Do you tell everyone when you are on a diet?

JamesMD84

Had a hard day today which involved a work lunch as I haven't really told anyone I'm on a diet. I didn't want to tell them so just ate a normal lunch and going to try and have a really good dinner.

I'm a big guy (300lbs) so they all probably think I should be on a diet anyway but for some reason I can't tell them.

So back to my question, do you tell everyone or just try and do the best you can in social situations?

vespiquenn

No, I don't. Why would anyone care besides me?

SuzySunshine99

Never. Because:
A. You don't want a bunch of advice from random people about what you should/should not be doing.
B. No one cares.

boulank

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

Never. Because:
A. You don't want a bunch of advice from random people about what you should/should not be doing.
B. No one cares.

Yep this^^^
Once I started losing I got asked what I was doing. Much easier to not have to explain yourself to everyone.

JamesMD84

I guess I just need to look harder at the menu for the best options and try and make it up with exercise.

CattOfTheGarage

No, I keep it quiet mostly.

If you're being served by someone else and are worried the portion is too big, just don't finish it. Most people don't pay much attention to how much others are eating. If someone does mention it (rude), just say you're not hungry.

I agree with many others on here that making your weight loss project common knowledge creates more problems than it solves. Family and close friends know. I just don't mention it to others.

Colt1835

I tell people like my family, people I eat with often, and my friends with health and fitness interests. I don't really care to talk about it with anyone else. I actually don't care to talk about it with most of the people I listed either, but they would figure it out and talk about it with my anyway.

DX2JX2

Not usually. It's more fun to watch people try to figure out why I look different after a couple of months.

At work functions where I'm limited in my food choices, I'll just make the best choice I can and then guesstimate a reasonable portion to leave behind. If you don't want to call attention to yourself with a 'diet' order, then you can just order normally and leave behind leftovers. If anybody asks (though nobody will) just tell them that you aren't that hungry.

KelseyRL

I also don't like to bring it up. I find that in my social group (women from 25-35), a huge topic of conversation is weight and weight loss, and so-and-so's new diet or success or failure and how someone tried keto for 4 days and now they feel great. The talk just goes on and on and yet I've found the people who talk the most make the least progress. I decided I didn't want to be one of those people so I don't participate much in the conversation and focus on my actions, not my words.

Edit to add: I also don't like to mention it because I'm kind of in the middle in terms of weight with my social group (not the thinnest, not the heaviest) and I get annoyed at people telling me that since I'm smaller than them that I'm already fine and have no reason to lose weight. I don't like that when you bring up your own goals, it suddenly seems okay to be compared to other people.

blh202

I am very public about my workouts and my healthy lifestyle. Not to the annoying point but just to help keep myself motivated and accountable. I have even went so far as to have a co-worker hold my chocolates hostage only allowing me to get them upon request. Let me tell you, I think twice if I have to go to her desk to get them rather than eating 10 pieces out of my own drawer without any accountability.

This has afforded me much encouragement from others to continue on this healthy journey and has even encouraged others to get to the gym when they felt like going home after work.

Gallowmere1984

I don't tell anyone, but my co-workers notice. I cut hard, so my energy levels tend to fall off, and I shrink like an old woman when fully glycogen depleted.

DX2JX2

blh202 wrote: »

I am very public about my workouts and my healthy lifestyle. Not to the annoying point but just to help keep myself motivated and accountable. I have even went so far as to have a co-worker hold my chocolates hostage only allowing me to get them upon request. Let me tell you, I think twice if I have to go to her desk to get them rather than eating 10 pieces out of my own drawer without any accountability.

This has afforded me much encouragement from others to continue on this healthy journey and has even encouraged others to get to the gym when they felt like going home after work.

Not to the annoying point for you...

Meelisv

Well, firstly, it became obvious once i lost my first 10 kg or so.
Secondly, at work it is also clear, since i prepare my meals and take them with me instead of going out to eat. I'm not only one who does that there, but still people come around and are nosy

But for James:
I also started out at around 300 lbs. After a while i developed extra thick skin regarding all kinds of comments, opinions and "educated guesses" Of course, it has been some time, but by now i don't give a flying f*** about what people at work think of how and what i eat or how i manage my health and happiness
It takes time, and can be daunting, but it's quite a good feeling at the end.

lalepepper

I only bring it up if someone asks. Otherwise my eating habits are my business and I don't need unsolicited feedback about why my eating pattern supposedly doesn't work, because it does! I do share about my weight loss with friends and family on social media because the support helps.

DamieBird

I've tried the whole "I'm gonna tell everyone for accountability" thing in the past and it's failed every single time. I feel pressured and disappointed when I have a bad day and it turns into a negative spiral for failure for me. This time, I told literally no one. I just one day decided that I was going to eat less. And then another day, I was going to exercise. And, I did both. sure, I've had a few times during the last nearly six months where it hasn't been perfect and the two times I've had people visiting me from out of town, I didn't track at all, but as a whole, this had worked so much better for me. I've never been on a deliberate losing streak this long before in my life, and I'm down 34 pounds and I'm as motivated as ever to keep going.

I think the biggest difference is that now I know that I'm doing this for me and only me - no one else factors into this process, so why should I bother telling anyone else? Even close friends who I don't see often have no idea that I've lost weight. I've mentioned going to the gym, but that's it.

kristen8000

I talk about it with my BF and family, but never to others. Because I don't need people's comments, complaints, judgements. I also don't need someone asking me "Oh, I need to lose weight, you wanna be my exercise/diet buddy? I need support". I feel everyone should have enough "gumtion" to do this themselves. If you are looking for a buddy, you aren't really ready and are grasping at excuses.

And really no one cares.

