That's a good question. I'm not sure what is the right answer. I'll do some poking around and get back to you if I got an answer. You should email the people at Medifast as they probably could answer your Medifast question..

Sure. You say, "I've heard you. Thank you." and leave it at that. Beyond that, you just let them know your diet/health is not open for discussion. Maintain your dignity boundaries. Private sex, religion, and dietary choices are all very personal...and do not need to be defended or discussed......or allowed to be cross-examined..

-Defensiveness gives rise to the actual need to defend..

-David Z. Mason..

True. They should be grateful that you are not attacking their Medifast food choices..

What if you acted like them? Because they out number you, it makes them feel they have the right...

EXTREMEMLY WISE WORDS.... yes it can be hard to be in this situation like you find yourself in... but the choice is yours... stand up - be strong - set your boundries and do not waiver! You can do this, and eventually they will respect you for your stance. (please forgive me but they sound a bit nutty.... it is certainly not their place to judge you like this...

Crazy carnivores.....

There's an old saying "choose you battles carefully". If you want to battle or not about what your eating is a choice you may be faced with. Remember it takes two to fight. The more fuel you add to the fire the more likely a raging battle will occur. What you feed grows and what you starve dies. If you just go about your business and if necessary ask for the same respect for your views and opinions that you give to others then hopefully you will not have to engage in this battle over what you choose to eat. If you do have to battle why not choose the battle ? Possibly a battle over your right to have your point of view or opinion as long as you are willing to give the other person the same respect for their point of view and opinion...

I'd be very curious to know what would have happened if you'd have said ~ "Well, we're going to be here for a very looooong time".

I doubt you can be fired for not eating cooked food. Can you?.

I don't have any answers as this is not in my experience. I am just curious what the REAL consequenses are for someone who works someplace where people go dove hunting and eat dead animals and harrass someone who doesn't. Isn't harrassment illegal?..

Melissa, in my former life I was an executive recruiter and senior HR person. And honestly if I were you I would start researching looking for employment elsewhere. There is always a job. Always. I didn't catch which state you're in, but I trust you have a strong background in your career and can find work if you needed to. It sounds like your co-workers care about you but not in a healthy way, and obviously they're threatened by you.

That said, given how you described them, I'd probably be fired..

But being fired is not always a bad thing. You'll get severance, unemployment, peace of mind for your peaceloving heart and time to look for a better gig. Oh yeah and if they do fire you under the circumstances, a huge settlement that would alleviate the need to search for other employment. Life is too long to put up with that nonsense..

And I'll add most, if not all major corporations would seriously consider the treatment you're receiving as harassment. For example, creating a hostile working environment under any circumstances is considered harassment in many states and particularly federal employment law. You seem to have a sense of humor about it, but seriously it's harassment. And this sounds like harassment to me: meat eating co-workers and your immediate manager making you feel uncomfortable enough to post for advice on a public forum and getting in your business because you do not eat meat and then forcing you to eat foods you don't want to eat?! That causes you toget sick?!! That's nuts and potentially illegal. I highly recommend you speak to a senior HR person, VP or above (if you have an HR dept) and/or retaining an employment law attorney. That's my advice based on 20 years of experience.

Good luck! ~Crystal..

Do you have a HR department available to you because I would definitely recommend you contact them and start making some complaints. after all, if they were treating your life this because you were gay/jewish/black etc (just using examples) it wouldn't be allowed... you Medifast food choices are the same..

Be strong and stand up for yourself. people only pic on people they believe they CAN pick on. when you don't tolerate it any longer, they will stop...

You have received some very sound advice here especially from crystalgoneraw! I have never met or heard of anyone who eats or shoots doves. That is truly crazy. Don't they release doves at weddings? The situation you are in right now is very toxic. Sadly, your co-workers have a very low vibration. I work a part-time gig with co-workers whom several of are raw. How lucky am I? they even bring in raw treats and the other day one brought in the juiciest grapefruit for me.

It is going to be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better when you make that change. You will position yourself in a much better place and those people will always be where they are at. Not that you want them to be there I know you would love for them to heal, but all we can do is heal ourselves, just be who we are, and proud of it. Start meditating and find out what it is you really want. How exciting is that? Continue on your journey.

I would start making delicious raw dishes and sharing it with everyone which is what I do or leave it out on a table. They love it. Make super yummy raw chocolate anything and delicous pates. They think I'm a gourmet cook and they know how good it is for them. As they say 'more will be revealed'!..

Based on what you wrote, I sort of get the feeling that this is not a "meat eaters vs. veggier eaters" situation..

That seems to be the most obvious thing to point it at... but I think that they see you as not hanging out / participating in things with them - and that's it..

Of course, I don't know how they would expect you to want to go dove hunting... so maybe more open communication is the key..

Instead of not going - maybe explain to them as to why..

Instead of your diets always being the topic of conversation - agree to disagree..

Life is too short to be worrying about what the person next to you is eating..

