Do your friends' eating habits bother you?

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holly55555
holly55555 Posts: 306 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a lot of friends that are "on diets", who say they eat clean or work out all the time, and then they make poor choices constantly (outside of a cheat meal), comment on MY eating habits, and then complain that they are not losing weight and have no idea why.

Like, my friends make fun of me when I cut everything in half (half a sandwich, half plate of whatever, to control portions), and I'm adding up the calories of their 1500 cal "healthy" salad in my head. Or they just eat really, really badly. And then have to sit through them sigh about how they do everything right but cannot lose weight.

Every now and then I'll suggest that they count calories and control portions, but they don't want to hear it, so I pretty much just bite my tongue unless they directly ask for advice.


Do you have friends like this? Does it drive anyone else crazy? What do you do in these situations?

Replies

  • easjer
    easjer Posts: 219 Member
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    I don't care what other people are eating unless they are commenting on my eating. And then it's only to tell them to shut up.

    If it's really bothering you that they eat badly but don't take your advice, then make a rule that you aren't discussing food/weight loss. I don't want to be guilted about what I choose to eat, so I don't guilt other other people. But mostly, no, my friends aren't like this. I have a group of friends who are all trying to eat nutritiously and lose weight, and they might gently call someone out, but in that context, it is appropriate and expected. If I was just hanging out, I wouldn't put up with it.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Yeah, I wouldnt let it bother you and dont say anything unlesss they ask, and even at that dont be offended that they dontl isten.
    Certainly wasnt a friend, but some lady I used to work with was constantly on diets and such. If she really lost 5 lbs every time she said she did she woulda been a skeleton.
    YOu do hear horror stories from people in their dieting exploits, like waiting until midnight to eat a whole pizza becuase that is when their "points" start over for the day.

    Just let it be.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    No, they don't.

    I ignore them. They teased me a little. I've lost weight, they haven't. They asked me what I did. I told them. Several of them have now lost weight too.

    Your success is the best thing you can do for yourself and, frankly, for them. I started this when one of my friends lost weight and said she used MFP.
  • Eric_DeCastro
    Eric_DeCastro Posts: 767 Member
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    mine isn't their eating habits because people will do what they want. but since I'm obsessed with running and they aren't I stop hanging out with my friends. I recently got my nephew running and his dad wants to start running, I hang out with them now. I surround myself with people with the same interests as me.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    No, my friends and I respect each other's choices. I learned a long time ago to expunge irritating people out of my life.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    I usually couldn't care less about what others are eating. But I do internally roll my eyes when someone comments on my food and what they're eating is no better...
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    The only person who's eating habit bothers me is a guy in my class. He runs off pies, instant noodles and energy drinks, at the same time he's in and out of hospital because he collapses due to malnutrition and has permanent heart damage now. But he just laughs it off. And then complains he's always sick.

    I don't actually CARE about what he eats, I'm just sick of listening to him complain he's sick when he knows it's because of his diet.
  • lautour
    lautour Posts: 89 Member
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    I only want my friends to be happy with their food. When I look at their mfp diaries I always think they look great.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
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    I have friends who eat really poorly, as I'm a college kid. When people bring up the topic, I adore talking about nutrition and healthy eating. Otherwise, I don't feel as though it's appropriate for me to bring the topic up for it tends to quickly turn emotional for many. It's not my place to police other's dietary choices. It's just not my life, and therefore not my place.

    That being said, if somebody chooses to comment on my dietary choices I always tell them that I'm doing my best to pursue healthy eating, which is something I - and only I - can really learn. I tell them that the things I choose to consume and the ways in which I take care of my body are my personal choices, which they don't need to comment on. I tell them that essentially it's my body, and therefore my choice as to what I do with it.

    I'm vegan, so i'm starting to grow immune to people's comments about my food choices and intake. Quite frankly I don't understand why anybody cares what i eat, as I don't feel the need to criticize other's choices. You know? We all deserve bodily autonomy, and that includes not having to be criticized for the ways in which we care for our bodies (aka nurturing them by the ways in which we fuel them).
  • CharleeCali
    CharleeCali Posts: 51 Member
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    My co-worker, who sits four feet away from me, eats all day long. She'll buy a box of Cheez-Its and eat the whole thing, or a bag of Dove chocolates and eat the whole thing - both of these are in ONE day. She has an annoyingly high metabolism, but it's catching up with her. She says she'll just have lipo (again) when she gains too much weight. The noise of her piggish eating is so annoying!! I actually had to ask her to PLEASE not eat corn nuts at her desk. She eats hard candy and chews it like ice. I hope she gains 50 pounds and all her teeth fall out.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    This happened to me while I was at my last job.

    I had coworkers on "diets" and they completely cut out certain foods: rice, bananas etc... Foods that are completely healthy and okay for them to eat. Each of them would talk about exercising 2 hours a day on the treadmill and really pushing themselves physically to lose weight. They DID lose weight, over the course of 4-5 months... and then the next year, when they realized they couldn't keep up working out 2 hours every single day and restricting THAT many important foods from their diets, they gained it all back.

    I never commented once on their choices, I knew what was going to happen. I actually had one coworker tell me that if I switched from eating 2% Greek Yogurt to 0% Greek yogurt, I would lose *so* much weight - I laughed to myself.

    I keep my eating habits to myself, and I'm not a dietician or trainer, so I keep my opinions of even how my closest friends are eating to myself.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Eating habits, no. Talking-about-eating habits, yeah. One of the girls in my office is doing Atkins to get ready for her wedding in a month, and every conversation revolves around the evils of carbs. :noway: It's getting really, really hard to hold my tongue!
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
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    I don't have many 'close' friends but I can't imagine caring what anyone else eats. I only care what I eat (and what my husband eats, because we're 100% in this together). I have friends who are bigger than me and don't want to be that big, but they're honest with themselves that they aren't doing anything about it, for whatever their reasons are. Maybe I'd be annoyed if they were deluded and misinformed and pushing it down my throat, but I can't even imagine having friends like that anyway :/

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