Penthesilea514

Not really- some people have figured it out along the way as it is more noticeable, but I don't generally go out of my way to volunteer information. Any conversation that does happen is kept somewhat short- I am not interested in talking to someone about their restrictive dieting, I prefer to let my results speak for themselves.

lorrpb

I don't tell them and I don't change how I eat just to pretend I'm not.

MommaGem2017

Immediate family and close friends - yes. Everyone else... no.

noirelb

Some of my friends know since it came up in a conversation when we were hiking and my lunch friends know because people bring desserts and I do not take a piece lol. Once I explain, I don't have anyone telling me what to do or not do but then again, they are not crazy dieters at all. They are mostly all not obese or not super thin and most of them bike to work.
I wouldn't randomly tell everyone if it doesn't come up but I think your coworkers would support you if in the end it's difficult to stay on your diet due to the meals you have with them.

rocknlotsofrolls

Never, under any circumstances, tell someone you're dieting! Here's why:
1.Theyll become the biggest diet experts in the world, when in reality, probably don't know what the heck they are talking about.
2. They will try to make you feel good by saying it looks like you've lost weight, when clearly you haven't yet, thus giving you the illusion that you can ease up a little on how you've been eating.
3. They don't really care, or at least that's what I think.

sparklyglitterbomb

I rarely mention it (though now people ask since the change is very noticeable.) so when i would go out, i would pick something on the healthier side or if it was a "share apps" kind of thing I would only take a little of what was ordered. My main focus was to eat less - never a full restaurant portion.. or if I did, then I'd eat less later that day and the next day.

and I am with the other posters who just don't want to hear all the BS about what works best. Yeah, I got that part covered for me. lol

eyer0ll

Good god, no -- for all the reasons listed above, and more.

magster4isu

I'm picky about who I tell. I think I know who will support me and who will sabatage my efforts. I didn't tell anyone at work, I just got really good at saying "no, thank you" when the treats came in.

RedSierra

JamesMD84 wrote: »

Had a hard day today which involved a work lunch as I haven't really told anyone I'm on a diet. I didn't want to tell them so just ate a normal lunch and going to try and have a really good dinner.

I'm a big guy (300lbs) so they all probably think I should be on a diet anyway but for some reason I can't tell them.

So back to my question, do you tell everyone or just try and do the best you can in social situations?

I'm in maintenance now, but when I was losing weight I didn't tell people mainly for one reason -- I knew I would get all kinds of "advice" I didn't need or want, or comments saying I didn't need to lose any more weight (yes, I did, I was obese).

The only social issue: I did cut some food out for medical reasons. In those situations, I would say "I'm good" if someone was pushing food on me. That, or "I have a health problem" and leave it at that and change the subject.

You mentioned normal. My diet changes were lifestyle changes and had to become the new normal for me.

emcclure013

I've been dieting about 3 weeks now and I'm just telling my coworkers, "I'm trying to be good today!" when they comment on my healthy lunches. If they ask, I'll tell them, but I'm not going into any amount of detail.

I share everything with my husband, but he's the only one besides my MFP friends who know how hard I've been working.

tinkerbellang83

I didn't really tell anyone to start with, but as the weight loss became apparent if people have asked I have told them, I don't post on my normal social media about it, I have a separate instagram account for food, fitness and inspiration and I use MFP and my blog website as my outlet for everything weight loss and fitness related. I shared my blog to facebook after my first 6 months, when I hit my first major milestone. I plan around my social activities so I don't have to work my life around my weight loss, if I am going out on a weekend, I will eat a light brunch and do an extra workout to make room for a few drinks and a meal or I will bank a few calories during the week.

cwolfman13

JamesMD84 wrote: »

Had a hard day today which involved a work lunch as I haven't really told anyone I'm on a diet. I didn't want to tell them so just ate a normal lunch and going to try and have a really good dinner.

I'm a big guy (300lbs) so they all probably think I should be on a diet anyway but for some reason I can't tell them.

So back to my question, do you tell everyone or just try and do the best you can in social situations?

Mind you, this was years ago now, but when I was dieting and social situations like this came up, I did tell them but I qualified that it was for medical reasons (which was true) and that if I didn't get certain things under control I was going to have to be put on various prescriptions and I didn't want that. That stopped the whole c'mon...just have a piece of the cake kind of stuff...

I still attended special work things and people noticed that I was eating differently, and they noticed I had lost some weight so there really wasn't any point in denying it when asked, though I didn't go around announcing it.

MegaMooseEsq

I'll tell people I'm eating healthier if they ask, but I'm not sure it's really noticeable most of the time, since I haven't really changed how I eat that much, and I'm losing pretty gradually. I would never say the D word, though. The last unsolicited weight loss tip I got from a coworker was to watch the sugary drinks (while pointing at the unsweetened ice tea that's basically all I drink at work besides water). Thanks...

ILivSD

Hi James, I do agree with both sides of this topic. Alas there's a lot of extreme zealots on both sides of every subject and I have encountered both. Its funny how there are Politics in Dieting....but what few will tell you is that everyone is different and what works Great for you may not for others. The biggest secret so to speak is how to keep the weight off just look at all the contestants on The Biggest Looser and how many have rebounded. You goal is to find what works for you to maintain a healthy life style that you can stick with. Be it Vegetarian, Atkins or the bubble Gum diet what have you....I have relapsed various times and each time kicking my self saying "you did this to your self, you can get back to being healthy and happy though not mutually exclusive. I think a middle of the road approach is best and true "Your just trying to eat healthier to be healthier" most people will understand and go with it. I have been 300lbs before and know where your coming from.
Its a slow road but you will get there....find an Diet and Exercise you enjoy and stick with it....!

MrsLannister

Only at a pot luck.... Oh, sorry covered-in-dog-hair-lady, no spinach dip for me, I'm on a diet.