Weird looks and questions when I explain how I lost weight

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Replies

  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    I havnt updated my ticker in a month, so I have lost more than indicated, but I've been asked how I'm losing weight and I said "diet and exercise" rather simply. Now, to be fair, everyone knows I've run and worked out for years so they ask "weren't you doing that before?" I simply say "the exercise part yes, just needed to watch my diet." So far I've taken off more weight than my friend who is on diet pills of all things, but seems to think the pill will do it for her and is eating whatever she likes and drinking a ton on the weekends. She wonders why she's not losing now.
    I've asked her if shed like to join me at the gym or go on a walk together (she weighs 100 pounds more than me, so I realize asking her to go on one of my ten mile runs would not be realistic) but she refuses so I have left it at that.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I havnt updated my ticker in a month, so I have lost more than indicated,

    I have an Aria wi-fi scale from fit bit and it update my ticker on a daily basis. Also posts any weight loss on the home page. Its also fun to watch the trends both long and short term. I highly recommend one.
  • Archerychickge
    Archerychickge Posts: 606 Member
    I look them straight in the eye and with a smile on my face I say "I stopped being a hog".

    No strange looks, no further explanation needed.
  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
    A lot of people have asked me what my 'secret' to my weight loss is - I just say "Eating less and exercising more." Everyone expects an extreme response but it really is as simple as eating less and exercising more...well, for me anyway :smile:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    People don't really ask me much anymore, but when they did I just told them that I moved more and ate less and that I kept a diary for awhile to track my nutrition to see where I really was.

    The reason you get weird looks is because people can't believe it's actually that simple...not that it's necessarily easy, but it is simple. People like to vastly over-complicate things like this...they think there has to be some kind of magic pill or you have to be doing all kinds of crazy whacked out exercises and eating nothing but salads and celery sticks...they just can't fathom that it all actually very simple. Hell...you see it everyday right here on MFP....all kinds of people over-complicating what is not at all complicated.
  • Archerychickge
    Archerychickge Posts: 606 Member
    People don't really ask me much anymore, but when they did I just told them that I moved more and ate less and that I kept a diary for awhile to track my nutrition to see where I really was.

    The reason you get weird looks is because people can't believe it's actually that simple...not that it's necessarily easy, but it is simple. People like to vastly over-complicate things like this...they think there has to be some kind of magic pill or you have to be doing all kinds of crazy whacked out exercises and eating nothing but salads and celery sticks...they just can't fathom that it all actually very simple. Hell...you see it everyday right here on MFP....all kinds of people over-complicating what is not at all complicated.

    YES!!!!! THIS x1000000000000000000

    All these people who talk endlessly about macros and deficits, and this or that, just make my brain hurt. Work off more calories than you take in. Period.
  • guwisti
    guwisti Posts: 171 Member
    sometimes i make up stuff like the cat food diet etc just because they dont want to hear they have to eat right and exercise

    MUST start using this! I lost 50 lbs before and I told people " I just move more and eat less". And yep same looks.
  • SunKissed1989
    SunKissed1989 Posts: 1,314 Member
    Try using Emily Blunt's line from the Devil Wears Prada:

    "Well, I don't eat anything and if I feel like I'm going to faint, I eat a cube of cheese!":laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • ohaston
    ohaston Posts: 218 Member
    It happens to me OVER and OVER .. .I explain to them how easy it is to count calories ... I tell them its like a game ... I can put together my puzzle pieces however I want to, as long as I stay within my goal.
    I tell ppl how addictive exercise is and how little you need to make a difference .... 30 mins a day (who can't do that?).
    and OMG, when I mention MFP, sparkpeople, or any websites that are KNOWN for being support groups, their eyes just glaze over and some literally say "oh forget it" thats toooo much" !!!

