Weird looks and questions when I explain how I lost weight

JenX15

I can totally relate ... not 100 lbs, but still. My weight has been steady +/- 5 lbs probably since last September and yet I get comments from people now telling me that I have lost a lot more weight. Who knows? Maybe it's just that it takes a while for it to dawn on people.

I also get asked what is that I do - the answer is simple, eat less and move more. The response I usually tend to get - "but I am not really eating that much anyways, why can't I lose like you?" Then I tell them about MFP and tracking caloric intake, etc.

It has been mentioned a lot in the comments above - people are always looking for the "magic" pill. But it really is THAT simple, eat less...move more.

Ftw37

How do you guys explain it to people? Do you notice the same thing or is it just me? It seems they want to know a secret or something, and are disappointed that I don't have something more profound to say. I would really like to hear from those of you that lost a lot of weight. My weight loss wasn't dramatic and some people don't even notice it. Dying to know how someone who lost 100 lbs by counting calories feels about the reactions people have to their explanation of how they did it.

Many people have asked "what's your secret?" as if there is some magic easy answer.

I say "I record everything I eat, weigh and measure my food to make sure of portions, eat around 2000 calories a day, and I exercise." Some people can't believe that it works--they seem to be looking for an easier answer.

Others get inspired to try it themselves.

riffraff2112

The best thing is when you give them the explanation and they tell you how that doesn't work for them :laugh:

Yeah that happen about 50% of the time! 'I could never do that, too much work'. It is so much easier to spend a fortune on pills and supplements I guess.

dubbodu

Explain what you did in brief and throw at them It not that easy to Count on Calories, Challenge then if they want to it for One week.Thats answers everything.

peacheswi

It is very common that people think we have all found a magic bullet to weight loss. It is as though they were not paying attention (if someone sees you every day) or they think you have had "help" (such as surgery, Nutrisystem, etc).

I saw my son for the first time last weekend - had not seen him in 18 months. He was stunned. Then he asked my if I had "the surgery". Nope. just MFP, and doing the right things, all on my own.

seltzermint555

This is pretty common, actually. So many people have been conditioned to hear that you've done it with {name of fad diet plan or nutritional system here}. I get the same thing. It usually ends with a puzzled ... "so, you've done it all on your own?" Yes, I just eat sensibly, track my calories carefully, and exercise a lot. Sometimes I follow up with "I wasn't doing that before." Huh.

I don't explain beyond that. If they don't get it, if they don't want to get it, that's their problem. Conversation over.

Exactly this.

My ticker reflects weight lost here, but in total it's well over 100 since my heaviest and I constantly get assumptions that I did it by eating low carb, gluten free <snort>, going vegan and/or using special supplements. Even some of the people who I've referred to this website because they seemed truly interested, still make weird comments to me a lot of times about "So you eat totally clean?" and I'm like wat!? A lot of people just do not believe it's this simple.

radmack

I just give the tired old 'eat less, exercise more"

rsclause

Tell them it a miracle pill and you only have to take one and poof your excess weight is gone. What the heck, most of these people believe that when its on the advertisement anyway.

Unknown

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willrun4bagels

I have employees at work that suggested I'm doing drugs or something because they used to say things like "you literally are eating all the time at work and you're losing weight. It's really not fair". Actually... it is fair... I weigh/log everything, and wake my *kitten* up at 4:30am M-W-F to go lift hundreds of pounds, and my TDEE is high to begin with because of my height. But I just tell them that I'm eating less and working out more and they drop it.

1Cor1510

I told a few ladies last weekend how I am losing weight, and I think the BIGGEST factor for me was my MFP friends this time, and the accountability and relationships they bring to the table. Going to a place every day where there are great people fighting the same battle as I am that I can relate to and cheer on has brought me to a 230 day streak, the longest I have ever stuck to anything. I don't think I could have done this all on my own to be honest. It IS less food and more exercise, but I wouldn't have the motivation without my peeps. They did look at me a little weird, but who cares? :drinker: Cheers to MFP!

negator5543

My go to response: I was online and found an ads for this miracle pill, basically what it does is it chemically reacts with the foods you eat to super charge your metabolism. Basically this proprietary chemical compound when combined with a specific number of calories based on the energy in food relative to your age and body weight turns all food you eat(up to a certain point) into basically a fat destroying enzyme. If you get the numbers right your food and this pill can actually burn 1-3 pounds a week.

The coolest part of this pill is it makes you love simple things like walking or swimming because the light physically activity actually enhances the chain reaction in your body.

I actually have two bottles of these pills left. They retail for like 120 bucks each but if you want I can give you both for like 100 and I can even help you figure out how much food to eat to turn them on.

