I'm undecided whether to tell people I'm on a diet. Scared of the negativity

DarleneHerndon
DarleneHerndon Posts: 1 Member
edited November 22 in Introduce Yourself
I'm scared of the negativity and pressure I'd be under. I'm on Facebook. Should I post about it?
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Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I say no. I logged my runs for a while and I got lots of likes for those.
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,761 Member
    It should be more about healthy eating regime that you can adopt for life ' diets'
    Are short term
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    What you eat is nobody else's business - so you shouldn't feel obligated to tell anyone, but you can if you want to, just be prepared that people may want to share their opinions. Just like I am now: It's generally not a good idea to go on a diet. To lose weight, you just have to consistently eat less. If you think that sounds boring, unexciting and ineffective, compare it with how difficult or dreary you think starting and going on a diet, is, or seems - it's always your choice what to do, but you can't decide the outcome of any given choice.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    .......when you do start really taking it off.....post a picture of yourself in a new cute outfit and ask if they think if the style or color suits you.
    Of course they will ask why...how...and what but don't answer "that" question. Oh how fun that would be!
  • deadenddiva
    deadenddiva Posts: 50 Member
    I let people know if I am actually going to be sharing a meal with them. If it is something like an event where there are snacks provided, then it is up to me to chose wisely, or to just not indulge, but I always let people who want to feed me know that I am learning new habits, have health concerns, etc. Telling folks you worry about diabetes is a great way to get them involved in a positive manner, especially since it is a huge health concern now. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0718-diabetes-report.html
  • enyagoboom
    enyagoboom Posts: 377 Member
    FWIW: my experiences in the past were I would tell everyone because of 'accountability' and I'd go strong for a couple of weeks and invariably get sidetracked and... well. fail. Again.

    This time, I didn't tell anyone when I started - not even my husband. I wasn't keeping it a secret, but I was trying to focus on making the changes I needed to make and try things out with room to both fail and start up again without everyone's input. As I've gone on people have been looped in to varying degrees of success, and when I hit 100 days of tracking and nearly 20lbs down, I posted about it because I do think MFP has made all the difference this time.

    Overall, I talk about these changes more now than I did in July because those changes have become center stage in my life - swimming, fitness, losing weight, needing to look at going clothing shopping - those are results that I'm really happy to share. And even though I've had setbacks and bad days and maybe a slower loss than I'd like, I can talk about them too because I know they come and go and I'm seeing an overall downward trend.

    The biggest thing is trying not to become the person who *only* talks about fitness and food.

    Whatever you do, when you engage people on this topic you are opening yourself to their positive and negative comments. If this is a fear for you, dig into the reason why it makes you anxious, and engage that fear. Or find new people who aren't obnoxious jackholes. Your mileage may vary. All the best!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't understand why people feel the need to talk about this kind of stuff.
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  • munster14
    munster14 Posts: 9 Member
    I didn't tell anybody until it naturally came up in conversation, such as when they ask what I plan to eat at lunch or supper. Answering salad is pretty much a dead giveaway and leads to the diet unveiling.
  • Karliemyalgia
    Karliemyalgia Posts: 146 Member
    Diets are typically known to be short term, so people might get caught up in that thought.

    Are you doing this long term? Short term? Are you making genuine changes to your eating to bring with you into the future? If so, then I'd consider it a "lifestyle change" and not a diet. If you want to avoid the numbskulls caught up over a word, just change the word :)
  • Evamutt
    Evamutt Posts: 2,797 Member
    personally, I don't share personal stuff on FB or share anything I want comments about. But I'm an introvert & don't like to be noticed too much. I do notice when ppl do share they get so much advice & I don't want that. That's why I share on here with like minded ppl. On the other hand, I have a friend who lost 70 lbs so far on keto & shares all the time. I say good for her if that's what she wants to do. I also encourage & congratulate her. The general public doesn't know or care about weight loss & has a lot of opinions so think about it first.
  • mysteps2beauty
    mysteps2beauty Posts: 493 Member
    leggup wrote: »
    Never post that you're in the process/going to achieve something. Post when you have a result to be proud of, like succeeding in your weight loss goals.

    I find this to be a good approach. I read somewhere that when you announce that you are doing something that takes the impetus off from doing it....like saying it somehow becomes I did it. And then you don't. So if you want to say something say it after you have some measurable attainments, like maybe lose 50% of what you are aiming for. Frankly, I'd keep it mum until someone says something like, you look different, what are you doing?
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,372 Member
    Not everything in your life needs to be posted on facebook nor do you need tell anyone about your weight loss efforts unless you genuinely want to.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I don't even discuss it in real life situations. Sometimes people will comment that it looks like I've lost weight, but even then I don't share what I'm doing. I don't see why it needs to be obvious in gatherings around food either. I order what I like, not often salad, but choose lighter options, either through what I'm drinking, choice of sides and dressings, and eat lighter the rest of the day, so it fits.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    Don't use the word "diet". It's just a lifestyle change - hopefully permanent. You're monitoring your calorie intake rather than dieting.
  • janetterdz93
    janetterdz93 Posts: 118 Member
    Don't tell a soul! Best of luck :)
  • whosshe
    whosshe Posts: 597 Member
    edited November 2017
    leggup wrote: »
    Never post that you're in the process/going to achieve something. Post when you have a result to be proud of, like succeeding in your weight loss goals.

    Agreed. I'm waiting for the big 100lbs down to post on facebook.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    I'm not on a diet. I'm just keeping track of how much I eat. And, no, not all my facebook contacts need know. New photos will eventually tell the tale and those who are interested will ask.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I didn't tell people on facebook. After I'd lost the weight, I updated my profile picture with <-- that one. Many of my fb friends whom I had known since high school remarked approvingly, but none of the wimmin sent me noodz.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    I didn't tell people on facebook. After I'd lost the weight, I updated my profile picture with <-- that one. Many of my fb friends whom I had known since high school remarked approvingly, but none of the wimmin sent me noodz.

    Well there's still time ;)
  • Misspinklift
    Misspinklift Posts: 384 Member
    I know how you feel. I didn't tell anyone at first because I didn't want to hear their opinions. I kept it a secret for a year and now 3 years later, ppl keep asking me for help.
  • MaikeO1977
    MaikeO1977 Posts: 13 Member
    edited November 2017
    My opinion: No. Just do your thing. For me personally, people tend to be more or less unsupportive.
    I am doing a weight loss program at a hospital where I work and I have only today (after 5 weeks in) told people about it, simply because co-workers started remarking on how I looked like I lost weight.
    The only people whom I told before were colleagues who were also doing the program or had completed it previously.

    If you want it, you will find support on MyFitnessPal. Or you could join weight watchers or something. It helps to have a designated support group that is separate from your every day life.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I didn't tell people on Facebook. After I'd lost enough to notice, a family member asked what I did and I told her I used MFP calorie counting. She went into a long explanation about why that doesn't really work, I should switch to Weight Watchers. Sheesh. I've learned that once you tell folks what you're up to, they are either supportive or critical. I don't need the grief.

    I have a friend who shared on Facebook last year everything about every single pound she was losing on a weird liquid diet. She wasn't under a doctor's care, she just lived off these liquids she was buying off the internet. She sounded like some kind of diet evangelist, encouraging her friends to do the same thing. She lost a lot of weight, fast. Every day, she bragged about how much weight she lost. THEN, six months into it, she ran out of money and burned out, started eating real food, and gained it all back plus some.
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