Suddenly I Bristle at This Comment

ChappyEight

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting". My coworkers have noticed my weight dropping over the last couple months and started asking me what "diet" I was on. Or, better yet, when I decided to splurge (because it was within my calories for the day) and have an Ice Cream Snickers bar with everyone else, one woman made the comment, "Hey, you're not allowed to eat that! You're dieting!"

I'd like to think I'm changing my entire lifestyle and, to me at least, "dieting" infers something short term and "fad-ish".

The only thing I've ever said to anyone, other than my wife, is that I'm trying to be healthy. Not sure why I came to hate the terms "diet" and "dieting" so much.

/rant

Long_and_Lean

who the hell are they to judge what you eat anyway? urgh. I'm right with ya.

gseburn

I'm with you! It's viewed in such a strange way, all about "dos and dont's" instead of a life change that allows for a natural progression towards better health. All the best in reaching your goals!

55tolose

Ill bet its an mfp brainwasing lol Because here we are all about our weight loss journy and lifestyle change! I also have decided that diet just doesn't cut it for what we are accomplishing in this community : )

ngottstein

I would definitely have bristled if someone told me i'm not "allowed" to eat something! I think that is perfectly understandable. I admire your conviction to change your lifestyle for the better. Know that the people on this site support that goal :happy: Keep working to get healthy & show everyone what "not dieting" can do for you!:drinker:

shivles

It annoys me too! Because this isn't a diet, this is a life change, I'm not going back to how I was eating before. I tell people that I'm not eating certain things because I'm training (which is true) , which seems a more acceptable answer than trying to be healthy for some reason.

lolabluola

I get that all the TIME!

"are you allowed to eat that?"

hahaha sometimes it's good because it makes me think about it but come one! haha

carriempls

Being “on a diet” is pretty much the standard, culturally accepted way you talk about changing eating habits.

Diet as a blanket word that simply means what you eat. Some diets include far too many calories and are unhealthy, some don’t.

Your diet has recently changed and folks are noticing. They are likely noticing the positive changes in you as a result.

It’s annoying to have someone point out something you shouldn’t eat, but as for the rest, eh, whatevs. It’s what people call it.

raeleek

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting". My coworkers have noticed my weight dropping over the last couple months and started asking me what "diet" I was on. Or, better yet, when I decided to splurge (because it was within my calories for the day) and have an Ice Cream Snickers bar with everyone else, one woman made the comment, "Hey, you're not allowed to eat that! You're dieting!"

I'd like to think I'm changing my entire lifestyle and, to me at least, "dieting" infers something short term and "fad-ish".

The only thing I've ever said to anyone, other than my wife, is that I'm trying to be healthy. Not sure why I came to hate the terms "diet" and "dieting" so much.

/rant

Couldnt have said it better!

bcattoes

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting".

You are not alone. That is a common thing on this site. Personally, I like the term "diet" and am irritated by the term "lifestyle change". :ohwell:

abbylg1983

I don't like the word diet either, although, strictly speaking, anyone who eats is on a diet. But I know what you mean.

I say I'm on a diet because it's shorthand for 'I am trying to make healthier choices and nachos Bell grande is not on the list" but yeah, it's more about making some permanent changes.

Two years ago, all I ate was refined carbs (and fruit). If I ate meat, it was a hamburger from McDonalds or buffalo wings. That was also the only time I ever got any fats. I had vegetables maybe 2-3 times a week. Otherwise, it was pretty much cereal, white bread, crackers, chips, candy, beer, diet coke, 3-4 servings of fruit a day, Smart Ones rice and beans, campbells chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti. Day in, day out. Sometimes scrambled eggs if I was feeling really ambitious. I stayed pretty much the same weight for 10 years (probably my caloric intake was pretty steadily around what I was using) but I was pretty thick around the middle. After I got pregnant I started considering this foreign thing called protein and vegetables. I have been working for the last 6 months on incorporating more lean protein and vegetables into every meal, and cutting way down on empty calories. But I don't really consider it a diet- this is the way I want to eat from now on. Doesn't mean I'll never have a treat again. I eat treats all the time, I just keep the portions small.

