Do you tell people you are on the journey to loose weight?

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  • carlysuzanne85
    carlysuzanne85 Posts: 204 Member
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    I hate calling it a diet and I am hesitant to tell friends I am on this journey, because I wonder if they will nag or judge me when they see me eat. But then again I am proud of what I am accomplishing. So I wonder, when do others share with their friends? I have told some close friends, but I have not put it out there in facebook land.
    I have set for myself a goal of loosing 80 pounds by next August. I really need to loose another 80 after that. So far am off to a good start, but I could use all the support possible.
    As with many I have read on here, I have been over weight since I was a child. I haven't been under 200 pounds since 1989. I want to be there and I feel I have a chance. MFP has been helping to hold me accountable and I have kept on my plan, even with having some emotionally challenging days.
    Let me know your thoughts about sharing with others!!!

    I have told the world. I am proud of making a change in my life. I don't use the word diet cause that word is evil and it only means temporay changes. I am not here to change for a short time but for the rest of my life. I am on a road to change my life physically by watching how much I eat and what I eat but also emotionally. Lets face it when we are overwieght we are depressed and don't want to move. I had one friend that says it is stupid to go on a diet during the holidays. I looked at her in the eyes and said its not a diet and its stupid to use the holidays as an excuse. I am now a size 14 from a size 16 (which may not seem like much.). So don't look at your journey as a diet it is a change of life. If you would like to add me as a friend go ahead and send me a request. I will be more than happy to accept it. ~ Danielle

    This. Absolutely. (Also, way to go on getting down a size! That totally does seem like much!).

    I think it depends on who your Facebook friends are and your own level of comfort. I was very open about my journey and found so much support and it gave me an extra sense of accountability. After awhile, I slowly slipped into bad habits again and started to turn away from that help. Later, I had a wake up call and turned back to my Facebook friends to admit that I gained all the weight back and then some, that I wasn't giving up, but I did need support. The outpouring of support I received was phenomenal. Friends from all times in my life and acquaintances and coworkers. Now, whenever I struggle to finish a workout or I am tempted to slip back into an old habit, I imagine this group of "cheerleaders" around me. Friends tell me often now that I inspire them to workout or start training for a 5k. Many of them are not on the same journey though which is why my MFP community has been such a huge help.

    Really, the biggest thing, is to have support ad accountability. Whether you find it here, from real life friends and family, your Facebook world, or whomever, but seeking out help is huge. Obviously, we can be self-conscious about this journey sometimes so start where you are comfortable amd maybe expand that circle as you gain confidence. Knowing that my MFP friends can read my food diary influences my choices, knowing that my Facebook friends/real life friends know my renewed commitment to my health, I knows can't give up. Find whatever and whoever works for you! Feel free to add me for some extra support!
  • kadams0026
    kadams0026 Posts: 5
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    I agree about the word diet. I have never tried to diet because I never really changed my eating habits and the word diet doesn't really encompass exercise. So my preferred choice of wording has always been, "I am making a lifestyle change." That is what getting healthy is really all about. You have to change everything that you have done in the past that made you gain the weight, and look at things in a new way. I hope to inspire people in the future, but right now this choice is for me. I am tired of being this way but before I can inspire others, I have to inspire myself. Good luck to all of you, and whether you decide to share or not, know that you have support here on myfitnesspal.
  • dena789
    dena789 Posts: 164 Member
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    When I starting "monitoring my food intake", the only people who knew were one of my sisters and a couple of other people who I wanted to tell about MFP right away. The rest have learned by seeing the results. I get many complements on how I look now after losing a bit over 50 pounds but people started to notice the change when I was down about 30 pounds. When they ask how I am doing it, I tell them I eat all the foods I enjoy including treats occasionally but I control the quantities by tracking everything on MFP. I've told many people about MFP and some have joined, some have not. I know I couldn't do this on my own without MFP!
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
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    Why, does it need to be tightened?
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    i tell all of my friends and family, it will show who will want to help encourage you, and a lot of my friends and employees love eating healthy so i guess that helps a lot....my mom is the only person who is happy for me, and wants to change herself, but doesn't try to make any change for herself...i wish i could help, but as she used to always say , "you can't help someone that doesnt want to help themselves". As far as the negative comments or people, i just brush them off and on occasion call them out on their bull**** when they've pushed me to my point such as my roomate.
  • barbaramitchell101
    barbaramitchell101 Posts: 360 Member
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    I only share with co-workers, MFP friends, my DR and my family...most of my family is on the thin side tho...only the women on my mom's side were heavy....

