Sometimes I have to call my lifestyle a "diet"

Diet is just a shorthand word to use to people you dont feel inclined to explain your life to. Its just a word. It has no power. YOU know what it is you are doing and if you dont feel like explaining, calling it a diet doesnt do anything but make your life easier.

I call it a diet all the time. Heck, I even do it to myself.

Its just a word.

I've noticed this too, my grandmother is convinced I'm 'on a diet' and eventually I'll snap out of it and start eating cakes and fish and chips with her again. Plus I find myself sometimes making derogatory remarks about myself being 'awkward' or 'fussy' as if my new lifestyle is an inconvenience for other people.... Which sometimes it is in a way, for example I went to a house party really and the only snacks I could have we're carrot sticks, and the hostess actually apologised for forgetting I couldn't eat normal food ( pretzels, chrisps etc) made me feel a bit stupid really...

I've noticed this too, my grandmother is convinced I'm 'on a diet' and eventually I'll snap out of it and start eating cakes and fish and chips with her again. Plus I find myself sometimes making derogatory remarks about myself being 'awkward' or 'fussy' as if my new lifestyle is an inconvenience for other people.... Which sometimes it is in a way, for example I went to a house party really and the only snacks I could have we're carrot sticks, and the hostess actually apologised for forgetting I couldn't eat normal food ( pretzels, chrisps etc) made me feel a bit stupid really...

I kind of had to laugh at "normal food"

My issue with the term "lifestyle change" is that your eating habits are not your entire lifestyle. It makes it sound like you are giving up your worldly posessions and moving into a cave.

If I don't want something (I am vegetarian and fairly picky about what I eat) I usually just say no, thank you, I'm good. That's usually enough for people.

I agree that "diet" is something people can understand and relate to while "lifestyle change" comes across as more judgemental towards what they are offering.

I think what we are doing is a diet; in some cases, it's also much broader to become a lifestyle change. I don't feel ashamed to call it a diet as a shorthand of giving a much longer explanation and don't give much power to the word. By the way, cool hair colors.

I don't think of it as a diet at all. I consider it a lifestyle change. A diet tells you what you can and can not eat. Using MFP has made me reconsider certain foods, have less of a high calorie food, and it has encouraged me to exercise a little more if I ate some high calorie item, but it has not made me feel deprived at all. I agree that "diet" is just a word, but it doesn't fit what I am doing. I also love that every day you start in the green and can have the power to stay within your suggested limits or not. I had a crazy weekend of drinking and debauchery and ate 2 days worth of calories in one day, but all is not lost because I am doing great today and will make sure I exercise a little more this week. It will even out, in the long run, to keep me on track. I have had people react exasperated towards me because I have asked them "how many potatoes and butter and brown sugar was in that homemade dish?" or '"what brand was that item so I can estimate the calories?" ect. Just like any change it changes how I am interacting in the world.

See, I know we're supposed to approach it as a "life style" change, but to me, it's not (well, not completely). I'm trying to lose weight so I'm doing X, Y, and X. In theory if I kept doing those thing forever, as my lifestyle, wouldn't I be saying I want to be perpetually losing weight? No end to it. So yes, I'm on a diet until I get down to where I want to be, by then I am confident that I will have gained all the tools (how to eat healthy, workout, yadda yadda) that I can adopt as a healthy lifestyle

people don't want to think much on the circumstance of others. maybe tell people, "no thanks, I'm trying to eat healthier'. "trying" implies at a diet, and they should understand/not cast judgement and accept... but it is not lying and you are being honest to yourself which is more important.

This sounds like a great compromise to the whole "diet" vs "life style change" debate! I'm going to use this.

To the vast majority of people, "diet" simply means paying close attention to what you eat. Anybody logging on MFP is by definition on a diet.

There is no reason to run from that word - there is nothing wrong with paying attention to one's diet, and a whole lot wrong with not doing so.

I agree. To me, "diet" implies restricting intake for the purpose of losing weight, something the majority of people here are doing. It does not have any negative connotations to me.

diet1
ˈdʌɪət/
noun
noun: diet; plural noun: diets

1.
the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

Yes, I intentionally left off the 2nd definition of 'diet.....' which is, basically what you just said... " restricting intake for the purpose of losing weight.' But I did it to illustrate, that the word diet, is quite simply, 'what you eat.'

I'm quite certain that the 1st definition was around LONG before the 2nd one was. My diet used to be cr@p and lots of it. Now, it's less. It was always a diet, it just used to be a much worse diet.

OP said it right! Amazing how if I tell people I'm on a "diet" they don't push food, they will even try to 'deny' me food everyone else is having, very annoying. But if I call it a life style change, or a healthier eating habit, they look at me like I'm crazy.

I agree with you. By saying a diet you are keeping it short. I wouldn't want to explain to so many people how I changed my lifestyle, it's just too long of a story ha ha. So I just say I'm on a diet and they stop offering stuff right then and there.