Biggest argument you get in with friends about diet

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  • patentguru
    patentguru Posts: 312 Member
    My fiance constantly tells me that what I'm doing is wrong........There are days I want to just give up because I feel like I have to argue my case with him all the time......

    And you're going to marry him even though he is trying to sabotage your happiness?

    I was thinking the same thing. You had the guts to say it.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Didnt read the thread. I get in no arguments with friends about diet. What I eat or how much is none of their business. Stop blabbing and people won't tell you what they think about what you are doing.
    Exactly!
    My fiance constantly tells me that what I'm doing is wrong........There are days I want to just give up because I feel like I have to argue my case with him all the time......
    Just break up.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    That your body doesn't know the difference between high fructose corn syrup and any other sugar.
    That it makes no difference what time of day you eat food.
    That 100 calories is 100 calories, regardless of whether it comes from bread or fat or sugar.
    That detoxing is bull.
    #1
    Losing weight is 10% exercise and 90% diet (just the reverse of what they show on The Biggest Loser).
  • HurricaneElaine
    HurricaneElaine Posts: 984 Member
    My dad continuously argues that there are no calories in alcohol! That's why alcoholics are always slim! I wish there were no calories in it, then I might not be here in the first place!

    (off-topic) Alcoholics are always slim?! My brother would laugh til he puked! He's been a raging alcoholic for over ten years and now weighs well over 300 pounds!
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Politics, religion, dieting. If I know they aren't like-minded, I won't discuss it with them.
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
    Heh my grandmother is funny like that. When I was about 215-220 she said I was too fat. Now I'm too skinny at 170.
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
    Politics, religion, dieting. If I know they aren't like-minded, I won't discuss it with them.

    I can relate...totally.
  • patentguru
    patentguru Posts: 312 Member
    I am really trying not to argue with you. I made this thread to vent the frustration with people making irritating statements about health (I am not saying your statements are irritating).

    I personally believe alcohol in moderation is quite healthy, and far more healthy than processed foods, etc. (for another forum). I drink at least 4 nights a week and have no problem dropping fat using a caloric deficit. All foods are processed differently, they have to be since they all have a different chemical structure.

    For every food item out there (alcohol, sugar, saturated fat, red meat, etc) you can find some overly broad statement as to why it is bad.

    Alcohol does not make you fat by itself. You must eat more calories than you burn.

    As far as the liver shutting down when you drink-no way. I have run 10 plus miles with alcohol in my system and I would not make it without the liver converting fat to carbs. In addition, if the liver shut down when drinking, I would be able to eat as many carbs as I want because the carbs would not be converted to fat by the liver.



    Actually, it does:

    Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which are slowly digested and absorbed within the gastrointestinal system. However, this digestive process changes when alcohol is present. When you drink alcohol, it gets immediate attention (because it is viewed by the body as a toxin) and needs no digestion.

    On an empty stomach, the alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall quickly and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This process is slower when you have food in your stomach, but as soon as that food enters the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first priority and is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream.

    As the alcohol reaches the liver for processing, the liver places all of its attention on the alcohol. If you drink very slowly, all the alcohol is collected by the liver and processed immediately—avoiding all other body systems. If you drink more quickly, the liver cannot keep up with the processing needs and the alcohol continues to circulate in the body until the liver is available to process it. That's why drinking large amounts of alcohol (or drinking alcohol quickly) affect the brain centers involved with speech, vision, reasoning and judgment.

    When the body is focused on processing alcohol, it is not able to properly break down foods containing carbohydrates and fat. Therefore, these calories are converted into body fat and are carried away for permanent storage on your body.

    OK- I am not going to argue against your below point. I was responding to a post that stated alcohol causes weight gain. That is like saying fat causes weight gain, carbs cause weight gain, etc.

    We are all on MFP because we all understand that weight gain is caused by eating more calories than we burn and weight loss is eating less calories than burn, and not by a single type of food. Alcohol in general (for the vast majority of people that drink it in far less quantities than the below quote) does not cause fatness. Eating more calories (alcohol, sugar, fat, protein, whatever) than you burn causes fatness.



    My brother is/was/will forever be, a raging alcoholic. Two years ago, he nearly died from it. He had to be put into a medically induced detox coma for 3 weeks as his body withdrew. The alcohol had affected his liver, which caused a back up of fluids, which caused weight gain. He also had to be intubated and tube fed. He lost 95 lbs (not his idea of a great diet, but it was that or death)

    So, even though alcohol does not "turn people fat", it definitely causes bloating in cases where the liver is no longer functioning properly.

