Would you say something?

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13

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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    She does 30 minutes of cardio each morning in our company gym, but then follows it up with a protein bar, nuts, and a bottle of gatorade, which I would assume negates whatever calories she just burned.

    A few years ago, I noticed that when I'd ride (a bike) hard on really hot days when the sun beat down, later on I'd drink cup after cup of water and not really feel any less thirsty. Gatorade helped a lot with this. I have this loop around a lake that I ride after work, it burns about 200 kCal. A 32 oz bottle of Gatorade has 200 kCal in it. Now the drink doesn't negate the fun or the feeling of the wind on my face, but there's no weight benefit here.

    That's when I discovered Nuun tablets. Same basic thing, an electrolyte replacement, but it's about 5 kCal per glass. And they don't taste quite as bad.

    A guy I work with was complaining about how his weight loss stopped when he started running. We talked for a few minutes, he gets "rungry" and that's a big part of it, but he took Gatorade up, too; I told him what I'd learned and a week later he said it was helpful.
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I want to add that unless you are hanging over her shoulder all day, tallying exactly what she eats, how much, etc, you really don't know how many calories she's ingesting. You also don't know what she does/doesn't eat when not at work. Whoa, she eats a protein bar and nuts after working out??? . . . so do a lot of people, lol. For all you know she actually is at a calorie deficit and is complaining because her rate of loss is "too slow" or something, or because she gained three pounds of water weight overnight.
  • wcgenius
    wcgenius Posts: 12 Member
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    The problem here is your relationship. If she were a friend saying 'Have you tried MFP' or even joking and saying something about her 'Eating her burn' would prob be ok. But, you guys are colleagues and remaining friendly and cordial is essential. You'll either become the font of all knowledge and then consciously or subconsciously on her part become involved in her success or, more likely failure. Or she could resent the advice or take it completely wrong (so - you ARE saying she's fat). I just wouldn't...
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    Unless people like this are personal (close) friends, I don't say anything. Most people I've come across that are like this know exactly what they need to do to lose weight, they are just too lazy/unmotivated to do it.
  • moonstroller
    moonstroller Posts: 210 Member
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    Saying anything puts you in a delicate situation, regarding her reaction to any comment you may make. You're correct in seeing that she's eating all the time and calories are calories regardless if they come from almonds and yogurt or Doritos and soda.

    Despite your best intentions to help her see this, she very well may take anything you say as an insult, like the Super Genius a couple of posts above said.

    Personally I would stay out of it and let her make her comments to the room. Unless she directly asks you for your opinion, I would keep your opinions to yourself.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited May 2017
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    TmacMMM wrote: »
    People. Please read threads before responding. The situation has been resolved.

    I can't see why more input, experiences, etc. wouldn't be helpful for this general theme, as more than just the OP encounters this sort of uncomfortable situation and all such situations will pan out differently. It also helps to know how people *generally* feel about this so that someone at a loss in this sort of situation can at least take a stab at what will more likely than not be the right thing to do. I learned that by reading the thread. :)
  • BlueSkyShoal
    BlueSkyShoal Posts: 325 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I'm glad the situation resolved so cleanly. :) I could never do low carb (I love my pancakes) but hopefully it will work for her.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    DO NOT ENGAGE. But seriously, if she asks what you are doing or your advice, share. If it's just general bitching, stay out of it.
  • irxproductions
    irxproductions Posts: 28 Member
    edited May 2017
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    It drives me nuts when I'm in situations like this. I had the same problem at my last job which was overloaded with obese people of both genders. One, in particular, was constantly "on a diet" and then I'd see them come to a lunchroom with a giant bag from McDonald's just for them.

    I really, REALLY wanted to say something, but I don't think anything good could come from it.

    It's weird. People are so willing to walk up and tell strangers smoking cigarettes that smoking is bad for your health, but everyone's so hesitant to tell an overweight person at a fast food restaurant that eating unhealthy foods is bad for you.

    I'm all for positive self-image, but I think there's a bit of a negative trend coming from people thinking society should think they're beautiful just the way they are. You should definitely have self-confidence and love yourself, but if you're unhealthy, you should work to change it.

    If we're concerned about unhealthy habits causing medical insurance premiums to rise, we need to not discriminate in the opposite direction - smoking is bad, but so is poor eating.
  • BWA468
    BWA468 Posts: 101 Member
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    I’d just say I use mfp， works for me. I've heard lots of people complaining at not losing weight when they think they're doing the ‘right things’ and they've all been interested in finding out what mfp is once I mention it. I wouldn't go into it any further cause when I describe it they seem to look like it's too much hard work lol. Before I knew about mfp I ate what I thought was healthy etc but was clueless to what I was actually consuming calorie wise and wish I had known about mfp earlier.
  • irxproductions
    irxproductions Posts: 28 Member
    edited May 2017
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    ruqayyahsmum wrote: »
    Ever seen someone puffing on a cigarette go up and tell a smoker they should quit as its bad for THEM?

