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  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    HellYeahItsKriss wrote: »
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    How do they even know you're counting calories unless you told them?

    You got sucked in again didn't you? Lol

    I just can't not...
  • Stationagentjules
    Stationagentjules Posts: 57 Member
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    I find that people are very curious about my food scale use. It's as if no one has ever seen one before. I don't mind usually.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
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    Stationagentjules wrote: »
    I find that people are very curious about my food scale use. It's as if no one has ever seen one before. I don't mind usually.

    I hadn't seen one until I worked for a baker.

    I recently watched an episode of the British Baking Show - Masterclass and was struck by how constantly they used their scales and said grams grams grams. If more people watched this show, the use of a scale in the US would be normalized.
    https://www.netflix.com/title/80165085
    http://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-season-masterclass/
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    geminigemz90 wrote: »
    Do you have to explain to people why you are counting calories. I mean it’s none of there business.

    Didn't you get your Calorie Counter's Contract when you started? It explains everything you have to do when you count calories. Oh, wait -- it doesn't exist. :D
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I never bring it up, and definitely don't feel like I need to explain myself. However, if a friend or family member notices me logging my food and ask about it, I just say "I just like to keep track of what I'm eating." Usually they just go "hm" and that's the end of it. If they ask "oh, are you trying to lose weight?" or "You count calories?" I just casually shrug and say "It also helps me figure out if I seem to have reactions to certain foods- if my allergies start going off and whatnot." Again, I always get either a non-response or something like "hey, that's a good idea. I should think about doing something like that." I personally choose not to make it a banned subject but I do respond in a way that takes the focus off the weight and calorie-counting aspect of it.

    On the other hand, if someone notices I've lost weight and asks how I'm doing it I say "I just track what I eat so I know I'm not eating too much or too little. It's kinda nice because I can eat whatever I want without overdoing it." Again, none of their business, but personally, I've seen so many friends struggle with fad diets or binge-starve cycles, and family members swearing that pasta causes weight gain no matter what, that if I can open up ONE person's mind about how simple (not easy, but simple) weight loss can be, I feel good about it. I never mention it or suggest it to people but if they ask how I'm doing it, I don't mind sharing.
  • ekim2016
    ekim2016 Posts: 1,199 Member
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    I have had them ask HOW I am losing weight... so if they are sincere, I give them a brief summary of how CICO works. Most just say wow or something like that.
  • jaci66
    jaci66 Posts: 139 Member
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    geminigemz90 wrote: »
    Do you have to explain to people why you are counting calories. I mean it’s none of there business.

    You don't have to. You can be an *kitten* about it OR you can make it an opportunity to maybe help someone else with weight loss. Maybe they're just curious.

    I always tell them if they ask. But, I don't offer the information. I mean, seriously. You're an adult, I assume. Make an adult decision about it.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2017
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    ekim2016 wrote: »
    I have had them ask HOW I am losing weight... so if they are sincere, I give them a brief summary of how CICO works. Most just say wow or something like that.

    I have had people ask. I answered, "Diet and exercise." This has never been met with any surprise. I did have one person sigh, "I was hoping there was some new secret out there," and we both laughed.

    I have never once had to explain to a single person that when I lowered calories under what I was expending, weight loss happened. Middle schoolers know this.

    I am surprised at the amount of people I have seen on threads on MFP saying they have literally had to explain this.
  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    ekim2016 wrote: »
    I have had them ask HOW I am losing weight... so if they are sincere, I give them a brief summary of how CICO works. Most just say wow or something like that.

    I have had people ask. I answered, "Diet and exercise." This has never been met with any surprise. I did have one person sigh, "I was hoping there was some new secret out there," and we both laughed.

    I have never once had to explain to a single person that when I lowered calories under what I was expending, weight loss happened. Middle schoolers know this.

    I am surprised at the amount of people I have seen on threads on MFP saying they have literally had to explain this.

    At one point I had lost almost 30 lbs. My friend asked how I did it and refused to believe my explanation that I was just counting calories and walking. She continued to send me article after article about raspberry keytones and magical green tea, even though she herself was trying those gimmicks and wondering why she wasn't losing weight.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Moxie42 wrote: »
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    ekim2016 wrote: »
    I have had them ask HOW I am losing weight... so if they are sincere, I give them a brief summary of how CICO works. Most just say wow or something like that.

    I have had people ask. I answered, "Diet and exercise." This has never been met with any surprise. I did have one person sigh, "I was hoping there was some new secret out there," and we both laughed.

    I have never once had to explain to a single person that when I lowered calories under what I was expending, weight loss happened. Middle schoolers know this.

    I am surprised at the amount of people I have seen on threads on MFP saying they have literally had to explain this.

    At one point I had lost almost 30 lbs. My friend asked how I did it and refused to believe my explanation that I was just counting calories and walking. She continued to send me article after article about raspberry keytones and magical green tea, even though she herself was trying those gimmicks and wondering why she wasn't losing weight.

    That is crazy.

    I don't know what to say...I feel sorry for anyone who is accosted constantly by people who apparently have never heard of calorie counting, something that was already old news when I started doing it in the late 70s.

    Don't even know what to say about this; I suppose I would just bin the emails like I do when my FIL sends me political memes.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    I don't bother to explain anything now.

    In the past I have enthused about how I am losing weight. (I lost 32 pounds) But as soon as I mentioned counting calories they lost interest. Apparently my way is boring soooo...... :)

  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    manderson27 wrote: »
    I don't bother to explain anything now.

    In the past I have enthused about how I am losing weight. (I lost 32 pounds) But as soon as I mentioned counting calories they lost interest. Apparently my way is boring soooo...... :)

    It's not that it's boring. It's that they were hoping something has changed with life on earth in total, so that a deficit no longer needs to be created in order for mass to reduce.

    Because everybody...just everybody knows this.

    Your friends have heard this all their lives. So have you, so have I. So has everyone.

    But they were hoping some miracle or other occurred. Because it isn't that fun to not eat as much anymore (for most people, anyway). But they already knew the truth. You just confirmed it for them.

  • Moxie42
    Moxie42 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Thankfully she never asked my opinions on the articles or asked if I tried them, lol! Just constantly sent me stuff and told me all about whatever new product she was trying that month. It was a little annoying but it didn't bother me too much. I figured "what I'm doing is working for me" was a good enough answer to explain why I never bothered with any of that stuff if she were to ask. I felt bad for her because she was so desperate yet refused to even consider simply counting calories or even making little changes (like a snack size bag of chips instead of the family size). Then we lost contact when we stopped working together. I think manderson27 is right though- it sounds boring and it sounds like work, so people just keep searching for the "right" quick fix.

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