To my brethren and sistren* converted from deep and woo

QueenofHearts023

I get told EVERY DAY that I'm wrong. "You can't eat like that! You'll get fat! You shouldn't snack. You shouldn't eat carbs. Carbs are evil! Eating pizza and bread will make you lose" Really conflicting I know.

What really angers me, is when I go to town looking for lactose and gluten free things. And everyone comments on Banting and gf in that crappy diet type of way. "Oh my friend lost so much weight on banting/by going gluten free!"




Yeah, I can't tolerate gluten or lactose because of IBS, it's not some stupid diet. That just really pisses me off. It's like an insult to me. Lol

Sued0nim

prettysoul1908 wrote: »

I'm curious to know how you react when you're around friends or families or coworkers who are spreading woo.

Do you:

A. Smile and nod (thanks rabbitjb)
B. Call them out
C. Leave the convo

If you call people out, how do they handle it?

I'm finding people are really resistant to letting go of their woo beliefs. Personally I was RELIEVED to find out that crap was fake. Lol.

What's your experience?

:bigsmile:

The more you do B and C the more you will realise how useful A is

Also good practice for having children and loving parents / parents in law / older siblings

ninerbuff

It's actually easy for me because I'm a professional in the industry with actual degrees of study. But even then, some will still believe in BS because it's a more "unique" way to lose weight.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

oh_happy_day

I do a combination of all options depending on who the person is, what they're saying and how ornery I'm feeling. I'll occasionally ask questions like "so how does that work exactly?" and listen to them stumble over a ridiculous explanation while I try not to roll my eyes. I'm more likely to say something if the person is suggesting something dangerous/unhealthy to others.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I work with a lot of contractors and the majority of them come to work with a tub of chicken breast and broccoli. The fact I'll eat fried chicken now and again horrifies them

I just allow them there woo.

EvgeniZyntx

I'm a healthcare professional, when people ask me about stuff - I try to explain it. When it spontaneously comes up in conversation, or around me, I tend to ignore it. Every once in a while I can't ignore a convo, so I usually end up asking a side-related question and working from there.

But I try to not have a dog in the fight. Nothing to sell, nothing to convince about. People tend to listen a little more and if not? Not my business.

My brother did a very low cal diet and his exercise and eating habits are way subpar, it would certainly not be the way I'd work. But despite the poor body composition results he has, he also lost a lot of weight. It worked for him. Had he stuck to "my science" he'd probably would have failed, certainly didn't have the patience for it. I learned something about the importance of helping to succeed versus being right.

A lot of woo works. One might think they can only lose weight by restricting x (white bread, pasta, sugar, ice cream, meat, whatever), it might not be true but it still is likely to result in a successful calorie restriction. What then matters is learning good maintenance habits. You don't need to attack a belief to aid on those.

Oh, and eye-rolling counts for exercise!

stevencloser

Depends how well I know them.

BodyByBex

EvgeniZyntx wrote: »

I'm a healthcare professional, when people ask me about stuff - I try to explain it. When it spontaneously comes up in conversation, or around me, I tend to ignore it. Every once in a while I can't ignore a convo, so I usually end up asking a side-related question and working from there.

But I try to not have a dog in the fight. Nothing to sell, nothing to convince about. People tend to listen a little more and if not? Not my business.

My brother did a very low cal diet and his exercise and eating habits are way subpar, it would certainly not be the way I'd work. But despite the poor body composition results he has, he also lost a lot of weight. It worked for him. Had he stuck to "my science" he'd probably would have failed, certainly didn't have the patience for it. I learned something about the importance of helping to succeed versus being right.

A lot of woo works. One might think they can only lose weight by restricting x (white bread, pasta, sugar, ice cream, meat, whatever), it might not be true but it still is likely to result in a successful calorie restriction. What then matters is learning good maintenance habits. You don't need to attack a belief to aid on those.

Oh, and eye-rolling counts for exercise!

YES! I am burning SO many cals at work this week!

JackieMarie1989jgw

I call it out usually. I'm a nurse in the ER and have seen lots of cleanse-induced diarrhea and electrolyte imbalances so I have plenty of opportunity to educate people on the ridiculousness. Outside.of work I will call it out if I know the person. My cousin posted on facebook asking for good cleanses for weight loss. I told her please dont do a cleanse, try mfp! Ha

ETA- I typically just call it out if I think it could pose a health hazard

amusedmonkey

I leave people to their latest "discoveries" unless specifically asked. Not my monkeys.

Bowsergirl

I've been struggling with this a little bit.

