After being happily unemployed for several months I started a new job last Monday - as Administrative Assistant at a Hospital.
Not only have there been bagles, muffins, or donuts sitting in the break room EVERY day - these things seem to also be the staple for every single meeting. One of my duties actually is to keep the nurses' candy jars filled - with candy bars and other goodies - and I'll probably end up picking up the baked goods at least occasionally. So far it has not really been a struggle NOT to eat anything - but it is something that looks good that I have say "no" to.

Just somehow I don't think the unemployment office would recognize over-exposure to baked goods and other sweats as a valid reason for me to quit this job.....

But aside from the carbs in those things - don't these people realize the amount of calories they are inhaling regularly????

heheheh No I don't think they would smile on that one.

About the calories...they really don't care. They are following the low fat dogma so the least of their worries is counting calories. They are watching how much fat is in their diets.

Poor things.

Thelma!

Nurses are notorious for eating sweets! LOL Just wait until the Christmas candy starts to arrive....and how fast it will disappear!

As for the bagels, etc....I'm sure they know how many calories they're consuming....if they bother to think about it.

My office also has a lot of bagels, pizza, candy around all the time. I even have a candy basket sitting in my office! Everyone stops by when they need a mint.

When in meetings, etc just try to sit as far away as possible....and decind if anyone offers. If you don't want to mention that you're on low-carb, just say you have an allergy, or you're on a special diet. And keep plenty of snacks near you so if you start to get tempted you'll have something "legal" to eat!

Good luck!

Cindy

Being that it's a new job, unlike some of the current employees, you don't have a bad bagel habit now that needs breaking. As long as you don't give into that first bagel, donut, candy, or whatever, you should be able to function without the bagles and other snacks tormenting you all day every day. Just be sure to have legal snacks available.
asugar

Well- looking at the size of most of the people on that floor one will find that their low fat/high bagle & donut diet just isn't working.....

So far, the subject of my eating habits hasn't come up and I'm not going to push it, but if it does happen, I will be sending whoever cares to this really great, informational website I know: lowcarber.org!!!! And those who won't read won't be any better off than those who can't.

Any time you are tempted by a bagel or muffin, just imagine looking in the mirror and seeing that shape firmly planted on your hips under your clothes. First you'll laugh at the image and then you'll decide you don't want it. Be sure to drink water at meetings instead of coffee or tea so you'll feel less like eating anything. Or take your own snacks.

Hi Thelma. I hear you: I used to work at a hospital lab, and there was junk food *everywhere*! Not just in our staff room, but I went throughout the hospital to take blood samples from patients, and "the floors" fed me constantly. If ever I didn't have money or forgot my lunch, there was no worry. Food *everywhere*.

...but y'know what really made me chuckle? The lab overlooked the 'backyard' smoking area for the staff, and there was always a gaggle of *respiratory therapists* smoking! So I guess we all choose our vices...

I was really missing a nice toasted bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon. cucumber, tomato, red onion and tobiko caviar, and I wasn't willing to pay the fortune to buy those lc bagels advertised, BUT! I found a great bagel recipe and now I make them myself. Of course I still need to control myself, and I have to freeze them so my DH doesn't go crazy on them, but the point is that there's so many good recipes for muffins, bagels and other things out there that we don't have to do without while everyone else is pigging out.

This comment stuck me funny for some reason. Interesting choice of wording there. I personally do not feel I am doing without anything. I don't feel the need to "pig" out either. I am sure many of us feel the same way.

If people chose to eat bagels, muffins, donuts, candy etc etc that is their business. My business is to become healthy and fit.

To each his/her own. If they want cake let them eat it, I prefer a steak and lobster with a lovely salad on the side please.

Me deprived? NEVER on this diet.

I don't see anything unhealthy about eating grains, or desiring a bagel or muffin on occasion. If one is surrounded by coworkers all munching on bagels, muffins and such things it could make one like to eat something similar. Somehow eating a steak just wouldn't be the same thing for me while I was smelling the good aromas of a warm bagel.
Seeing how many recipes there are in the baked goods sections of all the recipe boards I look at apparently there are a lot of people out there who would still like to eat these types of food.
There are also vegetarians out there who low carb (like my husband) and he eats a very healthy diet without meat being the main staple of his diet. Like you said, "to each his own" so keep chomping those chops girl.

Agonycat,
I see you removed some of your remarks in your post, mainly what you said about choosing not to eat grains like cows do. Do the moderators usually go back and remove comments they've made from their posts?

Actually I did that because I realized that it could be taken as offensive. So I corrected myself. It was not ment the way it sounded.

Thanks.

I found your entire response offensive, whether or not you meant it that way. I was making a simple comment that there are low carb bagels & muffins we can eat if thats what we want. You go off on me with this judgemental tirade about eating unhealthy grains like a cow, and basically saying how wrong it was of me to suggest we eat such things. I wasn't suggesting people pig out, you misconstrued everything I was saying.

Not sure how you took that as a personal attack on you. I just found your wording interesting and it made me thoughtful.

As in *I* personally do not feel I am doing without anything. *I* don't feel the need to pig out.

Sorry if you took it a way it was not ment. It was in no way ment as a judgemental slam in anyway. It was not a tirade. If I got into one you would know it

The written word is very hard to relate to since there is no body language to go along with it.

How many more times does one need to say sorry for an offense?


And you misconstrued everything I was said as well.

Had to laugh about the bagels being everywhere. In my old office people would bring all sorts of things in as treats - brownies, cookies, bagels, you name it. Never a cheese platter, though.

Here in Japan, I have my own temptation torture. About 15 feet from my bus stop, there is a cream puff place (just hope this doesn't catch on in the States!). I've watched the operation there in amazement. They must sell over 500 an hour! At a buck a pop, they must be rolling in the dough, too (sorry, couldn't resist).

The smell doesn't just waft over, it complete engulfs you. These things have been my weak point all my life. I'm actually able to resist them pretty well (two in three months, not too shabby), but it is NOT FUN standing there waiting for the stupid bus with all that confection going on!