DietandVlogsense

I have to agree with the opening post. Already I am getting a little sick of co-workers and friends making comments on what I eat, as if I am commiting some cardinal sin if I have an extra chip or eat a bigger than normal lunch!!!

We are all allowed the odd treat and the beauty of the MTP system is that you can accomadate those things into your overall plan.

For me, like the OP, I see Life Style Change as a long term commitment, not just whilst I am loosing the weight. It is about Life Style Change and MFP is something that I think I will use for many years to come, even when I hit my target weight.

Logging food details has really opened my eyes to what I am putting in my stomach on a daily basis and I want to be able to keep being aware of that from now, until the stick me in the box and the end.

PurpleEpiphany

I find sarcasm works best for me in such situations...although it can backfire, lol. For example, in the ice cream bar situation, I would have been tempted to say "Oh it's fine, I just won't eat anything for the next two days, so it'll even out."

I agree on the terminology, though. The technical meaning of 'diet' is pretty far from what most people mean when they say the word now. This is why I only have a couple coworkers who even know I'm doing the MFP thing, monitoring calories, etc. The very last thing I want in the world is coworkers criticizing or commenting on what I eat. I'm already very self-conscious about food, so everyone tracking what I eat would be like my worst nightmare!

Bobby_Clerici

Same here...because all these weak people are always "dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"....
It just never ends.
I do not want anything in common with that herd of losers.
:noway:

XXXMinnieXXX

i'm with you... it took me a long time to realize i needed to change my whole lifestyle rather than just diet though, so they are probably just not 'there' yet, i wouldn't let it irritate you. It bugs me when i am having a treat though within calories and everyone says you shouldn't be eating that... x

TrailRunner61

I feel the same way. Just tell them you aren't dieting and that it's a lifestyle. You are eating RIGHT and moving more! If they need further explanation when you are 'going off your diet', tell them that you still eat what you want, because you do! You just 'eat within your means', and earn your treats.
Some people are threatened when they know you are making progess with weightloss because they aren't ready to do it yet. If that's the case, just ignore them. You learn who you can talk to about it and who you shouldn't waste your breath with!
Congrats on your new lifestyle! Keep up the hard work and enjoy those treats when you have them!

SelkieDiver

I tell people I'm ALLOWED to eat anything I like. Sometimes I like my salad & beans. Sometimes I like my ice cream, or eating out in a restaurant. If they want to ask what changes I've been making to get the results I have gotten I"m more than happy to share. If they ask me what diet I'm doing I just say I'm not on a diet. I'm just exercising and watching what I put in my mouth!

Jules2Be

Same here...because all these weak people are always "dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"...."dieting"....
It just never ends.
I do not want anything in common with that herd of losers.
:noway:

HMPFf!

LadyFisch

Yep, 9 times out of 10, those people who are on a "diet" will be on some sort of "diet" in a few weeks when this "diet" fails. I love to report that my DIET is the healthy way I choose to eat. Lessons I've learned the hard way. Wish I would have had the knowledge I know now 20 years ago.

cheerforsteelers

I'm with you on this one. As soon as anyone catches wind of me making better decision when it comes to food (or dieting in their words) then all of the sudden: Can you eat this? Oh are you trying to lose weight? Have you lost any weight? Are you allowed? Wait a minute...aren't you supposed to stay away from that?

Uh, excuse me? None of your business. I'm not trying to go on a fad diet. I'm changing my whole approach to food and my body. It's not anyone's job but mine to monitor what I eat and how much. My friend did this last night. I was telling her how much better I felt and that I'm striving to think positively about my body and food. We went to the farmer's market and I bought fruits & veggies. She turned to me and said she really wanted to go to dairy queen for a mini blizzard, but didn't want to distract me from dieting. She asked me if I was allowed to have one. I said yes (it was within my calorie range and such) and she looked at me very surprised. I was annoyed, but whatever. We had one mini blizzard each and no one died.

jcstanton

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting". My coworkers have noticed my weight dropping over the last couple months and started asking me what "diet" I was on. Or, better yet, when I decided to splurge (because it was within my calories for the day) and have an Ice Cream Snickers bar with everyone else, one woman made the comment, "Hey, you're not allowed to eat that! You're dieting!"