    I think there is a connection between stopping drinking and weight loss, but more because of the fluid drain than anything else.
    Just because alcohol is made from sugar, it is not sugar. Alcohol has 2 carbons, 6 hydrogens and 1 oxygen molecule. It is difficult for your liver to transform this small molecule into a fat molecule having more than 10 carbon atoms long, and over 30 hydrogen atoms.

    Sugar (for example Sucrose) has 12 carbons, 22 hydrogens and 11 oxygens. Sucrose is a far easier conversion to fat than a small alcohol molecule.

    If you lost weight by not drinking- you must have also stopped eating a lot of food along with that alcohol.

    Please don't kill the messenger if you do not like the above facts-sorry.
    My dad continuously argues that there are no calories in alcohol! That's why alcoholics are always slim! I wish there were no calories in it, then I might not be here in the first place!

    Bizarre. Has he not heard of "beer belly"? Does he think that comes from drinking ginger beer?


    This misconception cracks me up. Alcohol is MADE from sugar. I am an alcoholic, before I started recovery I was 40 pounds heavier and a size 9/10. After I stopped drinking I lost 20 lbs, just from that. It took diet and exercise to get the last 20 off but I am here to tell you that alcohol WILL make you fat.
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
    I'm told by everyone that what I am doing is wrong and I'll rebound.

    I follow the leangains style of eating where I fast for 14-16 hours daily(includes sleep.) So if i eat dinner at 7pm..I don't eat my breakfast again until about 9am -11am. Most of the time I am eating my "breakfast" at 1030 or 11.

    I've been told I'll waste away... I'll start to catabolize muscle...which hasn't happened. Or my blood sugar will bottom out..which hasn't happened( I check my blood sugar with a one touch monitor since I am a nurse and have access to it. I find that when I think my blood sugar is low..it's actually psychological because I am normal when I check)

    I get alot of flak for eating the leangains way...

    So out in the nonmfp world...I don't share how I eat with very many people.
  • ecka723
    ecka723 Posts: 148 Member
    This might tick some people off, because they might agree with my friends, but: carbs are bad for you, not just the white bread and refined sugar carbs, but ABSOLUTELY ALL carbs.

    I'm not very confrontational, so I would rather back down than to start a big fight over something that's pretty trivial in the long run. But it does tick me off a little because really, not all carbs are created equal. I get that it's smart to limit the amount of white flour and refined sugars in your diet, but some people don't even eat whole grains or fruit! I guess that's fine if it works for them, but carbs are an essential source of energy, and I think those of my friends who won't even look at a carb would be well advised to not paint all carbs with one brush. Just saying.

    I'm right there with you on this one! I like my brown rice and bananas, thanks!

    I have high blood pressure, so I need to limit my sodium intake to 1500 mg per day. The usual response is that, "Well, I'm not adding salt to the dish" so it's fine, right? I have to explain that no, one serving of that pasta sauce, while low fat and the label may say heart healthy, is still too much sodium for me. I'm so tired of having to explain low sodium to people!
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I made this forum to vent the frustration with people making irritating statements about health
    Site (or BBS) -> forum -> (subforum) -> thread -> post

    Just FYI. :smile:
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    I don't argue with people about dieting. I let them believe what they want to believe.
  • patentguru
    patentguru Posts: 312 Member
    Corrected. Thanks.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
    Not so much an argument as a friend who is a little patronizing about my weight loss. She's been on WW over 10 years and yo-yos about trying to lose the same 10 kg. I needed to lose some extra kg so joined MFP (with my doctors blessing) and have lost my 8kg slowly and steadily. My friend first gave me the whole how did you do it? How much have you lost? How long did it take speech etc and gave me 'approval' for my 1/4-1/2kg per week average weight loss. THEN she says that is was so much easier for me to lose the weight because I was already a skinny thing and weight just drops off me anyway but I will probably gain it back because WW educates you what you can eat. (as she flicks thru trying to find the points value of her lunch, meanwhile I already have estimated the cals in mine by eyeballing it because I KNOW how many cals are in the roasted pumpkin, pineuts, lettuce etc in my salad). Logging my food has been far more useful that a points programme. I know how much of something goes into the serve, and I have a good idea of how many cals are in a regular serve of all sorts of foods now. Portion size was my enemy and I am now far more informed.

