People asking how I lost weight

njitaliana
njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
edited April 2019 in Motivation and Support
I have about 70 lbs off. It has taken about 9 months. Every time someone notices my weight loss, they ask how I lost weight. I tell them I use MFP to track my calories and that I eat up to 1600 calories a day.

They look at me with disappointment and then proceed to tell me how I'm losing weight "wrong" and which way I "should" be losing: don't eat carbs, don't eat bread, don't eat sugar, juice all day instead of eating regular food, eat cabbage soup all day instead of regular food, only eat 300 calories a day, etc, etc. This most recent time was at a dermatologist's office. Instead of being happy that I lost weight, the dermatologist told me I should consume nothing but juice.

Yea, right. I have 70 lbs off and am enjoying eating whatever I want, within reason. I'll keep doing it my way. Why do people think losing weight requires starving yourself or depriving yourself instead of just tracking calories and eating enjoyable foods? It's annoying. Next time someone asks, I feel like telling them it's a secret and they can find out when they buy the book I'm writing, LOL.
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Replies

  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
    i totally feel you on this. on the 'what do you hate to hear' thread, my choice was 'what's your secret???', since that almost always ends in an argument.

    congrats on your loss, clearly whatever you're doing is working!
  • KristiRTT
    KristiRTT Posts: 346 Member
    I'd also be concerned about the Dr. That is a very odd recommendation. Obviously what you are doing is working so Id keep that up and be proud of yourself. This is a tough process
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    KristiRTT wrote: »
    I'd also be concerned about the Dr. That is a very odd recommendation. Obviously what you are doing is working so Id keep that up and be proud of yourself. This is a tough process

    She's a dermatologist who I only went to for a mole. Why she thinks she should give out nutritional advice is puzzling.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Because people want some sort of quick fix. While we see doing these drastic diets as harder than just moderating intake, they see lifelong lifestyle changes as too hard and want something they can do for a couple of months and then like magic they're skinny. Doesn't usually work too well for them.

    This is also an important reminder that some doctors really don't have the first clue about nutrition. Just because they are medical doctors and may be knowledgeable in their specific area (although honestly that is far from a given), does mean they are necessarily any more qualified that Bob the accountant to give out nutritional advice. I'd be hesitant to seek any sort of medical advice from a doctor who thinks a person should only consume juice.

    She is a dermatologist who I was seeing just to get a mole removed. For some reason, she felt she should dispense nutritional advice.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    KristiRTT wrote: »
    I'd also be concerned about the Dr. That is a very odd recommendation. Obviously what you are doing is working so Id keep that up and be proud of yourself. This is a tough process

    Again, I was only seeing her to get a mole removed.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    edited April 2019
    I never really talked about it. People could see that I was brown bagging my breakfast, lunch, and snacks and eating a more nutritionally sound diet rather than Taco Bell everyday for lunch which was usually a burrito supreme, taco supreme, two bean burritos, and a large Mt Dew...I was also exercising regularly on my lunch break. I think people just assumed eating healthier and exercising regularly.

    I never told anyone except for my wife that I was calorie counting.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    It seems crazy to me that people give a successful person who has lost weight..advice on how they SHOULD have lost their weight. lol. Insane. really funny if you think about it..

    Maybe a "thanks for your thoughts..but you can't argue with success and my way obviously worked for me."

    That's pretty much what I say, and yet they continue giving me advice on what I'm doing "wrong."
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I never really talked about it. People could see that I was brown bagging my breakfast, lunch, and snacks and eating a more nutritionally sound diet rather than Taco Bell everyday for lunch which was usually a burrito supreme, taco supreme, two bean burritos, and a large Mt Dew...I was also exercising regularly on my lunch break. I think people just assumed eating healthier and exercising regularly.

    I never told anyone except for my wife that I was calorie counting.

    Then I guess that means you are in a different situation where the same people see you every day. I'm not in that situation, as I work from home. People don't see me for a couple months and then ask what I did to lose weight.
  • MPDean
    MPDean Posts: 99 Member
    You could say you've cut out the flavour of the month Instagram or Pinterest or whatever diets that almost always lead to a restrict-binge cycle.

    A bit passive aggressive, but so are they.
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,454 Member
    Look up diet books on Amazon. The books are 98% this or that gimmick or trick. I don’t understand the attraction.

    When people asked how I lost I told them - old fashioned diet and exercise. And kept on walking.

    Why everyone has an opinion about what others should be doing, I don’t know that either. I’ve had morbidly obese people tell me I was doing it wrong. People are nuts.
  • cheriej2042
    cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
    At least they noticed you lost weight. Usually when I even bother to tell people I’ve lost weight they ask how with eager anticipation. When I tell them about MFP they always get a big disappointed look on their faces and say “oh that’s WAY too difficult for me”. From now on I’m just going to say it’s a new scientific breakthrough you just take a blue pill once a day and voila the pounds come flying off! And some person on MFP is writing a book about it that will be released shortly. Just let me know where to send the preorders for your book!
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    You could say you followed a strict diet of 30% protein, 40% carbs and 30% fats (or whatever your macros are) and tracked it all with a special app that recommended how much sugar, fiber and other nutrients to eat. (In other words, MFP).
  • adotbaby
    adotbaby Posts: 199 Member
    People don't wanna hear that we've lost weight by eating right and exercising, they want a shortcut. Be happy you did it the healthy way. Yay MFP!
  • kimcalica
    kimcalica Posts: 524 Member
    edited April 2019
    the answer i like to give to this question is "applied knowledge" then i say 'i learned what's in the food i eat by logging it on my fitness pal, and how many calories i burn etc"... and then i say "basically i got an education." anything done successfully is done by getting an education first. you wouldn't try to build a boat without first educating yourself on how to build it would you? and if you did, you sure wouldn't trust it to float in the ocean! (124 lbs lost)