Have you ever felt left out because of your healthy lifestyle?

HWIN_16 wrote: »

Have you turned down invites because you want to get your sleep?

Depends. If it's on a weekend, then I just sleep in longer.

Turned down drinking with friends because that's extra calories & slows down your metabolism?

I don't drink but will hang out with friends and be the DD. And alcohol doesn't slow down your metabolism. It just diverts energy until it's metabolized out of your system.

Said "No" to going out to eat because you wouldn't be able to stay within your calorie &/or macro range?

Who says you HAVE to eat though? And if it came down to it, you can eat a salad (watch the dressing) without really overstepping your calorie count.

Stayed in because you have a 5k in the morning instead of going out clubbing?

That would be smart.

I just want to know so that I don't feel so alone, because I've turned down people, & each time I do I feel like a loser. Especially because I'm 21 & not like most girls my age. But my body, my health, & the way I look is more important to me, so I shouldn't feel sorry for that.
Right?

You just have to find friends that have the same interest you do in fitness and health then. Unfortunately, some of your childhood friends may not have the same aspirations you do and could hold you back rather than help you step forward.
But IMO, don't be over obsessive about it if you want to still hang out with your friends. Part of being healthy is also being HAPPY. You can be the physically healthiest person in the world, but if your sad and alone, that lowers that "healthy" lifestyle.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I have turned down invites to happy hours and gone to workout, but generally that is because I don't want to go to the happy hour. Or I have gone to happy, drank water and then gone to workout.

I have turned down going out when I have a race of some sort to go to in the morning...mostly only the one triathlon I do every year. The other 5Ks I do are things like the Wicked Wine Run and the Hot Chocolate Run or a Color Run and I am not much of a runner and not trying to PR anything.

I wish I would have got it through my head like that at your age. Keep pushing you are on the right track.

HWIN_16 wrote: »

Stayed in because you have a 5k in the morning instead of going out clubbing?

Really just this one, because a 5k is fun and I'd rather be well-rested and enjoy it instead of trying to run when I'm already tired, which sucks.

ninerbuff wrote: »

You just have to find friends that have the same interest you do in fitness and health then. Unfortunately, some of your childhood friends may not have the same aspirations you do and could hold you back rather than help you step forward.
But IMO, don't be over obsessive about it if you want to still hang out with your friends. Part of being healthy is also being HAPPY. You can be the physically healthiest person in the world, but if your sad and alone, that lowers that "healthy" lifestyle.

Boomsauce. Can always count on Ninerbuff to drop the knowledge. Balance. Go out, have a little & have some FUN. And if you find that what your friends are doing isn't fun anymore, find some new friends. I certainly had to so that at one point. "Clubbing" had stopped being fun, so I had to go out and make an effort to hang out with different people who liked doing the new/other things I liked doing.

I love to game but it's something I've had to give up doing as much in order to get 8 hours of sleep and it really sucks. But that's life, no one said it wouldn't suck. Better to be healthy than indulge every whim like so many people do nowadays.

I can relate to the sleep > friends one and turning down drinking (not because of caloric/metabolic concerns, but simply because I don't drink), but if anything, getting healthy has made me more friends. You just have to find people who share your interests.
As someone who is also 21, I know there are a lot of people our age that make a point of living unhealthy lifestyles, and depending on what your life circumstances are, it can be easy to fall in with them; but, I assure you, there are plenty of people who share your healthy ways, too.

Great Scott I thought alcohol slowed your metabolism - Hot dog!!

When I was younger I used to say ‘yes’ to everything, for fear of missing out. The paranoia of not being part of something, or other people having fun without me was crushing. As I got older, I realised that constantly wanting to be part of something was a drain on me, and ultimately my health, with heavy drinking and late nights taking their toll.

Learning how and when to say ‘no’ is liberating. It means you are making a choice, and valuing yourself. No one respects you the less for it, as long as you strike a balance. But it’s also about priorities and time management. I run before work, which leaves my evenings free, but then have dance classes twice a week on those evenings, and occasional social dances at weekends.

I used to go diving most weekends, but now I have swapped diving for dancing, and have a different group of friends, meaning I have even MORE opportunities to socialise with both dancing friends and NDF’s (Non-Dancing Friends). This means I now have to say ‘no’ more often, to different groups of people, but at the same time it is forcing me to say ‘yes’ to social environments I might not previously have considered. I also know from experience that I have to retain one weekend a month where I DON’T commit to loads of stuff, and can use this to regroup.

I drink less now, because drinking and dancing is messy, and I can have fun with those people on a night until the small hours with nothing stronger than water. I still go out drinking, and enjoying good food, when it suits me.

I do more active stuff now, I run the occasional race, but I make sure in my schedule I find time for friends, because they are important to me. That’s not about saying ‘yes’ because I’m paranoid about missing out, that’s about saying ‘yes’ when there are things I genuinely want to do. Friends change, your friendship groups change and your priorities change. Health is important, but nothing should come at the exclusivity of friendships (I have the same feeling about relationships).