    Weight loss is no easier whether you have 8 or 80 kilos to lose. You still have to do the work and eat the cals to do so.
  • Karoger87
    Karoger87 Posts: 56 Member
    My sister always says "Fruit and Vegetables? That *kitten* doesn't work." She buys the majority of her food frozen. :/ It's so annoying trying to explain to someone what healthy eating is. I just give up on people that don't care, and don't want to listen. It's a life change, you have to stick with it. Most can't.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    Veganism is not healthy and you have to eat less than 1000 calories a day and exercise two hours a day in order to lose weight. Never going to happen.

    the other one. you need to lose weight, did it. you are too skinny. pick one and at least stick with it, of course its the older people in my life so i basically ignore them and just smile.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    My fiance constantly tells me that what I'm doing is wrong........There are days I want to just give up because I feel like I have to argue my case with him all the time......

    And you're going to marry him even though he is trying to sabotage your happiness?

    I don't believe he's trying to sabotage me. I think it's more of him being ignorant of how certain things are in terms of fitness and nutrition. I think if he researched, he would see that he's incorrect and would be more supportive. He believes that if you are mostly sedentary, which I am, that you can get away with consuming 1000 cals or less. I know this isn't the case, but until he sees proof in research, he will continue to believe it. And today I'm moody because of bloating, so I probably shouldn't have posted. lol.
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
    I don't argue with friends about diet. That's why we're still friends. :wink:

    Seriously, every metabolism is different, what works for one person will not necessarily work for a different person. So anyone criticizing me or anyone else for what we do / do not eat gets "unfriended." Friends respect one another's choices and let everyone be the boss of his/her own underpants.
  • peckish_pomegranate
    peckish_pomegranate Posts: 242 Member
    Any friends trying to start dieting who want to do a "cleanse" or a fast/liquid fast/juice fast whatever to start their diet, when before they've been eating 6,7,8k calories a day with bad food and I'm like no no no, adjust slowly with real food.
  • The biggest argument I get into is when my friends decide they want to 'eat healthy' and all they eat are special K bars, weight watchers crisps etc and think that's healthy. I always say it's full of empty carbs and little nutrition what's wrong with eating real food but they just say 'yeah but it's only got 99 calories in' they just don't understand.

    Oh my god. this.

    And trying to explain to people calories in vs. calories out and that no matter how "healthy" they are eating if they are eating too much they aren't going to lose.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    "You've lost weight!!! What are you doing that for?!? You looked fine the way you were!" Ok....so I don't look fine the way I am now? I'm doing this the healthy proper way with diet and exercise! I'm losing weight because I want to be healthy-never a good enough answer, "You weren't healthy before?" "Did you have issues? Did a doctor tell you to lose weight?" Now I just smile when someone notices, and shrug and walk away when asked why. It's not worth the argument. I love getting the 'How did you do it?' from from friends who are trying to lose weight too quickly by under eating. They act like they desparately want advice and then just scoff and say their way is better, it's soo much faster. Yup, that's why I'm seeing results and you're not.

    yeah the old "you looked fine the way you were!"

    I get this one everytime i change my hair. "really? is that why you NEVER complimented me?"

    as for weight..."i may have looked fine the way i was but i wanted to look awesome, or is that only available to you?"

    Plus, i really didn't want to look "fine" in a coffin, thanks!
  • rai8759
    rai8759 Posts: 296 Member
    People around me are always saying things like, "You can't eat that! You are on a diet!"

    I can eat what I want. Firstly because I am an adult and if I want to eat something bad for me I can. Secondly I've chosen not to do that and I've PLANNED to eat this at this time in a certain way so that I can ENJOY IT.... Don't rob me of that enjoyment.
  • celebrity328
    celebrity328 Posts: 377 Member
    All from Coworkers:

    Made pies and got angry with me because I am allergic to gluten, then argue with me that I could "sample" it and not get sick.

    Told I eat weird and once I lose all my weight Im going to gain it all back because thats "how it always is."

    Heavy weight lifting will cause me to "bulk up" like a man.

    I am a "healthy" weight and dont need to lose anymore (currently 30 Lbs overweight and at the low end of obese category) :p

    Men love women with meat and curves, I currently am lacking these things.

    That I have an eating disorder and they are "worried about me."

    The list could go on and on... I don't even respond anymore to my coworkers remarks! I just tell them thank you for your concern but I am doing just fine! My doctor is happy with my progress and so am I, Thats all that matters to me :)!
  • devrinator
    devrinator Posts: 79 Member
    I sometimes hear, "Oh, you should try [insert fad diet here]! I know someone who's doing that and they've lost weight!"

    I've lost over 120 lbs by eating sensibly and exercising. I think I've found what works for me, and it's not some BS fad diet.