BEVERLYSTEEN

I don't understand why coming to MFP daily to stay accountable is a bad thing people go to AA and they are not criticized.
Until someone is ready I don't think even a 'magic pill' would work, you have to really want it bad.

Tanie98

Now that summer is coming to an end and I am returning to work (I am a teacher), more and more people seem to be noticing my weight loss (strange in itself because I had lost 90% of my weight before summer break but maybe its the new wardrobe or tanned skin) and are asking what I did?

I keep it brief and say "honestly I just got control over my eating and keep my calories below 2000". I'll mention that I use MFP to log everything, and occasionally workout and try to get some cardio a few times a week.

People seem to expect something more radical. I get all kinds of strange looks like I'm holding something back or something..

How do you guys explain it to people? Do you notice the same thing or is it just me? It seems they want to know a secret or something, and are disappointed that I don't have something more profound to say. I would really like to hear from those of you that lost a lot of weight. My weight loss wasn't dramatic and some people don't even notice it. Dying to know how someone who lost 100 lbs by counting calories feels about the reactions people have to their explanation of how they did it.

Congradulations on your weight loss

mike_ny

People simply don't want to hear something that they could also do themselves but won't or know they don't have the self control to stick with. They want something extreme so they can justify not doing it for lack of time, lack of resources, or it being a threat to their health.

Telling them it involves six hours a day of naked bungee jumping, expensive exercise machines, and eating mostly live insects while also daily ingesting small amounts of arsenic and you'll make their day since they would never consider doing anything that extreme and dangerous, so any meaningful weight loss to them is still simply impossible to ever achieve.

WinoGelato

I just had that experience yesterday, I was walking at lunch and ran into a colleague also out braving the heat. She said, "wow you've lost so much weight, has it just been from walking?". I said, "no, but that is certainly a part of it, I made a lot of small changes and had a lot of big results". She just said, "huh" and kept walking.

A slightly related humorous story. I came back from the same walk and had a meeting yesterday. I brought some of my favorite Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel squares and offered them to everyone in the room. My boss said, "Oh gosh, I can't eat one of those, I have my FitBit on today" and someone (who has no idea what a FitBit is or how it works) said, "oh my god, does it give you an electric shock if you eat something you aren't supposed to?".

willrun4bagels

A slightly related humorous story. I came back from the same walk and had a meeting yesterday. I brought some of my favorite Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel squares and offered them to everyone in the room. My boss said, "Oh gosh, I can't eat one of those, I have my FitBit on today" and someone (who has no idea what a FitBit is or how it works) said, "oh my god, does it give you an electric shock if you eat something you aren't supposed to?".

LOL :laugh: :laugh: Could you imagine if it did? Bahahaha

WinoGelato

A slightly related humorous story. I came back from the same walk and had a meeting yesterday. I brought some of my favorite Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel squares and offered them to everyone in the room. My boss said, "Oh gosh, I can't eat one of those, I have my FitBit on today" and someone (who has no idea what a FitBit is or how it works) said, "oh my god, does it give you an electric shock if you eat something you aren't supposed to?".

LOL :laugh: :laugh: Could you imagine if it did? Bahahaha

I know, that's what I was thinking. Like a shock collar on a dog!

DayByDayGetStronger

Human beings want everything in life with the smallest effort put forth possible. We want a bigger bank account just by scratching off a lotto ticket or spending $1 to win $180 million. We want a pill to keep us from pooping so much, a pill to make us poop when we can't. We want answers to our problems and will take the advice from a glowing box (tv) when it tells us to buy this car because it looks pretty and will make us feel confident and who cares how much those payments are going to be...just lease it if your credit sucks.
We want to enjoy that sofa, entertainment center, new iphone, Jimmy Chu shoes, or go on a vacation TOMORROW and pay for it later on a credit card with 21% interest. Because dammit," I'm and American and I deserve to have any friggin' thing I want at my fingertips with no effort involved".
Very few people, and I mean very few people want to focus on something intangible every day, every meal, every calorie when the benefits cannot be seen until we are in a hospital ER having a heart attack or a stroke.
I work in the healthcare field as a Registered Dietitian and have been for over 12 years now. Most people will tell me they want to "die happy" and eat the Double Double from In-n-Out every day instead of being miserable watching what they eat. I'll be seeing them in my clinic in a few years begging god for another chance after they've had their chest busted open with their ribs and sternum broken recuperating from a quadruple bypass. It's hard to sell a healthy lifestyle...even if it's free. Crazy how people are skeptical about what I am educating them on.

