Stop calling it a diet!

13

Replies

  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    edited May 2019
    I typically say eating in/at a deficit. People might look at me like I have two heads, but at least there are no comments on my food choices following. They're too busy trying to figure out what I meant :smile:
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    I typically say eating in/at a deficit. People might look at me like I have two heads, but at least there are no comments on my food choices following. They're too busy trying to figure out what I meant :smile:

    The nice thing about that is that it emphasizes the calorie deficit requirement that is inherent no matter which “diet” one might follow.

    I don’t use diet or journey but I do sometimes say I changed my lifestyle, and by that I mean I added things to it instead of cutting things out. More protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise more sleep.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    I typically say eating in/at a deficit. People might look at me like I have two heads, but at least there are no comments on my food choices following. They're too busy trying to figure out what I meant :smile:

    I feel like I say it that way because I learned it from you, lol.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    Melh1969 wrote: »
    I'm not sure why, but when someone refers to my weight loss as a "diet" I just snap. You go off diets. This is something I've been doing for a year now. It is a lifestyle change not a temporary restriction of calories.

    I lost about 50# 4 years ago. No one referred to my weight loss as a "diet," they just wanted to know the magic formula. I just said "I'm now eating a little less and moving a little more" which was exactly what I did.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    I typically say eating in/at a deficit. People might look at me like I have two heads, but at least there are no comments on my food choices following. They're too busy trying to figure out what I meant :smile:

    I feel like I say it that way because I learned it from you, lol.

    That's oddly both flattering and unsettling :lol: Try not to pick up too many of my habits!
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    pinuplove wrote: »
    I typically say eating in/at a deficit. People might look at me like I have two heads, but at least there are no comments on my food choices following. They're too busy trying to figure out what I meant :smile:

    I feel like I say it that way because I learned it from you, lol.

    That's oddly both flattering and unsettling :lol: Try not to pick up too many of my habits!

    I'm a sucker for kittens so I'm resigned. o:)
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Danp wrote: »
    Kiyomoo wrote: »
    I call it a diet because when I say that, people know that I mean I am doing something to try to lose weight. It's less awkward than saying "I'm on a journey of weight loss".

    LOL! I don't find myself objecting to the word diet either. But for some reason I really dislike the term 'journey'. Everyone seems to be on a journey these days.

    I can't really articulate why but just bugs me =)

    Oh, God, yeah, the "journey" thing needs to stop.
    It reeks of self-importance...I always want to say "Get over yourself".
    Part of the reason I deleted my Facebook account was so I no longer had to hear about everyone's "journeys". An acquaintance wrote a long post detailing her root canal journey. Reeaaalllyyy??

    I believe it was the dentist that was making a journey. Into her tooth, lol.

    Can we include "lifestyle change" in this too? I used to not hate it but then people started to somehow use it as an excuse to do really restrictive diets. Like, they need to go crazy in order for it to be a lifestyle change.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    Melh1969 wrote: »
    I'm not sure why, but when someone refers to my weight loss as a "diet" I just snap. You go off diets. This is something I've been doing for a year now. It is a lifestyle change not a temporary restriction of calories.

    I'm not understanding why this would make you "snap". It sounds like people are showing an interest in you, I would accept that graciously, even if I didn't necessarily agree with the use of the word "diet"
  • kds10
    kds10 Posts: 450 Member
    Danp wrote: »
    Kiyomoo wrote: »
    I call it a diet because when I say that, people know that I mean I am doing something to try to lose weight. It's less awkward than saying "I'm on a journey of weight loss".

    LOL! I don't find myself objecting to the word diet either. But for some reason I really dislike the term 'journey'. Everyone seems to be on a journey these days.

    I can't really articulate why but just bugs me =)

    Oh, God, yeah, the "journey" thing needs to stop.
    It reeks of self-importance...I always want to say "Get over yourself".
    Part of the reason I deleted my Facebook account was so I no longer had to hear about everyone's "journeys". An acquaintance wrote a long post detailing her root canal journey. Reeaaalllyyy??

    Lol...omg because she is the only one who ever needed a root canal...
  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 596 Member
    edited May 2019
    Kiyomoo wrote: »
    I call it a diet because when I say that, people know that I mean I am doing something to try to lose weight. It's less awkward than saying "I'm on a journey of weight loss".

    LOL! I don't find myself objecting to the word diet either. But for some reason I really dislike the term 'journey'. Everyone seems to be on a journey these days.

