New job - already fed up with unhealthy ‘working lunches‘

[AliceSeal]

I’ve been in my new job since February and in the main really enjoy it. However, we have monthly ‘planning meetings’ which so far are always scheduled to run through lunch (usually 11-3) and the bosses arrange for a lunch to be provided. Last month, it was a job lot of Greggs ‘beige’ - sausage rolls etc, and today it was stacks of dominoes which everyone could pile in to.

I haven’t said anything so far as I don’t want to appear ungrateful, and the majority of my colleagues seemed ecstatic with these choices, but as someone who is quite big on health and fitness, this is really irritating. We get a 5-10
minute break from this at most which isn’t enough time for me to do much more than go to the loo (big office with microwave facilities downstairs and always a queue over lunch).

Would you ask to get a longer break so I can have my own lunch? I’m just conscious this will delay the meeting for everyone else so very wary of asking.

its once a month!

So heat it up and put it in a thermos flask?

Cancel the cheque!

I work with loads of women who wouldn’t touch this type of food.

We only very occasionally have a shared lunch and plenty of people do not eat any of the provided food. Just eat something cold. It’s not going to kill you.

You don’t have to eat junk food but you can’t always have exactly the lunch you want. If you struggle to deal with that then maybe start considering if you have an eating disorder.

It’s just as well your six figure salary job doesn’t include solving lunch problems. Perhaps that particular conundrum is above your pay rate?

What about a soup flask?

So plan something portable that you can eat that day?

Try working in a school. You get to have a working lunch every day, never get a thing for free and have to buy your own resources.

I, like you, do not eat the standard fare on offer at these catered lunches so I have the following options

1. Take my own - cold or heated in food flask
2. ask the person who organises the lunch to order me something of my choosing to suit my dietary needs
3. order my own lunch in to suit my dietary needs

You could also say you are taking some time to access the usual microwave to heat your own… I very much doubt that anyone would object…..just don’t make a big deal of it

Seriously? It's once a month.

Bring a meal that you can eat during the meeting without much prep and stop being so fussy. I exercise and try to eat well, but you have a borderline eating disorder if you cannot manage to deviate from your plan for one meal a month.

I think if you’re dedicated to your lifestyle and hitting your macros etc. you’d organise one cold lunch a month. I wouldn’t even think twice about this. You just need to be disciplined, and have a hot dinner when you get home.

You don’t need to dictate anything. Just have a late or early lunch of your choosing. It won’t kill you to not eat between 11 and 3 one day per month. Being in a management position on six figure salary I’m sure you don’t have set lunch hours and outside those need to be chained to your desk….

I'm a bit surprised by some of the mean comments.

Anyway, clearly it's a choice between eating junk food or cold food. You choose.

I agree that (when I'm concerned about what I'm eating, which isn't at the moment) I prefer to choose when to eat unhealthily. I want to make an evening of it, family pizzas or something.

Just bring in a packed salad/lunch of your choice and say you are restricting your diet to deal with allergies/carbs/transfats or whatever.

Or find out who organises the lunch and get them to order you something you fancy eating.

It won’t seem weird.

On the off-chance that this is real: if you can't relax your regime for one meal a month, you have an eating disorder.

I'm a bit surprised by some of the mean comments.

Wait until you see what MNHQ did to her.

And is into macros but can’t think of a suitable lunch to take.

My lunch is an un-paid 30 minutes each day. I'd be really annoyed if I had to attend a meeting every month during my lunch, regardless of what food is provided.

Why are so many people OK with doing free work?

Respectfully, I’m a 50-something size 14 granny - I run 3 times a week (sub 25 5k), do yoga and weights most days and eat pizza more than once a month (ok, weekly!).

I’ll race you to Gregg’s 🤣

Just take in a pack lunch, it's really not rocket science.

Don't say 'rocket'. You'll trigger her - OP didn't like salad.

It’s almost like… people are more than what’s on the outside?!! Who’d have thought size 14 - gasp - people could be… likeable?!!

I honestly don’t know how you get through life. It must restrict your social opportunities, at least to some extent, having all these requirements. Anyway, don’t eat the lunch if you don’t want it (gosh, people have this exact conversation with five-year-olds…). Eat either earlier or later if it must be both macro-calculated AND hot. However, do just know that you will come off extremely uptight and/or judgemental to your colleagues if you can’t at least attempt to partake and eat one sausage roll or a slice of pizza.

OP was a troll and has now been shown the door by MNHQ.

Those of us who knew it wasn't real are just having some fun.

Is it Greggs? 😂😂😂

How kind of you! They must be very grateful for that.

Cook your lunch in the morning and take it in a food flask. Nobody cares tbh. You've got a lot of options in between 'eat Greggs' and 'eat nothing'.