    But you know what, I can't associate with those type of ppl anymore, I have (HAD) a friend that loved to go to freaking BUFFETs, well since I don't eat like that anymore (hell, I never really did unless I was with her) we have only gone out for a "girls night out" 1 time in the last 2+ yrs (see I began to change the weight I eat in 2010, when I was diagnosed with hypertension, which was 3 years before I started counting calories).
    Thats sad to think that the only fun she has is when she's stuffing her (XL) face! No sports bar, no drinks, no dance club, no nothing ... JUST ALL YOU CAN EATs !!!!

    I would love to help ppl ... I even tried to start something at my church ... but Oh well, Im just soooo glad I swallowed the magic pill of determination and I thank God daily for it ...

    And thanks MFP for the continued support!
  • dsapp918
    dsapp918 Posts: 2 Member
    I go with "tape worm and running from the police".
  • stormbornkraken
    stormbornkraken Posts: 303 Member
    Answer a question with another question:

    Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? :devil:

    I also prefer to bathe in the blood of virgins during Mercury retrograde. :smokin:

    Oh and I also stopped quadrupling serving sizes but that probably wasn't it.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    Answer a question with another question:

    Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? :devil:

    I also prefer to bathe in the blood of virgins during Mercury retrograde. :smokin:

    Oh and I also stopped quadrupling serving sizes but that probably wasn't it.

    Actually, maybe you are on to something. Maybe what we should do, when we get those questions, is say to the person, "Before I answer you, can you tell me how you gained the weight you are looking to lose?" And when they say something like, "well I eat too much" or "I stopped going to the gym", we should say, "what do you mean? Isn't there a pill that you took that helped you get fat? No? Well why do you think there is a pill which will make you not fat? Do the opposite of what got you there. That is the answer to your question. "
  • 9bars
    9bars Posts: 40 Member
    II did the detailed explanation in the beginning, but now unless they seem genuinely interested I usually just say "the old fashioned way I ate less and walked more" or if I really don't want to talk to them, some people can be quite rude I just say "I stopped eating" smile and change the subject. I often get the disappointed looks and you can see on their face they're thinking oh it's ok I don't have time for that and switch off, conversation over. If I told them I took pills that cost £50 a day I think quite a high percentage would say oh where did you buy them? :laugh:

    One family member was telling me they were paying to have a meal plan made for them, I said why don't you just use mfp and eat what you want and was told mfp can't be very good as its free, I replied no it doesn't work at all you can see that pointing at my body, people really do like to overcomplicate things, so many people think you have to pay to lose weight whether it's pills, potions or diet clubs, it gave me a good laugh anyway.
  • lhippen
    lhippen Posts: 16 Member

    Actually, maybe you are on to something. Maybe what we should do, when we get those questions, is say to the person, "Before I answer you, can you tell me how you gained the weight you are looking to lose?" And when they say something like, "well I eat too much" or "I stopped going to the gym", we should say, "what do you mean? Isn't there a pill that you took that helped you get fat? No? Well why do you think there is a pill which will make you not fat? Do the opposite of what got you there. That is the answer to your question. "

    This!
  • paulykira
    paulykira Posts: 3 Member
    Diet and exercise has really become "the hard way". It takes longer and you need some dedication. I think most people are either hoping for the key to instant weight loss or they really cannot imagine losing weight through diet and exercise. I don't think it's really a priority to a lot of people, it's easier to take the magic pill, so they think it's really unusual to see someone else take the traditional route.
  • ashdawg8790
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
    Answer a question with another question:

    Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? :devil:

    I also prefer to bathe in the blood of virgins during Mercury retrograde. :smokin:

    Oh and I also stopped quadrupling serving sizes but that probably wasn't it.

    Actually, maybe you are on to something. Maybe what we should do, when we get those questions, is say to the person, "Before I answer you, can you tell me how you gained the weight you are looking to lose?" And when they say something like, "well I eat too much" or "I stopped going to the gym", we should say, "what do you mean? Isn't there a pill that you took that helped you get fat? No? Well why do you think there is a pill which will make you not fat? Do the opposite of what got you there. That is the answer to your question. "

    ^^So much of this. :love:
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    The reason you get weird looks is because people can't believe it's actually that simple...not that it's necessarily easy, but it is simple.