    I love it! I think people want to feel a sense of accomplishment for YOUR efforts, so they give advice as if they know something you don't!
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    The biggest argument I get into is when my friends decide they want to 'eat healthy' and all they eat are special K bars, weight watchers crisps etc and think that's healthy. I always say it's full of empty carbs and little nutrition what's wrong with eating real food but they just say 'yeah but it's only got 99 calories in' they just don't understand.

    YES!!! I'm "unhealthy" because sometimes I have a glass of orange juice with my breakfast but my co-workers are healthy because they are drinking no-calorie or low-calorie pop. I usually just smile sweetly and say, "I'm glad that you've found drinking that stuff works for you."

    But all the while in my head I'm "hulking out" and screaming "HOLY CRAP HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU BE SO STUPID?!?! ANY SANE PERSON KNOWS THAT DRINKING NATURAL JUICE ONCE IN A WHILE IS A MUCH BETTER CHOICE THAN DRINKING FAKE SUGAR EVERY DAY!!!" (end Hulk-sequence)

    ^this TOTALLY this. I keep things like that in my head too and let people think their ridiculous stuff. not that i'm a saint sometimes fake sugar gets in my diet too, but when it does, i dont try to make myself better by preaching to others that sugar from an actual fruit is bad to deflect!
  • RandiLandCHANGED
    RandiLandCHANGED Posts: 630 Member
    Having them tell me I'll never look the way I want to without doing a ridiculous amount of cardio. I'm not 110% against it, but there is no stinkin' way that I am using cardio vs lifting or a deficit. They can knock themselves out at She's Fit or Curves.
  • aakokopelli7
    aakokopelli7 Posts: 196 Member
    I dislike people who use their medical conditions as excuses. Often people complain about this or that aliment and then are surprised to find out that I also have said problem as well. I just hate that victim mentality. I also hate the word "Can't".
  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
    I refuse to talk about my diet or exercise regime to my friends. I just don't want to deal with it. I've had a couple ask me on a one on one level what I've been doing, and we have had constructive conversations that they've told me were helpful to them. But usually if I get asked what I've been doing, I just say "Oh, I've just been running more." The thought of doing actual physical work seems to stop them from even broaching the subject of food. Which is fine with me, I don't really want to talk about it anyway. I'd rather just do it.
  • ecka723
    ecka723 Posts: 148 Member
    well lets see...

    I low carb..... gasp...that's bad for your heart.... but being 200 lbs overweight isn't????? no point in trying to show them studies that show low carbing properly leads to healthier heart levels....... sighs....

    I drink diet coke.... GASP????? that stuff makes you gain weight... it's full of cancer causing agents.... it's just EVILLLLLLLLLLL:mad:

    I don't work out...... what??????????? I'm basically lazy by nature.... so I keep moving all day instead of having to sweat and feel exhausted for part of it.......

    DANCE SO YOU CAN FLY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    the diet coke thing kills me every time. there is no scientific proof that the actual ingredients in diet soda CAUSE weight gain. cancer is a naturally occurring mutation - nothing specifically CAUSES cancer, things just contribute to cancers mutations. my father has been drinking diet coke since 1988 and has not gained weight because of it, has not developed diet coke-caused cancer, and has not turned evil (yet lol).

    i stopped drinking diet coke for three weeks and didn't lose any weight. so obviously, the diet coke wasn't what was making me fat :)

    I completely agree, diet soda doesn't make you fat. For me, I don't drink diet soda very much (except for the one or two around my TOM) because I've noticed the artificial sugar makes me crave other sugars. I think my brain knows the difference and wants the sweet taste from real sugar lol. It wasn't just diet sodas doing it though, it was other things with artificial sweeteners, like yogurts and crystal light. Now, I will have the occasional soda, switched to greek yogurt with fruit and drink tea instead.
  • EricMurano
    EricMurano Posts: 825 Member
    I refuse to talk about my diet or exercise regime to my friends. I just don't want to deal with it. I've had a couple ask me on a one on one level what I've been doing, and we have had constructive conversations that they've told me were helpful to them. But usually if I get asked what I've been doing, I just say "Oh, I've just been running more." The thought of doing actual physical work seems to stop them from even broaching the subject of food. Which is fine with me, I don't really want to talk about it anyway. I'd rather just do it.

    +1

    I used to tell people about what I do but I just get hammered with "Oh it's really sugar that's the problem" or "Calorie counting, I don't want to starve!" or "But can you keep it up forever?"

    You have to keep it up forever, not because it's a 'diet(tm)' but because this is how much I should be eating; I just can't seem to control how much I eat without counting. It's ok, I'm fine with needing to keep track for the rest of my life.