Not entirely what I need
rmrainbow
Posts: 37
I'm a college student, home with my parents for the summer.
I have an older sister who has been somewhat overweight since highschool, and it got worse for a few years.
My mother has never been overweight but was not rail thin either. She has never told us that we need to stop eating and get skinny, but she doesn't exactly know when to stop suggesting that we go for a run, hit the treadmill, maybe not eat a second portion or have a healthier dessert.
When my sister and I were in highschool together, she decided to try Weight Watchers, and I joined to support her in her journey. We both had success for a while, but I think after a summer or so, she decided it was not her thing. (To this day she is still losing weight, but slowly, on her own terms, and still with some self-image issues that she really needs to take care of before she can truly drop below the overweight line.)
As for my mother, she started doing Weight Watchers after she saw our success. (I did it a couple more times, but ultimately decided that I needed to make a lifelong change that did not involve converting foods to points.) She has had great success and lost 10-20 pounds, and is now off WW but still exercising and being conscious of what she eats.
HERE is where my problem enters:
My mother is supportive of my journey and tends not to make such comments anymore because I have such a consistent exercise schedule and food consumption. She does often tell me that I'm doing "such a great job" and that I should be proud of myself.
However, she does not make it easy to keep high self-confidence. I used to way less than her in highschool, and I was not overweight. Now.... she weighs at least 10 pounds less than I, which is a little blow to my pride. To make matters worse, she insists on weighing herself every day and gets upset over fluctuations, even though I remind her that this is water-weight and she needs to weigh herself weekly so as not to destroy her eating patterns. She doesn't listen, and continues to complain to me about those "1 or 2 pounds" that she gains some days. Upsetting, to say the least.
My father and I both tell her that she is now tiny and doesn't need to obsess as much over this stuff, or at least if she does, keep it to herself. I know that even smaller people have health concerns and can worry about putting on pounds, but I know that her mentality is not healthy. She still won't listen.
Also, she's a pretty great enabler, whether she knows it or not. When my mom wants something, she gets it immediately. If she wants coffee and cake, we walk to get coffee, and she suggests what I should eat or what we could share. If I tell her that I want to avoid something like that because it would be too far over my weekly caloric goals, she tells me that it's just one day and we can share it or I can work it off the next day. And I give in, which I know is all on my shoulders, but she doesn't help.
If I try to mention any of this to her, my mother is the type of person to take things very personally. Even if I try to tell her it's not an attack on her, I'm afraid that she will spin it (like she typically does) to be about her, instead of me and my needs, and I won't get anywhere except in making her cry or have a horrible rest of the day.
SO basically, my quest for motivation and support from my mother is like walking on egg shells. Sometimes it feels like she's belittling me and calling me overweight, or the way she compliments me makes me feel like she thinks I should lose more weight. When I approach her, excited that I ran a bit further in an exercise or added more intensity, she says, "That's good! You should start lifting upper body weights now."
That sounds like, "Your arms are flabby. Fix it, like I did!"
I have an older sister who has been somewhat overweight since highschool, and it got worse for a few years.
My mother has never been overweight but was not rail thin either. She has never told us that we need to stop eating and get skinny, but she doesn't exactly know when to stop suggesting that we go for a run, hit the treadmill, maybe not eat a second portion or have a healthier dessert.
When my sister and I were in highschool together, she decided to try Weight Watchers, and I joined to support her in her journey. We both had success for a while, but I think after a summer or so, she decided it was not her thing. (To this day she is still losing weight, but slowly, on her own terms, and still with some self-image issues that she really needs to take care of before she can truly drop below the overweight line.)
As for my mother, she started doing Weight Watchers after she saw our success. (I did it a couple more times, but ultimately decided that I needed to make a lifelong change that did not involve converting foods to points.) She has had great success and lost 10-20 pounds, and is now off WW but still exercising and being conscious of what she eats.
HERE is where my problem enters:
My mother is supportive of my journey and tends not to make such comments anymore because I have such a consistent exercise schedule and food consumption. She does often tell me that I'm doing "such a great job" and that I should be proud of myself.
However, she does not make it easy to keep high self-confidence. I used to way less than her in highschool, and I was not overweight. Now.... she weighs at least 10 pounds less than I, which is a little blow to my pride. To make matters worse, she insists on weighing herself every day and gets upset over fluctuations, even though I remind her that this is water-weight and she needs to weigh herself weekly so as not to destroy her eating patterns. She doesn't listen, and continues to complain to me about those "1 or 2 pounds" that she gains some days. Upsetting, to say the least.
My father and I both tell her that she is now tiny and doesn't need to obsess as much over this stuff, or at least if she does, keep it to herself. I know that even smaller people have health concerns and can worry about putting on pounds, but I know that her mentality is not healthy. She still won't listen.
Also, she's a pretty great enabler, whether she knows it or not. When my mom wants something, she gets it immediately. If she wants coffee and cake, we walk to get coffee, and she suggests what I should eat or what we could share. If I tell her that I want to avoid something like that because it would be too far over my weekly caloric goals, she tells me that it's just one day and we can share it or I can work it off the next day. And I give in, which I know is all on my shoulders, but she doesn't help.
