Why am I so embarrassed to bring lunch from home?

All of this.

And to further what alice said… just consider that anyone who would look down on or judge you for bringing your own lunch is either to be (1) pitied, (2) disdained or (3) thankful for the forewarning not to bother with.

You should definitely bring a lunch box - it could save your life!

I totally get where you’re coming from. I’m the kind of person who worries what everyone else is thinking about me too. My current issue is biking to work and looking like a dork. I live less than a mile from work so it’s a short enough route that I don’t have time to get all sweaty. So there’s no point in putting on workout clothes for the bike ride and I just wear my work clothes and jump on my bike. But I’ve noticed that ALL the other bikers are in workout clothes and I feel like the World’s Biggest Dork ™ in my khakis, sneakers, and bike helmet.

I don’t have advice; I just wanted to let you know you’re not alone in worrying about what everyone’s thinking. It does help to hear everyone else here saying that no one’s noticing or caring. Hopefully all the cars that drive by me while I’m riding in to work (including my coworkers) are just thinking “Hey, she’s saving gas money and getting in a workout [albeit a very short one] on the way to work. I wish I could bike to work!” instead of looking at what I’m wearing and thinking “Geez, taxi’s a major geek. I wonder if I can uninvite her to bookclub next week/my birthday party next month/that pool party that’s coming up.”

Hey! I started biking to work, too. It’s 3 miles for me, and I certainly do get sweaty, so I do wear specific workout clothes. But I get the same feeling about people watching me. You just suck it up and go on, and after a while you realize nobody cares, and insofar as they are looking at you they are thinking "Hey, a biker! Well, at least she’s wearing a helmet. Better not hit her.)

As long as you guys are on the bike trail and not, you know, in the middle of the damn road, ride your bike.

I live in an area popular with many bicyclists, and I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to cross a double yellow line to get around them. Grrr…