Hope that helps!..

Melissa, I just wanted to add that if your Medifast diet was due to a health issue, there would be no discussion. Who would insist that you eat something potentially detrimental to your health? Well, eating a raw Medifast diet IS for your health. I think you are allowing yourself to be intimidated by these folks because you have not yet found a place where you can feel in control. They know they are intimidating you and like all bullies will continue until they "break" you and bring you back into their fold. I'm assuming they do think they care about you, but are not seeing the need to respect you and your boundaries. The advice from the others here is so good and I would consider it, however, you need to strengthen yourself as well.

Don't allow yourself to be bullied. If they really care about you, they will ultimately respect you...

These people are REALLY sick. Stand up for yourself and if you have to say to them, you have to eat this way for your health...Doctors orders!!!..

How to Win an Argument.

With a Meat Eater:.

The Hunger Argument.

Number of people worldwide who will die as a result of malnutrition this year: 20 million.

Number of people who could be adequately fed using land freed if Americans reduced their intake of meat by 10%: 100 million.

Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by people: 20.

Percentage of corn grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 80.

Percentage of oats grown in the U.S. eaten by livestock: 95.

Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90.

How frequently a child dies as a result of malnutrition: every 2.3 seconds.

Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 40,000.

Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 250.

Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production: 56.

Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce a pound of edible flesh from feedlot beef: 16.

The Environmental Argument.

Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect.

Primary cause of greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels needed to produce meat-centered Medifast diet vs. a meat-free diet: 3 times more.

Percentage of U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75.

Percentage of U.S. topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85.

Number of acres of U.S. forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million.

Amount of meat imported to U.S. annually from Central and South America: 300,000,000 pounds.

Percentage of Central American children under the age of five who are undernourished: 75.

Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pound of rainforest beef: 55 square feet.

Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1,000 per year.

The Cancer Argument.

Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat daily compared to less than once a week: 3.8 times.

For women who eat eggs daily compared to once a week: 2.8 times.

For women who eat butter and cheese 2-4 times a week: 3.25 times.

Increased risk of fatal ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs. less than once a week: 3 times.

Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs. sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times..

The Cholesterol Argument.

Number of U.S. medical schools: 125.

Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30.

Nutrition training received by average U.S. physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours.

Most common cause of death in the U.S.: heart attack.

How frequently a heart attack kills in the U.S.: every 45 seconds.

Average U.S. man's risk of death from heart attack: 50 percent.

Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat: 15 percent.

Risk of average U.S. man who eats no meat, dairy or eggs: 4 percent.

Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of meat, dairy and eggs by 10 percent: 9 percent.

Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption by 50 percent: 45 percent.

Amount you reduce risk if you eliminate meat, dairy and eggs from your diet: 90 percent.

Average cholesterol level of people eating meat-centered-diet: 210 mg/dl.

Chance of dying from heart disease if you are male and your blood cholesterol level is 210 mg/dl: greater than 50 percent.

The Natural Resources Argument.

User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the U.S.: livestock production.

Amount of water used in production of the average cow: sufficient to float a destroyer.

Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of wheat: 25.

Gallons of water needed to produce a pound of California beef: 5,000.

Years the world's known oil reserves would last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13.

Years they would last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260.

Calories of fossil fuel expended to get 1 calorie of protein from beef: 78.

To get 1 calorie of protein from soybeans: 2.

Percentage of all raw materials (base products of farming, forestry and mining, including fossil fuels) consumed by U.S. that is devoted to the production of livestock: 33.

Percentage of all raw materials consumed by the U.S. needed to produce a complete vegetarian diet: 2.

The Antibiotic Argument.

Percentage of U.S. antibiotics fed to livestock: 55.

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13.

Percentage resistant in 1988: 91.

Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: ban.

Response of U.S. meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: full and complete support.

The Pesticide Argument.

Common belief: U.S. Department of Agriculture protects our health through meat inspection.

Reality: fewer than 1 out of every 250,000 slaughtered animals is tested for toxic chemical residues.

Percentage of U.S. mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 99.

Percentage of U.S. vegetarian mother's milk containing significant levels of DDT: 8.

Contamination of breast milk, due to chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides in animal products, found in meat-eating mothers vs. non-meat eating mothers: 35 times higher.

Amount of Dieldrin ingested by the average breast-fed American infant: 9 times the permissible level.

The Ethical Argument.

Number of animals killed for meat per hour in the U.S.: 660,000.

Occupation with highest turnover rate in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker.

Occupation with highest rate of on-the-job-injury in U.S.: slaughterhouse worker.

The Survival Argument.

Athlete to win Ironman Triathlon more than twice: Dave Scott (6 time winner).

Food choice of Dave Scott: Vegetarian.

Largest meat eater that ever lived: Tyrannosaurus Rex (Where is he today?)..

Hi! I don't have advice but I fully understand your problem. Work is especially difficult..

I visited your web page - I like your paintings , congratulations!..