If I try to mention any of this to her, my mother is the type of person to take things very personally. Even if I try to tell her it's not an attack on her, I'm afraid that she will spin it (like she typically does) to be about her, instead of me and my needs, and I won't get anywhere except in making her cry or have a horrible rest of the day.
SO basically, my quest for motivation and support from my mother is like walking on egg shells. Sometimes it feels like she's belittling me and calling me overweight, or the way she compliments me makes me feel like she thinks I should lose more weight. When I approach her, excited that I ran a bit further in an exercise or added more intensity, she says, "That's good! You should start lifting upper body weights now."
That sounds like, "Your arms are flabby. Fix it, like I did!"
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Replies
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My mom is my biggest sabatoger. You know what I found out? SHE doesn't decide what I eat, or how much I exercise. She's not holding a gun to my head and FORCING me to eat more, or badly. ONLY *I* decide what goes in my body.
It sucks that my mom isn't supportive but I've just had to realize that not everyone will be and that I have to ignore her comments. It's hard (daily she lives with me).
I'm almost 29, married 9 years and have a 4.5 year old son, BUT she's still my mom and it sucks that she's not a cheerleader for me too. She's always on a diet and yet she hides food and then complains when she doesn't lose weight. I'm FINALLY below her in weight and it drives her crazy but it's not a competition. It's about ME being the healthiest person *I* can be.
So try and tune her out and do what you need to do for you!
You can do this! You can be healthy for YOU!0 -
You are doing great things for yourself. And no matter what, you can't change your Mom. If you have done what you can by being honest with her, it's all you can do, and somehow you have learn to be a like a duck in water, just let it roll off. Good luck, and great job.0
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FIrst off, grats on starting on this journey and motivating your family to do the same. Sorry for the trouble you are having.
For your mother's fits, ignore her. To me, it just sounds like she is trying to get people to give her attention. If you quit giving her spouts the attention that she is trying to obtain, then it will stop over time. It is like feeding a dog treats from the table, it will only continue if you keep giving the dog the treats.
On to the issue w/ her taking you to a place and getting you to eat unhealthy items. Tell her straight out that you do not appreciate her prodding you to eat something that you know you shouldn't. It is like having someone telling a person that quit smoking that they should go ahead and share this cigarette w/ them, it won't hurt. Tell her that if it continues, then you will walk w/ her to the store, but you will not stay there with her (if she has a fit over that, then just say that you won't walk w/ her to the store at all).
If she suggests to you what to eat, and you don't want it, simply tell her that you hear her, but you don't want that, you want ... and stick with it!
I personally think it sounds like she is passive aggressive. She wants to win at this competition of weight loss that has happened in your family and, in the meantime, make you and your sister feel like crap in the meantime (either so you don't lose more than her, or just because she is that naieve and doesn't realize how destructive she is being).
I am concerned that if she is treating you this way, how is she treating your bigger sister...0 -
Augh. That sounds really hard. The best you can do is try and tune it out. Avoid conversations surrounding exercise and food and stick to it. Easier said than done obviously I know.
I think if you can say NO to your Mom enough times she would eventually get the picture - especially on those occasions where she is trying to convince you to eat over your calories. If she is upset - that is not YOUR fault. You need to do what is best for you and free yourself from the control she is exercising over you.
You can do it!!!! It must be very hard though...just one more challenge in your quest for fitness and a healthy life (mentally and physically).
No is the magic word. All the best. Don't. Give. Up.0 -
I think we may be sisters...
:laugh:0 -
Thanks for the encouraging comments!
It is quite a struggle. She tends to adopt all of my interests, as I've recently noticed. If I'm into culinary arts and learning to cook better and healthier, she is, too. Which is great since we make so many healthy dinners together! But it's annoying that she now pushes these interests onto me as if she were the first to have them. I'm steady in my workout goals, and now she's blabbing to my father and I about how she did better on the treadmill this week and has lost the weight she gained from ONE BAD DINNER.
But you're right, I should just ignore her. For the most part, I do. She definitely does love to attract attention, and if she doesn't get it, she does get fussy. But I just have to take that in stride and know that I am still achieving my own goals.
As for how she treats my older sister, it has gotten MUCH better since my sister moved out permanently in her college town and lives with her boyfriend. Still, the fact that my sister might feel twice my mother's size definitely does not help her very low self-esteem.0 -
the only person whose actions and attitudes you can control are your own. if you can't participate in a mutually beneficial support system with your mom, then it is up to you to stop looking to her to be one for you and to accept her for what she is. if you perceive her suggestions as criticisms, then stop discussing your fitness journey with her, and when she brings it up, tell her you're bored with talking about weight all the time, and change the subject to something else. if she pursues it, be firm, and stay away from the topic. as far as her obsession over 1-2 pounds, tell her you just don't want to hear about her 1-2 pounds anymore. (i.e. "mom, it's fine if you want to spend every day of the rest of your life obsessed over one pound. can you please not make the rest of us obsess over it with you?") trying to convince her that she looks fine, it's water retention, etc., is just giving her the attention she is looking for regarding her weight. ignore her or change the subject.
i remember i once joked to my mom that it seemed like we had spent 20 years talking about the same five pounds, and it was time to move on to a more interesting topic.0
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