What to say when people ask....

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Replies

  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    "Eat less and excercise more."
    Tell the truth. If its not what they want to hear its their problem not mine. I am more than happy to go into the specifics of MFP, less booze (big part of the consumption equation for me) and what kinds of excercise I do if people are really interested.
  • ellaloveslove
    ellaloveslove Posts: 166 Member
    Meth....


    Then when I stop laughing at their reaction I explain that I eat primal, workout six days a week alternation between C25K and Convict Conditioning.

    While taking METH.

    Or a Metabolism, Energy, Testosterone, and Health supplement stack. All vitamine shop supplements. Basically caffeine, creatine, and a multivitamin. Meth sounds more entertaining though.

    hahaha
  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member
    I generally answer eating less, moving more or something to that effect.

    Had a few tell me that it would get old quick and I'd gain the weight back, as well as, Oh that wouldn't for them because *insert useless validation here*
    So i generally avoid the questions if I can
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    "I ate a fair amount of food and then moved enough to soak myself in sweat once or twice a day"

    Usual response: Oh. well. That's nice.
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
    I generally just say "the old fashioned way - eat less, move my *kitten* more. Made it a lifestyle change rather than a diet."

    Boring, slow, but it works.
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    No one asks me cuz I don't know that many people. But, if they ask I will tell them I started eating more foods with fiber and increased my protein a little bit and 6 months later I added some exercise. If they want to know more than that it will be a 20 dollar an hour consulting fee.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I used to say counting calories and exercise but people looked so disappointed, so now I say chocolate. :devil:

    LOVE THIS...Can I borrow?!? :laugh:

    Of course :wink:
  • jenschroll
    jenschroll Posts: 162 Member
    I love some of these responses :)

    I am amazed by how people look disappointed when I give them the "eat less and exercise" response. Everyone is looking for a quick way to lose weight / instant gratification but not willing to put in the effort. I say slow and steady wins the race.

    I might use the crack or chocolate response for giggles in the future :)

    Oooo...or how about crack AND chocolate? Hmmm . . .
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    I tell them that I eat less and exercise, with the help of logging on MFP. Then I give them the URL. Generally, the people who ask believe me and several of them have joined and are starting to lose the same way.
  • Tiznonay
    Tiznonay Posts: 124 Member
    Glad someone else already said the "meth" excuse, haha! :bigsmile: I've used that one around friends n stuff.

    Rest of ppl I just tell em I did it "the boring way" meaning diet and exercise
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Last week three overweight people I haven't seen in a while came into the office and commented that I've lost weight. They were curious to know how I did it, so I said I cut out junk food and I'm walking everywhere. The people who asked me are friendly and well-meaning, but a few days later one wanted to thank me for something I did for her, so she brought some some homemade muffins after all my diet talk (no, I didn't eat them).
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Last week three overweight people I haven't seen in a while came into the office and commented that I've lost weight. They were curious to know how I did it, so I said I cut out junk food and I'm walking everywhere. The people who asked me are friendly and well-meaning, but a few days later one wanted to thank me for something I did for her, so she brought some some homemade muffins after all my diet talk (no, I didn't eat them).

    People actually think of muffins as healthy food, which is kind of crazy considering they're typically loaded with calories from fat and sugar. Not that there's anything wrong with fat and sugar, but there's just so much in a muffin it's crazy.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
    Boy, lots of anger and snark here. No one here ever tried unsuccessfully to lose weight? No one here ever wondered why it seemed to work for others and not them? What a lucky bunch, if that's true. I am sadly not so superior to the rest of the world. I'm having lots of success on MFP and love it here, and finally learning to put together all the good things I KNOW about diet and exercise with actually DOING it. And if people ask, I take it as a sign that they're interested in my hard work...and perhaps looking for inspiration. I simply tell them that I eat very healthy now and try to build up my exercise, and that this site has been a big help. Give them the url in case they're interested. If they seem to want more, but I think it's going to get too complicated or they'll glaze over, I make a joke like, "You know all those collapsing fisheries in the sea? That's my fault."
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Boy, lots of anger and snark here. No one here ever tried unsuccessfully to lose weight? No one here ever wondered why it seemed to work for others and not them? What a lucky bunch, if that's true. I am sadly not so superior to the rest of the world. I'm having lots of success on MFP and love it here, and finally learning to put together all the good things I KNOW about diet and exercise with actually DOING it. And if people ask, I take it as a sign that they're interested in my hard work...and perhaps looking for inspiration. I simply tell them that I eat very healthy now and try to build up my exercise, and that this site has been a big help. Give them the url in case they're interested. If they seem to want more, but I think it's going to get too complicated or they'll glaze over, I make a joke like, "You know all those collapsing fisheries in the sea? That's my fault."

