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How to deal with comments

RealWorldStrengthLLC
RealWorldStrengthLLC Posts: 552 Member
edited December 2024 in Debate Club
I take the whole cutting weight/bodybuilding diet/hitting macros thing pretty seriously and I'm kinda known in my groups for having a cooler full of meals in my truck, eating at certain times, protien shakes etc (yes I know meal timing isn't important. I like it. That's all. That's my reason for it.)

Anyways over thanksgiving, and now over Christmas, or whenever I decide to "cheat", I get comments about what's on my plate, what I'm eating etc. It's *kitten* annoying. It's "Omg you're eating bread" or "you know that's fried right?" Or "he won't eat ham it's too unhealthy" or "omg you're having 2 beers that's a lot of calories"

I probably heard this stuff 20 times in the last day and its damn annoying. I usually don't say anything or if I'm really irritated I say "yup. I do what I want" or something along those lines, nothing confrontational. But boy do I want to fire back. I don't, but I want to.

I don't get this. I don't comment on other peoples food. I don't say "oh, more cake huh?" Or "12 deep fried cheese sticks". It's getting old, really old. I want to say "Yes, I eat ultra lean meats so I can save my dietary fats for eating peanut butter by the table spoon. *kitten* off." When people say stuff like "oh he won't eat that it's not grassfed organic and massaged by monks" I wanna lose my *kitten*. That's not even close to true, the only thing in my fridge right now that organic is the ground elk, and I never even come close to saying stuff like that. I don't really even say anything about my food unless someone asks.

So, the debate is, what is the appropriate way to deal with these sort of comments? I can't be the only one who gets them. Is just being quiet or saying something non confrontational the right answer? Is it ever ok to fire back with a sharp tongue? Sould one try to explain things?



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Replies

  • My weird daily routine of carrying prepped meals - I don't mind discussing it - I guess I can see how it is a bit strange. To me it's really not strange at all, it's just something that people with serious fitness goals often do. I was around it plenty in the military, and even though back then I mostly counted cals in my head or just ate as much as I possibly could (dirty bulking, really fun, kinda miserable too), I did dabble in meal preps, and I never even blinked when someone's alarm went off and they pulled out a Tupperware. Tons of people do it. Athletes. Bodybuilders. Strongmen. Soldiers. Cyclists. I never even thought it was strange when I went back to it full time.

    My weird habit aside - why is it socially acceptable for people to say "omg you're having bread and beer in the same meal" or "she can't have bacon she's too healthy", or just comment on someone's cutting/bulking "healthier" food choices in general but if anyone were to say "like you need 4 donuts" all *kitten* would break loose and its seen as insulting?
  • COGypsy wrote: »
    COGypsy wrote: »
    I don’t discuss fitness or nutrition socially. Period.

    I dont generally discuss it, but when an alarm on my phone goes off and I go out to my truck and bring in a Tupperware of chicken and vegetable chips people tend to ask questions. Or when they see a huge change...I went from obese, to obese but noticeably strong, to somewhere around just built big in the last 8 months.

    Sounds like you go to considerable effort to be sure everyone around you is involved in your diet. Can’t be too surprising when comments follow.

    Yeah? How is following a bodybuilding diet and meal timing making sure everyone else is involved? Kinda hard not to eat around people when I eat at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 1030. So *kitten* what if I carry a cooler full of prepped meals in my truck.

    Seriously, what would you reccomend? I lift, go home, prep my meals, put it in my truck, and then go do whatever I planned to do that day. Am I supposed to go hide in my truck to eat and not eat in front of other people? Its not about flaunting or involving anyone, I like my meal timrd the way I have them and I don't usually deviate once I've planned my food for the day. The most I've ever involved anyone is grilling a steak and that's only at my parents, my uncle who lifts' house, or my friend who is also into lifting and eats a similar diet - and none of them have ever made a comment about anything.

    You don't have to hide. But clearly you made sure people knew why you were eating what you were eating, or they wouldn't have all this information about what you will or won't eat. Just eat. Don't make your dietary choices a point of discussion. If someone asks why you're eating so often, just shrug, or at most say, "it's just how I like to eat." Nothing about how you're doing it as part of your quest for some optimal level of fitness.

    And coupled with your other thread about how outrageous it was that a friend suggested after you shared info about a health challenge that you might be overdoing it, you seem to have a tendency to overreact to things other people say. You can't control what other people say, only how you react to it. What good are you doing yourself with a rage reaction?

    Kinda hard for them not to know what you eat when you share a kitchen and a fridge

    As far as rage reactions - the only the "pushing myself" thing prompted that. Probably the first time I've exploded like that in 9 months. More often than not I roll my eyes and don't say anything.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    COGypsy wrote: »
    I don’t discuss fitness or nutrition socially. Period.