I'd like to think I'm changing my entire lifestyle and, to me at least, "dieting" infers something short term and "fad-ish".

The only thing I've ever said to anyone, other than my wife, is that I'm trying to be healthy. Not sure why I came to hate the terms "diet" and "dieting" so much.

/rant

Next time someone says something like that, respond with, "Technically, we are all dieting because your 'diet' is plain and simply whatever you eat. What I'm doing is changing my diet habits from unhealthy to healthy. That doesn't mean I can't have a treat once in a while. It just means that I can't splurge as often, and when I do, I have to exercise self control and don't overdo it."

deannakittygirl

I too hate the term "diet" if people ask I say I am not on a diet I just don't eat junk all day everyday. I also hate "diet food" aka sugar free fat free or rice cakes. I eat real stuff with real sugar and real fat ok reduced fat milk but mostly full fat stuff. I do enjoy diet pepsi. though not everyday

mmarlow61

Does my mom work with you??? lol If we EVER have a family gathering she monitors my plate to see just what and how much of what I eat and then the next day gives me her critique. Gets very aggravating, evidently I understand what I'm doing since I'm down 71 lbs, but it's like she cannot get over oldfashioned mindsets and give up control (EVEN though i'm WELL old enough to monitor myself :bigsmile: )

bcattoes

Yep, 9 times out of 10, those people who are on a "diet" will be on some sort of "diet" in a few weeks when this "diet" fails.

I'm on a diet. I plan to be on some sort of diet in a few weeks. Not because my diet failed, but because it works.

sarabluebell

Id tell them where Im gonna shove my snickers bar....oh wait im gonna eat it....when someone said something to me about that a year ago when I was dieting...I smiled and offered to come help clean out thier fridge and cabinets so they could get healthy too...I remember she looked kinda weird at me not sure if I was really wanting to help, or I was implying she could use to lose some weight too lol...she never did say anything else to me after that.

auroranflash

My diet consists of rainbows.

FuneralDiner

Most people think dieting is about living off rabbit food and never being allowed to indulge.

These people are idiots.

Jules2Be

My diet consists of rainbows.

stop being cute, i am trying to frown , and stay on my diet...OOPS i called it diet...guess what people? whatever you eat IS your diet. who cares what people call it?

AReasor

The word diet for me implies restrictions and limits. I am living and eating just how I want to for the next 50+ years. I do not cut out foods because that means I would be cutting them out FOREVER.

And a world without icecream is just not ok with me. :flowerforyou:

Deedles2012

My girlfirend here at work and I were just talking about going to lunch. She wanted to go somewhere I had never been, Quizno's (sp). I told her that was fine, I could pull up an menu online and find an appropriatly healthy meal for me. One of the other girls in the office felt the need to pipe up and say "Well Dee you are on a diet. I don't think you should really go over there." I turned and looked at her smiling sweetly and said " I didn't ask for your opinion." and left it at that.

LorFor

I agree, I am NOT on a diet. I'm trying to treat my body well, and nourish it while getting rid of some of the weight I received as a 40th birthday present from the cosmos.LOL
For the ice cream scenario, and the question of "are you ALLOWED to eat that". . . my feeling, and reaction would depend on the asker. For a co-worker I might try sarcastic sympathy, something like "Aww, is that how you think it works?" Using this tactic, you really have to commit, don't look snide, wear a really sympathetic expression as if you feel sorry for them.lol
If it was a friend or family member, I would use it as an educational opportunity. I would try to advise them out of the all or nothing mentality, because if it's someone I care for I would want them to be happier and healthier too.