    People ask me all the time. They are invariably disappointed by the answer. Every single person who has asked me how I lost weight was apparently looking for some shortcut.

    There have also been people who have come to me for help. Those aren't the "wow, you lost weight, how'd you do it" comments. These are people who actually want to lose weight and are ready to do something about it. To those people, I teach them about calories and TDEE and food logging and exercising. Those people are successful.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Last week three overweight people I haven't seen in a while came into the office and commented that I've lost weight. They were curious to know how I did it, so I said I cut out junk food and I'm walking everywhere. The people who asked me are friendly and well-meaning, but a few days later one wanted to thank me for something I did for her, so she brought some some homemade muffins after all my diet talk (no, I didn't eat them).

    People actually think of muffins as healthy food, which is kind of crazy considering they're typically loaded with calories from fat and sugar. Not that there's anything wrong with fat and sugar, but there's just so much in a muffin it's crazy.

    My office is terrible. It's swimming in sugar and junk food and treats. I live and work in a small friendly town, which has a different culture than a city or even the suburbs. Everybody knows everybody and people remember how you treat them forever. One of my co-workers is a wonderful woman, but she must weight 350-400 pounds and she bakes sweets and treats. It's like a minefield to try to be nice and avoid eating that stuff. I need to learn from one of our volunteers, an 87 year old woman who power walks and grows organic vegetables and is totally into health food. Nobody offers her muffins because they know she won't eat them.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Boy, lots of anger and snark here. No one here ever tried unsuccessfully to lose weight? No one here ever wondered why it seemed to work for others and not them? What a lucky bunch, if that's true. I am sadly not so superior to the rest of the world. I'm having lots of success on MFP and love it here, and finally learning to put together all the good things I KNOW about diet and exercise with actually DOING it. And if people ask, I take it as a sign that they're interested in my hard work...and perhaps looking for inspiration. I simply tell them that I eat very healthy now and try to build up my exercise, and that this site has been a big help. Give them the url in case they're interested. If they seem to want more, but I think it's going to get too complicated or they'll glaze over, I make a joke like, "You know all those collapsing fisheries in the sea? That's my fault."

    People ask me all the time. They are invariably disappointed by the answer. Every single person who has asked me how I lost weight was apparently looking for some shortcut.

    There have also been people who have come to me for help. Those aren't the "wow, you lost weight, how'd you do it" comments. These are people who actually want to lose weight and are ready to do something about it. To those people, I teach them about calories and TDEE and food logging and exercising. Those people are successful.

    ^^ Yep
  • Divamomma
    Divamomma Posts: 66 Member
    I've found that it encourages others :) lead by example the rest will show for itself :) those people who ask maybe thinking "why am I not doing that for myself?"" Congrads To All of You Who Are Doing It !! Keep It Up & Smile Just Know You Are Doing It & Smile!! Plus Makes them Think Your Up To something (he he :wink: )
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    I say 'diet and exercise' like it is no big deal. Hopefully, if they really want to know, they'll go home and do some research. It used to annoy me how shocked people were by that, now I just blame the snake oil salesmen who have convinced everybody there is an 'easy and instant' solution.
  • m0jk
    m0jk Posts: 133
    calorie counting.. that baffles them no more questions ha
  • MeIShouldB
    MeIShouldB Posts: 578 Member
    What in the world do you say when everyone is asking how you've lost weight? It's almost as if they expect some miracle instead of just realizing that I am working hard at it! It's almost offensive at times. I generally tell them that I do calorie restriction, portion control, and exercise. They usually respond with "That's all?" Ugh!

    How do any of you respond to this question?

    :flowerforyou:

    I totally agree. They get this excited face when they ask. Once I say "tracking calories and working out almost everytday" the facial expression changes quickly.