    I dont generally discuss it, but when an alarm on my phone goes off and I go out to my truck and bring in a Tupperware of chicken and vegetable chips people tend to ask questions. Or when they see a huge change...I went from obese, to obese but noticeably strong, to somewhere around just built big in the last 8 months.

    Why? Is the alarm distracting?

    I bring lunch most days (it's healthy, but its not like anyone really notices or cares what I eat unless I make a big thing of it). Lots of other people in my office bring lunch and bring healthy stuff, even.

    When I lost weight people noticed and some asked what I was doing. If they seemed really interested or expressed they were trying to lose weight or had done it in the past I generally would engage in a conversation about it. If it was just casual, I'd laugh and say "eat less, work out more." One guy was being weird about it, so I said "kickboxing."

    I don't find I get comments on what I eat, but I don't make a big thing of it.
  • johnslater461
    johnslater461 Posts: 449 Member
    Can I touch you?
  • Ok, some decent responses, we've established that I'm being a whiny little *kitten* lately, I'm going to stop now. I see I've brought some some stuff on myself by not exactly being private about myeal prepped thing.

    I still have 1 question though - why is it socially acceptable to comment on "healthier" choices or "healthier" peoples cheats (I know there's such thing as healthy or unhealthy food its just a term) - and yet if those healthy people were to ever fire back with comments about an obese persons food, they'd be seen as rude? Personally I think both are kinda rude, but why is one of them perfectly ok in today's society and the other makes you a *kitten*?

    This isn't a whine, its a legitimate question I have.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,747 Member
    In addition to what other posters have suggested, you mentioned in your posts on this thread that this physical and lifestyle change has only been happening for 8 - 9 months. That's a relatively short period of time for people to see that this is permanent for you. If I'm wrong on the timeline then I apologize but for now, yes, you're going to get unsolicited often dumb comments. Give it time. The comments will fade.
  • MsBaz2018
    MsBaz2018 Posts: 384 Member
    Ok,

    I still have 1 question though - why is it socially acceptable to comment on "healthier" choices or "healthier" peoples cheats (I know there's such thing as healthy or unhealthy food its just a term) - and yet if those healthy people were to ever fire back with comments about an obese persons food, they'd be seen as rude? Personally I think both are kinda rude, but why is one of them perfectly ok in today's society and the other makes you a *kitten*?

    This isn't a whine, its a legitimate question I have.

    I think both are extremely rude. My opinion is everybody should focus on what's in their plates. I think genuine questions are OK as they do invite a real discussion. But any type of compliment (what am, 5 year old)?) or criticism (who are you, my mother?) should be avoided.
  • BZAH10 wrote: »
    In addition to what other posters have suggested, you mentioned in your posts on this thread that this physical and lifestyle change has only been happening for 8 - 9 months. That's a relatively short period of time for people to see that this is permanent for you. If I'm wrong on the timeline then I apologize but for now, yes, you're going to get unsolicited often dumb comments. Give it time. The comments will fade.

    It's kind of only been happening for 9 months. I did the whole fitness, lifting, and eating right thing for about 7 years straight, depression blah blah blah I took about 1.5 to 2 years off. I really just went back to what I always did. But I see your point.
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
    Unfriend them. Problem solved.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    edited December 2018
    I still have 1 question though - why is it socially acceptable to comment on "healthier" choices or "healthier" peoples cheats (I know there's such thing as healthy or unhealthy food its just a term) - and yet if those healthy people were to ever fire back with comments about an obese persons food, they'd be seen as rude? Personally I think both are kinda rude, but why is one of them perfectly ok in today's society and the other makes you a *kitten*?

    I find that if people (non jerks) comment on food it has nothing to do with whether the person eating it is in shape or not, or has a habit of healthy eating or not. It's usually about the food (and IMO uncommon other than "that looks tasty, what is it?"). Making actual rude comments about what someone else is eating IS considered rude, no matter who does it or who it's aimed at.

    If someone does something out of character, people who have a friendly relationship with that person might joke about it. I used to always get fish at dinner and a friend would joke on the rare occasion I didn't. Another was a hater of a particular type of dish (braised meat of any kind), so when she ordered it we acted shocked. Stuff like that. I don't think that's a big deal, but if I have a complex about someone commenting on anything I ate I guess I'd say it made me feel uncomfortable and see if the person respected that (but can't imagine doing that myself).

    I have a close friend who is a vegan, and some people make comments about what she's eating and not all the time, I'm sure it's irritating. She's been various levels of in shape and not and it hasn't affected that.
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