How public are you regarding your dieting?

ShonzG

My sister (who is quite petite and only needs to loose a couple of kilos) told me about this site. I need to loose about 20kgs. She doesn't know this, and neither does anyone else! I only joined this site yesterday, so I'm hoping it will help me. But I'm not going to tell anyone that I'm doing this (at least for a while yet).

I am on a fairly strict gluten and dairy free diet due to intolerances / allergies, so most people know that I can't eat just anything, so I'm going to use that as an excuse to eat healthier and not eat just anything that is gluten free. I also have a fluid retention problem which doesn't help either! Lets see how things go!

Good luck everyone.

Shonz

jammyone

I have no problem with sharing all my information with regards to weight, bodyfat, muscle mass, the food I eat etc. If you're doing as best you can, what is there to be ashamed about? :-)

CARNAT22

I'll talk about it with anyone who asks / is interested.

The principles of healthy eating are relevant to everyone, not just those who are trying to loose weight...

FozzyUK

Fairly public with my weight loss - I as many before me have said am seeing this as a change in lifestyle rather than a diet though - so far, most of the guys/gals at work know and are interested to know how I'm doing - Also they become my surrogate consciences if I am tempted to stray. All my family know and

I let MFP update Facebook but only with my Weight lost so far updates - nothing else.

Totally open on MFP except for my starting weight which I will be open about when I have managed to be "ok" with it myself.

People have been generally supportive, but you do find the odd character that seem to go out of their way to sabotage everything I'm doing - bringing cakes and sweets by to TRY and tempt me, constantly making comments about it "Not really showing" when everyone else comments on how much I've lost - bizarre behaviour and so far they are unsuccessful in their attempts

phinners

I'm comfortable talking about mine, I also have a gastric band and am happy to discuss this and my technique for weight loss. And I ignore any strange looks when I order a kids meal in the restaurant, they look at me then look at my 3 months old and look very confused. I find it quite amusing.

MissingMinnesota

Pretty much everyone I know knows that I changed my eating habits and am living a healthier lifestyle. It became hard to hide my weight loss after 30lbs. I have the updates to both facebook and twitter and get a lot of encouragement from my friends, family, and co-workers. I have had many people tell me that my updates motivated them to start exercising again. Why not use my experience to motivate others?

BigBoneSista

Well I'm not on a diet so I don't express that, but people do know my choices of foods may not match theirs. They also know I work out regularly. It gets mentioned here and there but no real conversations because I don't allow it to get that deep normally. Well except with my mom. We always discuss healthy eating and exercise....we discuss everything. She is my BFF besides my hubby.

Mkleder

I am not public about it AT ALL! Although, my roommate knows that I am back to healthy lifestyle habits and he is too. In my case, once I make something like that public, suddenly everyone under the sun knows what's best for me. Half the time their idea of what's best involves "Awwww. one piece won't hurt."

No, one piece doesn't hurt IF I budget my calorie intake for it and IF it's not somthing that will trigger a feeding frenzy on my part, etc. It's as if they take my "No, thank you" as a negative statement about their own food choices. Once they find out about my journey, they suddenly become health experts, lecturing me on things while eating that piece of whatever-it-was that I left behind ... after finishing their own piece.

I have a hard enough time dealing with a large, bulky roommate who, although also on a weight loss journey, has a much higher daily calorie intake than I do and who keeps shoving food in front of me that I just can't eat.

This is a something I am doing for me, for my own very personal reasons, and my will is like iron.

FearAnLoathing

I am compleatly honest about everything I do or have done.The good the bad and the really bad.lol

BrandNewMia

The only thing I post to Facebook is my blog. Only a few FB friends have commented when I've posted, so I don't know how many people are actually reading it. I keep my blog public for accountability purposes - I didn't think sharing it with my MFP friends was enough. I needed to know other people may be watching me and my progress, and it keeps me motivated.

Other than that, I do not bring up my weight loss. Everyone around me has noticed the change in my eating habits, and if they ask if I'm on a diet I just say that I am eating healthier and changing my lifestyle. I'll talk about it openly and honestly if asked, but I don't shout it from the rooftops. At least not yet, maybe when I've lost a bunch of weight I won't be able to keep my mouth shut about it!

backinthenines

All my friends and work colleagues know that I'm back in training and that I'm trying to return to my pre-injury weight.

I don't tell anyone I'm "on a diet" because I don't see myself as being on a diet?

patricac

I used to be very secretive about my weight loss plans and I always failed. When I started my current journey in May 2010, I decided I had to be more open about it. I recruited some great friends that became my diet coaches, I let my family and close friends know what I was doing. I email my diet coaches every single week with plans / accomplishments / challenges. I also email my family/close friends with milestones. I've found that it's helped me be accountable for my goals/actions. When I was dieting in secret, there was no one there to check me. When I feel like I'm struggling now, I'll text/call/email someone and they'll give me that extra boost to just do it.

When I found MFP, I decided that if I'm going to make my goal weight - I had to put it out there even more. That's when I started my blog & started posting on the message boards. It really helps to have that extra virtual support as well as having my family/friends be my cheerleaders

binabodu

I told myself I wouldn't say anything until people started noticing I was losing weight which happened for the first time at -22 lbs. People started asking what I was doing so I have led a handful of people here and now they are losing weight too.

