of us interns in one office did a lot socially and one guy (who was fat and short…) constantly commented on the food I ate. One time he even called me greedy cuz I got popcorn when we went to the cinema. Yes I eat lots of food but at the time I was also running daily training for a sub 1 30 half marathon and going to the gym before work. I wasn’t overweight and pretty healthy.

I put it down to his own insecurities and I think anyone who feels the need to comment on anyone else’s eating habits is down to their own insecurities. But I get how annoying it is!

I'm of the opinion that you should never comment on how much or how little someone eats. I bet these awful people have issues with food and are protecting this on you, or they are jealous that you are able to eat more than them without putting on weight.

It is none of there business,for all they know you could have been to the gym before work or plan to go for run in the evening, that requires eating more calories. It is pure ignorance

I do feel like you need to say something, either confront them or if you don't feel comfortable speak to your manager or HR . To me this is bullying behaviour if they are frequently commenting on your work and they need to be stopped

Why is there so many baked goods if most people don't eat them?

It's fine to take some home if it's left. There's a lot of people with a fucked up relationship with food, this is their problem. Just ignore them and eat your food. At the end of the day if you a reasonably healthy weight then you aren't eating too much

Yes I'm interested as to why so many people are bringing in home made cakes if you're only there 2 days a week!

The thing I find most weird is that an office of 8 people, 2 of which don't eat at work, would have so many baked goods on the table. Is someone lined up for GBBO?!

The baked goods were only today for easter. Usually it’s just things like chocolate biscuits. It’s always the people that don’t eat anything that being them in as well. And then they go “go on have one, take one for later as well. I’ll leave them on your desk for you” and then when you DO eat them they comment on how they could NEVER eat as much as you

I get this too OP! I do eat a lot…. but what I eat is high protein, healthy and clearly what my body needs.
I’ve never dieted in my life as I run almost daily, lift weights, cycle, walk everywhere and my metabolism is in good shape.

I often respond to colleagues that comment that I eat a lot as ‘yes, yes I do!’ then I smile and carry on eating 🤣🤣
I think a lot are probably envious as they don’t see the exercise I put in that enables me to consume a lot of calories….
Just eye roll and crack on!

Hahaha this made me laugh. I did just answer in my previous post but also I don’t know why they made so much.. they did the same at Christmas. They brought in an obscene amount of food! There was far far too much

@Chapterstackss just seen your reply to the post literally as I posted! Glad it made you laugh. Seriously though, tell them to stuff off! Or if you don't feel able just literally say "thank you" and they will be extremely confused!

@Chapterstackss , any jobs going where you work?

With me there, nobody would comment about you eating a lot.