Annoying question – How’s your diet going?

LeanerBeef
LeanerBeef Posts: 1,432 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
This question really annoys me these days. I don’t feel like I’m on a diet, I just changed the way I’m eating and I’m making healthy choices. Also annoying is hearing “wow, you’re really doing great on your diet”. I’m not on a freakin diet! :grumble: I know these are normal questions/responses but I think it bothers me because it counters my thinking that I’m just making healthy choices when it comes to food and exercise. It also implies that this change is temporary and eventually I will “stop dieting”. It’s kinda strange that positive feedback gives me negative thoughts. Hmmm, this is getting deep. I guess it’s just another strange bump on the road to healthy living….or maybe I’m just crazy. :happy:

Replies

  • RunningAddict
    RunningAddict Posts: 548 Member
    Yes it does have to be a lifestyle change and not just a diet! Nothing wrong with thinking in those terms. We all need to make lifestyle changes and not just diet.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I think people who haven't been on a weight loss journey don't understand. They assume we're dieting and eventually we are going to fail and the weight will come back. They don't understand that we've committed to a lifestyle change because we don't want to fail and gain the weight back.

    I don't have too many people who ask me anymore since I've been doing this for over a year and have met (actually, exceeded) my goal weight.
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
    I totally get what you mean, because im the same way. People have a really hard time wrapping their head around a "lifestyle change". I just usually say "im doing great, thanks". You can't fix stupid. Lmao!
  • TescherTK
    TescherTK Posts: 44 Member
    You're not crazy! I have people saying "oh, yeah, she's on a diet." all the time. I tell them I'm not on a diet, I'm just taking control. I choose to eat what I want to eat, and right now in this minute I want to eat healthy.
  • lkwalker71
    lkwalker71 Posts: 131 Member
    It is a lifestyle change. I used to work with a lady who always made comments about me being on a diet when I was on Weight Watchers. I ended up putting up a sign on my cubicle wall that said "Weight Watchers is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change". Unless someone has been on a journey like this, they just don't understand.
  • egoheen
    egoheen Posts: 24 Member
    When I went to a nutrition class, the nurse said that this is not a diet because those are temporary fixes when you need to lose a few pounds here or there for an event. She said that you are making lifestyle changes that should (ideally) be permanent.
  • najla11
    najla11 Posts: 1
    i totally understand what you're saying! at first i let it go but now i do say that its not just a diet, it's a life style change, it opens a whole other doors of questioning but its worth it to keep my mind thinking its not just another diet ... i don't know how to explain it ... but it works.
  • NianMaya
    NianMaya Posts: 108
    I don't understand why people would ask this question! I never told anyone that I was on a diet. I always say that I am on a life changing journey and it's more than what I eat.
  • Asiral
    Asiral Posts: 133
    I've gotten annoyed myself, so i started bluntly correcting people by saying im not on a diet, im on a lifestyle change. Then the question becomes, "how are your workouts going" which i definitely prefer to be asked
  • Asiral
    Asiral Posts: 133
    I've gotten annoyed myself, so i started bluntly correcting people by saying im not on a diet, im on a lifestyle change. Then the question becomes, "how are your workouts going" which i definitely prefer to be asked
  • MsRobin_TheSequel
    MsRobin_TheSequel Posts: 127 Member
    For your sake, you might wanna change your understanding of the word, making note to 1a. Of course, most people assume diet refers to only 1d. But what do those people know? I agree with "lifestyle change" being more accurate myself. But you can't change other people, just how you react to them.

    Merriam-Webster:

    Definition of DIET

    1
    a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed
    b : habitual nourishment
    c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason
    d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight <going on a diet>
    2
    : something provided or experienced repeatedly <a diet of Broadway shows and nightclubs — Frederick Wyatt>
    Origin of DIET

    Middle English diete, from Anglo-French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life
    First Known Use: 13th century


    Just keep doing what you're doing :)
  • LeanerBeef
    LeanerBeef Posts: 1,432 Member
    Ms Robin, thank you for helping me expand my grasp of the English language......lol. :happy:
  • dailyorange
    dailyorange Posts: 128
    "Habitual nourishment" - I like the sound of that!

    Yes we are on a diet! A diet of healthy foods that fuel our bodies and make us feel good =)
  • Walt75
    Walt75 Posts: 182 Member
    I get annoyed when so many people say to me "Hey! you lost weight! You on a diet?". So I usually tell them "No, I have a drug addiction". It usually gets them off of me :)
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
    Telling people it's a "lifestyle change" helps some...although most still don't get it.

    People will learn eventually. My mom used to ask me how my "diet" was going...now she's gotten smarter and asks how my half marathon training is going ;)
  • ceirawillsucceed
    ceirawillsucceed Posts: 519 Member
    I get annoyed when so many people say to me "Hey! you lost weight! You on a diet?". So I usually tell them "No, I have a drug addiction". It usually gets them off of me :)
    LMAO
    great response. im sure it shuts them up quickly.
  • findingfit23
    findingfit23 Posts: 845 Member
    I hate when people ask me how much I have lost
  • AnitaAntone
    AnitaAntone Posts: 177 Member
    I prefer lifestyle to diet. But I get so annoyed when someone doesnt mention my results when i haven't seen them in a while! silly but true!i like when people notice the effort ive put in and the support. Also, i love sharing MFP with them,too!
    3697427.png
  • LeanerBeef
    LeanerBeef Posts: 1,432 Member
    Aantone, I totally hear what you are saying.....I guess this is where the "maybe I'm crazy" part comes in. :laugh: I like the recognition and/or compliments & I do enjoy discussing the changes that I'm making but I just don't like approaching it as if I'm just on a diet....does that make sense??? Basically, all my friends and family should be mind readers and should properly open all food and excercise discussions to my liking. LOL :laugh:
  • mzenzer
    mzenzer Posts: 503 Member
    I find, as others have pointed out, that it really boils down to people's misconception of the word "diet". I usually throw in a reference about animal planet or something like that and say when they are talking about the lion's diet of gazelle, antelope, etc., do they mean to say the lion is obese and needs to shed a few pounds, or are they discussing that animals particular food choices? You'd be surprised the light bulbs that go off from the change in understanding. I've also become a little sarcastic about it, especially now that i've pretty much lost all I am going to lose. When asked something along the lines of "how's that diet working for you?", I say "how's that processed, toxic, slow poison diet of yours working out?" They usually don't know what to say and have been leaving me alone since.
  • kngarber
    kngarber Posts: 227
    I get the same thing and it really gets under my skin. I just kindly explain to them that I am not dieting, but I am doing fantastic with my healthy living!!
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    One more step in this process is to change OUR mind frame. We ARE on a diet. Diet by definition is the

    The kind of food a person or animal HABITUALLY eats.

    We need to change our mind frame that diet is permanent. The ones that work you can live off of and the ones that don't are the ones that fail. This just happens to be one that works. Embrace it and go with it. When people see your long term success they will start to see what you mean.

    Best wishes.
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