    my co-works are now wondering what I am doin, because they have tried for years, and are stll at the sme weight...our driver however is starting to lose a bit...he started at about 350 lbs, and since he's been watching me, he has lost abut 25 lbs...I encourage him all the time... my supervisor recently aslo asked me what I am doing to lose...she told me last week that I need to buy new clothes...the shoulders of my shirts are hanging way over my shoulders, LOL
    my Dr is pleased because EVERY TIME I GO TO SEE HER, I have lost at least 2-3 lbs......not much, but it's enough to keep her happy
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
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    I post little NSV statuses on here all the time. Other than that I just wait until someone brings it up. Now the only exception was I had my husband take pictures of me when I hit the 40 pound mark, which I did post on my Facebook with a comparison picture.
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
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    No. I'm changing my lifestyle. 'Diet' is the worst word ever. Everyone's on a 'diet'. You eat crap or you eat clean. You're a carnivore or a vegan. That's your diet... duh. It's what you eat.

    You can't think of weight loss as a diet change. It has to be a lifestyle change because our past lifestyles are what got us fat.

    I tell people I'm also currently doing a 12 week transformation program.

    Other than that I slap them and tell them to mind their own business... :glasses:
  • BonnieandClyde29
    BonnieandClyde29 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    1 other thing i want to add though, i only have 2 personal friends on MFP, because even though i tell all my friends, this is still something i want to do just for me not anyone else, so i do advise my friends to use this site, but no one wants to stick with it, so i have 84 friends on here and only actually know 2 of them, but i love the support on this site, and i cant always get that from friends
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    I let others bring it up first. I've heard, u look smaller, or Wow" You lost weight and then I explain myself. I never just talk about it because I want to avoid negativity........
  • Skys_not_the_limit
    Skys_not_the_limit Posts: 10
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    Only Family members:)
    My friends tend to be extremely "judgy" about diets and healthy eating (for whatever reason) so I don't bother telling them.
  • missdelajay
    missdelajay Posts: 45 Member
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    Some what. I pretty much call it a lifestyle change. It has taken me 2 years to lose 16 lbs because I have done it the way I plan on eating the rest of my life. I do not cut out pizza, alcohol or cheeseburgers because I know I will have all of those items again. I have done the nurtrisystem diet and lost 25 lbs in about 3 months and gained it back about 6 months later.
  • missdelajay
    missdelajay Posts: 45 Member
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    Isn't that great when others notice? I never get tired of that
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
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    Nope, I did not tell anyone I am changing my bad habits. But when people ask me, I share with them what I'm doing and I recommend MFP. When you are losing weight you can't hide it for long.
  • hwatt413
    hwatt413 Posts: 2
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    I think I'm like most of the rest. I let other people mention that I look like I've lost weight then I may say just thanks or depending on who it is, explian why I'm on this new change in my eating habits (as I like to call it). I don't really like to call it a diet either, because that to me sounds temporary also, and this has to be a permenant change in my life. I think I would just go with my instincts on who to tell and who not to tell, and just let it play out. You are always welcome to add me, I love to talk to people and can always use the encouragement myself. Good luck with everything!!!
  • LovelyLifter
    LovelyLifter Posts: 560 Member
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    *eye twitch*
  • slfleisher
    slfleisher Posts: 5
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    I never tell people, other than my immediate family. Unless there's a goal I'm working toward, that I can get others excited about with me (a workout class, a big race, or even a "meltdown competition") there's no point in telling people. I either set myself up for failure with everyone watching me if I don't succeed, or I feel like I"m rubbing it in other's faces and making them feel like they need to join me/change themselves.

    Besides, I'm about 30 lbs less than when I absolutely started trying to lose weight, about 2.5 years later and it's hilarious to see people I havent' seen in a long time, and have everyone notice!
  • UKMarjie
    UKMarjie Posts: 257 Member
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    No. This is the first time I have ever 'dieted'. I guess I don't want anyone to know at the beginning because although I have changed the shape of my body at the gym I have not changed the number on the scale. I feel better about myself but know that this has to be a lifestyle change. The funny thing was that the first day I logged I did double the amount of calories I was meant to track. It was informative to me to see the worst possible day as my first day. The next day I had a suck attack and literally was doing victorian histrionics a la 'whoa is me'...because I was hungry...wammbulance came and I feel ok today. That being said - I don't want to fall flat on my face after having made a public declaration...
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
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    *eye twitch*

    !yes!
  • WrenStory
    WrenStory Posts: 103
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    It's ok to be proud of what you are accomplishing without sharing the specifics with them. Sharing this kind of info is largely irrelevant... unless you are the type of person who thrives mostly on accountability with others.

    Also, if you are going to post this on your Facebook, please spell it correctly... this is a commonly misspelled word. It's "lose" and "losing"... not loose. Loose is something that isn't tight.

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