I HATE the word diet!!!!! HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

I get that a lot “are you still watching what you eat”. Um, yeah and I probably always will to some degree or another if I want to maintain what I’ve lost.

There's a reason the word 'diet' begins with 'die'....

I'm sorry you're frustrated. I personally don't hate the word diet or even the phrase "on a diet", but I know some people take issue. It also sounds like a big part of your frustration is that people are commenting on it.

Since they know about it, I'm guessing either you volunteered information about how you were eating, or they saw evidence of success and asked you about it. If it bothers you so much, just don't engage. You can always just politely say, "I'd rather not discuss this."

I love this:

Mahayogi_Das wrote: »

I try to not tell people, especially co-workers, that I'm watching what I eat. When they offer me food, I just politely say that I'm not hungry or just a no usually works. It's none of their business what I choose to put into my mouth.

And this:

MikePTY wrote: »

To be honest this is one of the things you'll have to learn to accept and deal with as you go through it. Don't worry about what anyone else says. Just smile and nod and focus on your own actions. It's not worth stressing over even a little bit.

What words people choose to describe things is something we have to live with because we have no control over. If you don't agree with the choice, just don't use it. I don't use "weight loss journey" or "lifestyle change" because I don't feel this is the correct word choice for what I'm doing, but I know exactly what others mean when they use these words. I, incidentally, don't mind the word "diet" because to me it means reducing calories to a deficit, which is a temporary state that lasts until I hit my desired weight, after which comes maintenance, which is why I use it to describe what I'm doing.

Don't make a fuss about your food, and eventually, people will stop making a fuss about it too. I know it can be annoying, but someone thin eating a certain way, especially if they've always eaten that way, is nothing new. Someone overweight eating a certain way, especially if it's recent, is different and exciting and worth making a fuss about. That's how the human brain works. Trust me, it will die down eventually when it loses its novelty. For now, all you can do is just not to bring it up yourself, and to deflect if someone else brings it up. Don't take it to heart, people are just being people.

I don’t like that word either. I like to call it a lifestyle change. To me, diet implies misery and something super restrictive. Just my wording preference. I also don’t tell a lot of people about my weight loss journey because I don’t want any comments or judgey looks.

I just never told anyone I was on a diet or trying to lose weight. When people asked about my obvious weight loss and asked how I got there, I just said I was eating the same stuff sometimes and healthier foods more often. If they pressed for more details, I'd say something along the lines of, "Gee, it's kind of a boring subject for me. Just eat less and exercise more is basically it." Then I'd say "How was your weekend?" or "Want to go to Zumba with me?" or anything I could think of to change the subject. And instead of acting all weird about food, I'd take a bite or two of what they offered, said it tasted great but I was full and couldn't eat another bite.

I also hate the 'd' word. It's banned in my home. My current weight loss (39lb since May 18th) is due to a complete change in lifestyle, ie eating healthily, and exercise.