This. I am trying to make it a lifestyle change, not dieting. I am not telling people until the start to notice! I don't need anymore pressure than I put on myself. Of course the people closest to me know and are very supportive.

innerfashionista

My friends and my team at work knows. I like hearing I look thinner My team at work knows because there is ALWAYS food around me, like today, there are cupcakes. My TM knows I'm dieting so she brought in strawberries for me so I can have something sweet and not blow the diet.

I didn't talk about my strugges and my weight loss a lot, but I'm open about it now. I wear my weight-loss emotions on my sleeve, and my shirt, and my pants. I'm like a poster child for weight loss. It helps me, though. It motivates me. If it doesn't make someone comfortable to talk about it, then don't, but it does me.

JeanK56

I'm training for a couple of triathlons so my information is public as I do talk about what my training is for the day. People know that I am tyring to lose weight by cutting calories and I have discussed MFP with some others.

fitnesspirateninja

I have a closed group on Facebook. I asked people who I know are trying to get healthy, or who are in training (I have a brother and a friend who are running marathons) to join. I update it about once a week, after my weigh in. I also post articles related to healthy living and healthy recipes. Aside from that, I only mention it if someone asks me if I've lost weight. I also told my grandma because she thought I was playing with my phone at dinner when I was logging my food.

kelsully

I find that when you are clearly overweight it is ok to be public about your healthy eating choices. When you are at a healthy weight and you continue to make healthy choices no one wants to hear about it. They will make crap of you and tell you to live a little and eat. I just do what I do now and try not to draw attention to myself.

rlysrh

I don't really tell many people I know about it. A lot of the time people tell me I don't need to lose weight and that I'm being silly or something when I say I'm trying to lose weight, and I know they mean it as a compliment or in a nice way but its something I want to do to be happier and I really don't need discouraging. Although I told a couple of friends who were just very supportive. (: Also I haven't told my family yet. I want to make sure I can actually stick to it this time. I've told them I was trying to lose weight in the past and then just kinda given up. I don't want it to seem like one of those times I'm gonna just give up again so I'll wait a couple of weeks and when I'm still sticking to it I'll tell them. (:
I hate saying 'I'm trying to lose weight' because that implies that since I'm TRYING I'm not being entirely successful, and I hate saying 'I'm on a diet' because it's not really a diet, and when you say the word diet people seem to assume you mean you're on one of those crazy diets where you only eat lettuce for a week or something.

p_cakes

I'm public, but not to everyone. Most of the ladies I work with know, some don't (and they offer me treats EVERYDAY and I decline). My parents know, my boyfriend knows, a few of my friends know (mainly because we are doing it together, so we keep each other in track)

I don't go about saying I am on a diet, but then I also don't call it a diet. Before when I've said I'm on a diet, I would stop. I'm changing the way I do everything. It's my lifestyle change. I'm not doing this just to lose weight for one event, I'm doing it for my life. So it's a change, not a diet. Sometimes I will indulge in those treats ate work, but I still keep on track.

I make it as public as I want, but not by saying "I'm on a diet" If I said it I would say" I'm working on eating healthier."

Those who do know, help me out or keep me on track when I'm tempted with something less healthy.

I thik keeping it to yourself can make it harder. it helps to have people that know you're doing it, they'll pay more attention (possibly) and let you know when you're slipping, even if you don't know.

mlb929

I talk about my fitness but not about the weight loss. If tell people what plan I started to get me focused but because it is a lifestyle, not a diet, I don't think I need to talk about it. My friends and family tease me when I order out at a restaurant, no cheese, no breads, no dressings, etc - they call it no flavor.

My fitness triumphs are so much more rewarding and interesting, if ask I tell people I ran a marathon, I'm still running. I tell them about P90X and Insanity. It's accomplishments I'm proud of. People at that point just assume I lost weight without changing my eating habits. Not true, but they only ask what they really want to know anyway IMO.

Kris1974

I am also very public an doften times I am sure my friends get annoyed or sick of hearing me talk about calories and how m uch weight I have lost or how my clothes don't fit anymore etc. But you know what I don't care because I am changing me and that's all that matters

dawnelaine96

I've just started but I'm telling anybody who will listen.

startingoverca

I tell people (family etc) what I am doing )walking to work) that way they ask me if I have walked or not and it helps me stay motivated I won't talk about how much I weigh, but I will mention if clothes are fitting better etc... Every little bit of accountability helps!

Staceslim

I am semi - public we were talking about it at work because we were watching HEAVY on our break & the one girl used to be quite heavy, I told her she looks really good now (I saw pictures of her when she was heavy). I mention MFP because I think its great for me to keep me acountable & I really need to stay up on it. I will say something to people if they ask me when it becomes noticeable, I am also diabetic so I need to be eating healthier & excercising so if they see that I will let them know what I am trying to do.

WIChelle

I have never said anything while dieting because I feel kind of embarrassed. I think after reading this thread I will be much more public!