On Wed, 24 Sep 2003, Ozone wrote:

Thanks for all of your tips.
I guess I'm leaning towards just politely bowing out.
Up to now I've been leaving work for my lunch anyways.
Maybe I'm just looking for the polite way of handling it.

I'm the most anti-social person I know and I usually loathe these get
togethers (they're actually ok where I work now), but I would not do that
for two reasons.

First, these get togethers aren't about the food, they're about bringing
the workforce together as a community. If you don't participate, you're
not only sending a signal (and not a good one) but you're also missing the
opportunity to build relationships with your co-workers.

Second, if you're planning on following this way of eating for the rest of
your life, then you might as well start working on your low carb eating
skills. That includes figuring out how to stick to your plan in trying
situations. This isn't the worst one you'll face: if you bring a dish
you'll know there's at least one thing you can eat, and if you're worried
that you'll go off plan, you can have a snack in advance so you're not
facing tempting food when you're hungry.

Martha


--
Begin where you are - but don't end there.