In my Anatomy and Physiology last week there was a lot of woo going around. One guy has complaining that doing situps isn't reducing his belly fat (of course we know you can't spot reduce fat) and someone told him he just needed to do a different exercise. Then another girl has going on and on about the importance of eating organic, but she takes a smoke break every class. I didn't say anything because I don't know these people and I don't want to be the fat girl lecturing everyone on health. It was just frustrating to have people spreading misinformation that are going into the medical field.

In my family though, I have pointed out to my mother that detoxes make no sense. She seemed sad, but I think I was saving her a lot of stomach distress.

Alatariel75

I tend to smile and stay silent, unless it is someone close to me. I hear a lot of it at work, but ignore it all. It's different if someone actually asks me about something, but in general I can't be bothered.

Wheelhouse15

Bowsergirl wrote: »

I've been struggling with this a little bit.

In my Anatomy and Physiology last week there was a lot of woo going around. One guy has complaining that doing situps isn't reducing his belly fat (of course we know you can't spot reduce fat) and someone told him he just needed to do a different exercise. Then another girl has going on and on about the importance of eating organic, but she takes a smoke break every class. I didn't say anything because I don't know these people and I don't want to be the fat girl lecturing everyone on health. It was just frustrating to have people spreading misinformation that are going into the medical field.

In my family though, I have pointed out to my mother that detoxes make no sense. She seemed sad, but I think I was saving her a lot of stomach distress.

Were they at least organic tabaco cigarettes? A lot of med students go in with funny ideas in their heads but they usually get straightened around, unfortunately not always and you end up with a Oz, Taubes or Mercola with chops. >.<

kgeyser

I generally don't assume that people talking about health and fitness are looking for my input any more than I think parents talking about their kids are looking for parenting advice. If they actually want my opinion, they'll ask for it, but I don't go around telling people they are wrong or it's "woo" (I really dislike that term because I think people see it as a judgement about them as a person, so I don't use it).

I don't know someone else's whole story, so I'm not going to stick my nose in and pretend I know best, and when it comes to certain weight loss myths, there usually is some grain of actual fact in there, but usually not the proper reasoning. For example, don't eat after a certain time, people think that's because of metabolism or because their digestive systems stop when they sleep, when actually it's just another trick to get into a calorie deficit. Do I wish they understood the real reason? Sure. Is it really worth the battle if they choose to just stop eating at 9 pm because they think their digestive system clocks out at the end of the day? Nope, especially if it is helping them stick to their plan and improve their health. To me, that's more important than "being right."

ladyreva78

I smile and nod and do what I found out works for me.

scolaris wrote: »

it seems to me the people pushing the surgeries really don't work very hard to educate their prospective patients in advance.

They don't. A doctor (specialized in weight-loss) was trying to push me into it and I was about to give in and go for it, because after all, if the specialist tells me it's the only way, it's got to be... right?.

Around that time I had to have my gallbladder removed, I mentioned the above to the surgeon in passing. He's the one who first mentioned CICO to me and that in my case, medically speaking, there was absolutely no reason that I couldn't be successful at losing weight.

Between him and my PT, they've set me quite straight on just where I need to start to lose weight: myself...

cosmonew

lulalacroix wrote: »

My husband kept telling me that I wouldn't lose weight because I eat at night. Eventually I told him that he was wrong and that meal timing doesn't matter. He continued to argue even though he hasn't read an article about weight loss or probably even health for 10 years. I've lost 17 pounds in the last 55 days and he doesn't tell me how to eat anymore.

AWESOME!!!!!

WinoGelato

I try to keep my mouth shut, smile and nod, and extract myself quickly from the conversation... Then I vent to people on my FL!

The one exception I always make to that strategy above is when people bring up FoodBabe. Then I absolutely cannot keep my mouth shut.

Wheelhouse15

WinoGelato wrote: »

I try to keep my mouth shut, smile and nod, and extract myself quickly from the conversation... Then I vent to people on my FL!

The one exception I always make to that strategy above is when people bring up FoodBabe. Then I absolutely cannot keep my mouth shut.

Oh, you just had to mention her!

kettiecat

I'm more of a jackhole and normally let out some snide remark. "Let me know how that works for you :::heavy eyeroll:::" "seems to be working :::long stare at their largest body part:::"


I should work on just ignoring.

moose_mama

I usually just smile and nod. If they ask or try to get me on board with their diet, I tell them I just count calories because I can't afford any of those fancy diet plans. Truth is, I have no desire to try them. I tell them some days I eat lots of lean meats and fresh veggies, other days I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips because I have to cut our grocery budget a little. Either way, I'm keeping track of how much I eat and still losing. People seem to like the money excuse better than hearing my opinion on those fad diet plans.