    Sadly, many years ago, I used to smoke. Proud to say I quit nearly 10 years ago.

    I regularly had people I didn't know come up and tell me that it was bad for me. Because of this, I make a practice of NEVER telling anyone I don't know what they should and shouldn't do. Like you, I just avoid smokers now (can't stand the smell, ironically).

    As for telling people not to eat poorly, I wouldn't do that, either. What people want to do is their business.

    Unfortunately, we have a serious health crisis facing the U.S. on multiple fronts. There are huge anti-smoking campaigns which are fantastic, but our obesity epidemic needs attention, too. We're all far too sensitive about the subject, and I think it's important we get comfortable talking about it.

    That being said, that guy was a total jerk. You should have thrown your soda at him!
  • jayv85
    jayv85 Posts: 142 Member
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    Unless you're basically an olympic athlete that's sweating hard for hours, you don't need gatorade after working out. I ran track from 8-18 years old and I've been in the army since then. I'm 32 now. I don't drink gatorade after working out (except very rare occasions because I wanted to drink it). And I've been in full mopp gear in summer running up a hill. That makes you sweat.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
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    Don't say anything unless she directly asks for an advice.

    I have a very big colleague, about 300 pounds or so, and she's constantly complains about not being able to lose weight, yet she eats for 3. Once I mentioned to her that she shouldn't have a dessert after finishing a whole large pizza for lunch. Now she calls me anorexic (im 5.10 and 155 pounds, trying to lose 10 pounds).

    Say nothing. Let her live her life and enjoy her own path. If she needs help, she'll ask for it.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
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    No unless asked I don't tend to give advice to people on weightloss. It's not worth it in my opinion.
  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
    edited May 2017
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    If she's really eating that many nuts and protien bars, she probably has no idea how many calories they really hold. Tell her to start using a calorie counter.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Didn’t realize this story would be over so quickly…

    I was all set to not say anything unless she specifically asked me (and as a side note, she was not working here when I lost my weight). BUT, this morning she gave me a golden opportunity. We were the only two people in the company gym, and she started a conversation that went roughly like this:

    Co-Worker: I don’t know why I bother with this…I never lose any weight. You’re so lucky that you’re thin.

    Me: Actually, I really used to struggle with my weight, so I understand. A few years ago, I lost a lot of weight using My Fitness Pal.

    CW: Someone else told me about that app. You have to weigh all your food and type in everything you eat? It sounds complicated.

    Me: It’s not really. It’s just calorie counting, which is the only thing that worked for me. If you want to give it a shot, I can show you how to set it up.

    CW: Nah, thanks though. I think I’m just going to stop eating carbs.

    Me: Okay.

    So, I am TOTALLY off the hook! I’ll no longer have these weird guilty feelings when she’s venting about not losing weight. I’ll just put in my virtual earplugs, and never say another word about it to her unless she changes her mind and wants info on MFP…or if she starts stinking up the office with apple cider vinegar or something. Anyway, thank you all for your advice on this delicate situation.

    I'll never understand people who believe that cutting a whole food group is easier than just logging what you eat.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    Didn’t realize this story would be over so quickly…

    I was all set to not say anything unless she specifically asked me (and as a side note, she was not working here when I lost my weight). BUT, this morning she gave me a golden opportunity. We were the only two people in the company gym, and she started a conversation that went roughly like this:

    Co-Worker: I don’t know why I bother with this…I never lose any weight. You’re so lucky that you’re thin.

    Me: Actually, I really used to struggle with my weight, so I understand. A few years ago, I lost a lot of weight using My Fitness Pal.

    CW: Someone else told me about that app. You have to weigh all your food and type in everything you eat? It sounds complicated.

    Me: It’s not really. It’s just calorie counting, which is the only thing that worked for me. If you want to give it a shot, I can show you how to set it up.

    CW: Nah, thanks though. I think I’m just going to stop eating carbs.

    Me: Okay.

    So, I am TOTALLY off the hook! I’ll no longer have these weird guilty feelings when she’s venting about not losing weight. I’ll just put in my virtual earplugs, and never say another word about it to her unless she changes her mind and wants info on MFP…or if she starts stinking up the office with apple cider vinegar or something. Anyway, thank you all for your advice on this delicate situation.

    I'll never understand people who believe that cutting a whole food group is easier than just logging what you eat.

    I think people confuse "simple" with "easy". Technically, it's simple to not eat carbs, or any other specific type of food. But it's not easy. I know I personally could never maintain a diet that completely excluded anything.

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