I want to quit so I fit in with my friends.

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13

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  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.
  • Azuriaz
    Azuriaz Posts: 785 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.

    Yeah, but it might cause a welcome change of subject!

  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    Azuriaz wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.

    Yeah, but it might cause a welcome change of subject!

    Boy, would it! Lol
  • laureninchina
    laureninchina Posts: 8 Member
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    Don't focus so much on the number or what your friends say to you, focus on doing what you want to do and what you know is best for you, which is eating healthily and maintaining a healthy weight! :blush:
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    Azuriaz wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.

    Yeah, but it might cause a welcome change of subject!

    Boy, would it! Lol

    And sure as heck, they'd stop bringing it up!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Azuriaz wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.

    Yeah, but it might cause a welcome change of subject!

    Welcome change of subject? To police intervention when her friends chase her down the street wielding a broken chair as weapons.

    :smiley:
  • Azuriaz
    Azuriaz Posts: 785 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Azuriaz wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    Have you tried "wouldn't you like to lose some weight too? I can show you how - it's calories in vs calories out: I might be eating more than you right now but it's because I've earned it with healthy habits all week. Let me show you this logging tool I use - here's the meal we're eating right now ..."

    Osric
    LOL That is not going to over well, I promise.

    Yeah, but it might cause a welcome change of subject!

    Welcome change of subject? To police intervention when her friends chase her down the street wielding a broken chair as weapons.

    :smiley:

    Hey, running away from angry friends is great exercise!

  • scyian
    scyian Posts: 243 Member
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    I love telling friends and family the calorie content of things, especially stuff like that massive spoon of mayo they have just scooped out. Then I have to tell them that it's actually waaaay more than a tablespoon.

    They only thing you can control is your thoughts and actions. It makes things easier when you realise that.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    "I beg your pardon, would you slowly repeat what you just said?" is one of my favorite lines. Make sure you frown and slightly squint your eyes while asking this. And then dump your friends. When I quit smoking, I had to dump most of my smoking friends because they just couldn't stand it that I simply quit cold turkey and kept trying to get me to smoke again. They weren't friends. Friends care about you and are happy for your success and don't try to sabotage it.
  • suziecue20
    suziecue20 Posts: 567 Member
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    It's jealousy, pure and simple. Your band of roly poly 'friends' feel secure because they are all overweight and can reinforce each other - you are a threat to their security so they try to undermine you in the hope that you will join their merry band and THEY can feel comfy - it is pack mentality! They don't care diddly squat about you and are NOT going to change.

    Enough about your 'so called' friends.

    Lots of people have said 'ditch the pack' and left it at that. I think your main fear is that if you do ditch them you'll be friendless forever (a Billy no mates) but these are just people not real friends, so you have nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Personally, I am a leader not a follower. I am not going to hurt my health because they are lazy. Most of my guy friends are jealous that I am fit and strong and that is fine. Because until they get their crap together, they can just keep complaining.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    get new friends.

    I have friends both bigger and smaller, and other than a 'youre looking really great' or ' youre so tiny' (i never get tired of that one! LOL), no one says anything about what I eat.
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
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    There is a moment when you are in that in-between. Where you are too fit for your old friends and not fit enough for marathon runners (for example). You will probably find that you are going to have a new crowd to hang with. It happens. Don't fight it.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Get new friends.

    This. Precisely 0 of my friends behave in such ways.

    It's also not abnormal among my social group to be a healthy weight -- I am not the thinnest or even close and I'm BMI 22. Even in this day and age that seems unusual for no one to be normal weight.

    I have some hobbies that involve physical activities I enjoy, and lots of the people I know from those things are in good shape. Just a thought.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    Time to get some new friends? It's not easy I know. When I changed my life style I had to make some tough decisions about removing some toxic people from my life. Some of them were even family, but it was the best thing I ever did. Now my circle of friends are positive motivated people who are on the same path as me. We lift each other up, we don't bring each other down. You need to surround yourself with those who are on the same mission as you :)
  • myfelinepal
    myfelinepal Posts: 13,000 Member
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    I love it when I get to quote SATC:

    'When I reached my 30s I realised I didn't have enough energy to be completely superficial.'

    It's just noise. Learn to tune it out and be an individual/grown up.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Maybe it's just me but I think it's possible your friends are interested in losing weight, just insecure and so they make digs like that to make themselves feel better but also maybe they are hoping that you will spill your secrets. Before I lost my weight, I was in the middle of my group of close friends: 1 had always been very slender and focused on exercise and nutrition, another was fairly overweight and sedentary, then there was me, needed to lose about 30 lbs. When my fit friend used to say that she couldn't go for a drink because she wanted to go to the gym or would check restaurant cals online on her phone before we would order, I used to roll my eyes and nudge my overweight friend and we would laugh... But then I started realizing that I too should wonder how many calories were in the street tacos I was about to consume, or that we could all go for a walk after work instead of to a bar, and now all of us have more common interests.

    So OP maybe they are jealous, maybe you do need new friends, or maybe you need to just keep setting a good example and they will come around and be focused on their health too. But don't give up because of them. That's just silly.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    e_j_wilson wrote: »
    I find it hard to stick with a healthy lifestyle when ALL of my friends are 25kg or more heavier than I am. I need to lose 5kg to be at the upper limit of the healthy BMI range, so I wouldn't class myself as thin. If I indulge (which is often) I get comments like "How do you do it? I eat half what you do and look at me." If I make healthier choices I get comments like "You don't need to lose weight. I'd love to have a body like yours." Well I'd love to eat without my size being brought up. Sometimes I want to give up just to fit in.

    You are too old to be worrying about that nonsense. Grow the heck up, you're not in high school anymore.

    Next time they bring up your food choices, eye them up and down slowly, and go back t eating your food. They will get the hit. And if they don't, you need better 'friends'
  • aliciamariaq
    aliciamariaq Posts: 272 Member
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    Are you seriously considering comprimising you own healthy choices just because your friends are not completely comfortable with it or because they ask you how you manage to eat more than them and lose weight?
    Your health and your food choices are your business, not theirs.

    Is it possible you are misinterpreting their comments? Maybe they really do want to know "How do you do it?" Just tell them, CI < CO, I eat less calories than I burn.

    I would rather hang out with a different crowd than hang out with a crowd that is constantly commenting or judging my choices.
  • michelle7673
    michelle7673 Posts: 370 Member
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    I've been thinking about this. I'm not going to say "get rid of them as friends", but perhaps "how about adding a few new friends who love you for who you are, and respect your choices, and don't try to make you feel bad because they feel bad"? Keep your current friends. But I bet, over time, you'll gravitate more and more toward the supportive, like-minded friends. You deserve better than to be the whipping boy (girl) for their unhappiness.