    I can't really articulate why but just bugs me =)

    I agree. Also, "lifestyle change". I didn't change my lifestyle at all, nor am I on a journey other than the same journey everyone else on the planet is on. All I did was decrease my caloric intake for a time.


  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    edited May 2019
    someone wrote:
    VioletRojo wrote: »
    Kiyomoo wrote: »
    I call it a diet because when I say that, people know that I mean I am doing something to try to lose weight. It's less awkward than saying "I'm on a journey of weight loss".

    LOL! I don't find myself objecting to the word diet either. But for some reason I really dislike the term 'journey'. Everyone seems to be on a journey these days.

    I can't really articulate why but just bugs me =)

    I agree. Also, "lifestyle change". I didn't change my lifestyle at all, nor am I on a journey other than the same journey everyone else on the planet is on. All I did was decrease my caloric intake for a time.


    Yes, exactly. At the same time I try to avoid "diet" because it has the connotations of eating nutritiously, and if you done seen my diary yesterday...yeah, I don't do that.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    Danp wrote: »
    Kiyomoo wrote: »
    I call it a diet because when I say that, people know that I mean I am doing something to try to lose weight. It's less awkward than saying "I'm on a journey of weight loss".

    LOL! I don't find myself objecting to the word diet either. But for some reason I really dislike the term 'journey'. Everyone seems to be on a journey these days.

    I can't really articulate why but just bugs me =)

    Oh, God, yeah, the "journey" thing needs to stop.
    It reeks of self-importance...I always want to say "Get over yourself".
    Part of the reason I deleted my Facebook account was so I no longer had to hear about everyone's "journeys". An acquaintance wrote a long post detailing her root canal journey. Reeaaalllyyy??

    Totally agree. It's such a bizarre use of language.

    I also hate the idea that somehow the term you choose to refer to it by (diet or lifestyle change or what not) affects whether or not it works. That seems like magical thinking to me.
  • Melh1969
    Melh1969 Posts: 29 Member
    I guess I've stumbled upon a very hot topic here. Thanks everyone for the comments and insight. I would never describe what I'm doing as a "journey" either. That just sounds silly to me. For those of you who suggested that I keep it to myself so that people don't feel the need to comment - I have. However, after nearly 70 pounds of weight loss people notice. Mostly the comments have been good and even the ones that are a little strange roll off my back with no problem. When people ask me how I have lost the weight I tell them tracking, walking, eating less, etc so I guess that's why I call it a lifestyle change. My lifestyle is no longer centered around junk food and eating for entertainment. Hence the change. When I try to explain this to some people (only when they have asked me!) I usually get a glazed over look. That's okay with me. People need to make their own decisions about their health and weight. I'm not trying to be some guru. It just when these same people have made comments again and again despite my attempts to explain that I get frustrated. When I posted my original comment it had just been one of those days. I'm over it now. Diet, journey, lifestyle, deficit, whatever. It all adds up to the same thing and I hope we can just support each other's efforts whatever we decide to call it. :smile:
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited May 2019
    Don't take it to heart. Your opinion is valid, it's just that you posted in the debate forum where people with different opinions come to have fun. I was wrong, still, it's all in good fun.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Don't take it to heart. Your opinion is valid, it's just that you posted in the debate forum where people with different opinions come to have fun.

    Yeah, most people (including myself) will state their thoughts pretty openly and without much pretense. Honestly, most of us are pretty bad at remembering there's a human on the other side of the screen, but at the same time you can take comfort it that because they're not trying to hit at you, they're just disagreeing. If I'm in a sensitive mood I won't post in the forums at all because I'm not going to be able to take people's comments. When I'm in a regular mood, though, I can take it so I'll also dish it out.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Maxxitt wrote: »
    Melh1969 wrote: »
    I'm not sure why, but when someone refers to my weight loss as a "diet" I just snap. You go off diets. This is something I've been doing for a year now. It is a lifestyle change not a temporary restriction of calories.

    I lost about 50# 4 years ago. No one referred to my weight loss as a "diet," they just wanted to know the magic formula. I just said "I'm now eating a little less and moving a little more" which was exactly what I did.

    That's more or less exactly what I say when people ask. It also shuts down the conversation most of the time which is what I want. If it doesn't, I can fairly easily steer it towards rowing and cycling which is what I'd prefer to talk about over my weight.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Don't take it to heart. Your opinion is valid, it's just that you posted in the debate forum where people with different opinions come to have fun. I was wrong, still, it's all in good fun.

    It was originally in the debate forum, it got moved though (along with a few other threads and the deletion of at least one thread).