    Actually this is a great point. It's fun for us "successful losers" to point our fingers at the people who haven't figured it out yet and blame them for not being willing to put in the work and "wanting" to overcomplicate it. But the truth is it's very difficult for many people to understand why their previous attempts haven't been successful. Right? I mean we see it all the time here on the forums with people who really honestly believe they're cutting calories and exercising and not losing. I've been there myself in the past -- incorrectly thinking I was cutting calories but I wasn't measuring and logging my food accurately, being overconfident that I knew what I was eating, etc.

    So when people try and fail, what are they going to think? Yes, a lot of people resist when you tell them that if they're not getting results with eating less they probably should start measuring their food and logging more accurately, and some of those people are resisting because they do on some level know that this would force them to come to terms with eating even less. But most of those people at least START OUT legitimately thinking that weighing your food and logging accurately can't POSSIBLY make a big enough difference to prevent them from achieving a calorie deficit. Of course it's human nature to want to believe in some mysterious medical factors that must be complicating the equation, and then throw your hands up in the air helplessly. But people need validation in the idea that IT'S NOT EASY. Because that is some sanctimonious and smug bullsh*t, for those of us who've lost weight to take that attitude with someone who hasn't yet broken through the frustrating cycle of trying and failing. It's NOT easy. But it is simple. And achievable.

    One thing I do say to people now sometimes is "Well, it's certainly not easy to eat less and exercise a lot, but TO BE HONEST, the really hard part is staying on course for long enough to see results: that's the mindf*ck part of it. I just had to learn some tricks that help me keep my head in the game for the long term. That's really helped enormously." And you know what? I don't get puzzled looks with that response. People seem to GET that. I'm admitting to them it's hard without giving myself credit for any superhuman feats of willpower, and it cuts through the bullsh*t without being rude. Plus, if they're interested in having a real conversation, that puts them in a position to think about their own challenges and ask smarter questions.
  • fitbilldc
    fitbilldc Posts: 19 Member
    To the extent that some consider keeping a daily food journal as Obsessive, I guess one could argue the opposite, that by not holding oneself accountable for caloric intake and activity yet wondering why one doesn't lose weight is "Obsessively" ignoring the obvious.
  • love8383
    love8383 Posts: 169
    Yeah, I get that all the time. Just about 150lbs lost now though diet and exercise, and people still want the magic answer. I've also had people assume that the only way I could lost this amount of weight without surgery is because I have some horrible illness. Nope, it really is as simple as eating in moderation and exercising. And having the patience to get to goal!

    i get that too, has to be either surgery or an illness...can't just be ate healthy and exercised :)
  • Now that summer is coming to an end and I am returning to work (I am a teacher), more and more people seem to be noticing my weight loss (strange in itself because I had lost 90% of my weight before summer break but maybe its the new wardrobe or tanned skin) and are asking what I did?

    I keep it brief and say "honestly I just got control over my eating and keep my calories below 2000". I'll mention that I use MFP to log everything, and occasionally workout and try to get some cardio a few times a week.

    People seem to expect something more radical. I get all kinds of strange looks like I'm holding something back or something..

    How do you guys explain it to people? Do you notice the same thing or is it just me? It seems they want to know a secret or something, and are disappointed that I don't have something more profound to say. I would really like to hear from those of you that lost a lot of weight. My weight loss wasn't dramatic and some people don't even notice it. Dying to know how someone who lost 100 lbs by counting calories feels about the reactions people have to their explanation of how they did it.
    You and I have the same story. I am a teacher as well. It is almost as if they are disgusted when I say I exercise with a trainer 4 times a week. Um if it were as easy as an I dream of Jeannie blink, well, we would all look like her.
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