christschild2

I do find that people do want the easy way out. If you did not gain it overnight, then do not expect to lose it overnight. It takes time and dedication to lose it. When I say that I measure and count everything with a scale, measuring spoons and measuring cups, I am told that it is too much work and takes too much time. I just tell them that it works for me. I have to be aware of the amount of calories that I am consuming. I also invite them to come go with me for a walk, but they just don't seem to want to move. I just say to them when you change your mind, then you will change your body.

caracrawford1

I havnt updated my ticker in a month, so I have lost more than indicated, but I've been asked how I'm losing weight and I said "diet and exercise" rather simply. Now, to be fair, everyone knows I've run and worked out for years so they ask "weren't you doing that before?" I simply say "the exercise part yes, just needed to watch my diet." So far I've taken off more weight than my friend who is on diet pills of all things, but seems to think the pill will do it for her and is eating whatever she likes and drinking a ton on the weekends. She wonders why she's not losing now.
I've asked her if shed like to join me at the gym or go on a walk together (she weighs 100 pounds more than me, so I realize asking her to go on one of my ten mile runs would not be realistic) but she refuses so I have left it at that.

rsclause

I havnt updated my ticker in a month, so I have lost more than indicated,

I have an Aria wi-fi scale from fit bit and it update my ticker on a daily basis. Also posts any weight loss on the home page. Its also fun to watch the trends both long and short term. I highly recommend one.

Archerychickge

I look them straight in the eye and with a smile on my face I say "I stopped being a hog".

No strange looks, no further explanation needed.

SunKissed1989

A lot of people have asked me what my 'secret' to my weight loss is - I just say "Eating less and exercising more." Everyone expects an extreme response but it really is as simple as eating less and exercising more...well, for me anyway

cwolfman13

People don't really ask me much anymore, but when they did I just told them that I moved more and ate less and that I kept a diary for awhile to track my nutrition to see where I really was.

The reason you get weird looks is because people can't believe it's actually that simple...not that it's necessarily easy, but it is simple. People like to vastly over-complicate things like this...they think there has to be some kind of magic pill or you have to be doing all kinds of crazy whacked out exercises and eating nothing but salads and celery sticks...they just can't fathom that it all actually very simple. Hell...you see it everyday right here on MFP....all kinds of people over-complicating what is not at all complicated.

Archerychickge

People don't really ask me much anymore, but when they did I just told them that I moved more and ate less and that I kept a diary for awhile to track my nutrition to see where I really was.

The reason you get weird looks is because people can't believe it's actually that simple...not that it's necessarily easy, but it is simple. People like to vastly over-complicate things like this...they think there has to be some kind of magic pill or you have to be doing all kinds of crazy whacked out exercises and eating nothing but salads and celery sticks...they just can't fathom that it all actually very simple. Hell...you see it everyday right here on MFP....all kinds of people over-complicating what is not at all complicated.

YES!!!!! THIS x1000000000000000000

All these people who talk endlessly about macros and deficits, and this or that, just make my brain hurt. Work off more calories than you take in. Period.

guwisti

sometimes i make up stuff like the cat food diet etc just because they dont want to hear they have to eat right and exercise

MUST start using this! I lost 50 lbs before and I told people " I just move more and eat less". And yep same looks.

SunKissed1989

Try using Emily Blunt's line from the Devil Wears Prada:

"Well, I don't eat anything and if I feel like I'm going to faint, I eat a cube of cheese!":laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

ohaston

It happens to me OVER and OVER .. .I explain to them how easy it is to count calories ... I tell them its like a game ... I can put together my puzzle pieces however I want to, as long as I stay within my goal.
I tell ppl how addictive exercise is and how little you need to make a difference .... 30 mins a day (who can't do that?).
and OMG, when I mention MFP, sparkpeople, or any websites that are KNOWN for being support groups, their eyes just glaze over and some literally say "oh forget it" thats toooo much" !!!

But you know what, I can't associate with those type of ppl anymore, I have (HAD) a friend that loved to go to freaking BUFFETs, well since I don't eat like that anymore (hell, I never really did unless I was with her) we have only gone out for a "girls night out" 1 time in the last 2+ yrs (see I began to change the weight I eat in 2010, when I was diagnosed with hypertension, which was 3 years before I started counting calories).
Thats sad to think that the only fun she has is when she's stuffing her (XL) face! No sports bar, no drinks, no dance club, no nothing ... JUST ALL YOU CAN EATs !!!!

I would love to help ppl ... I even tried to start something at my church ... but Oh well, Im just soooo glad I swallowed the magic pill of determination and I thank God daily for it ...

And thanks MFP for the continued support!

dsapp918

I go with "tape worm and running from the police".