Suddenly I Bristle at This Comment

I'm with you! It's viewed in such a strange way, all about "dos and dont's" instead of a life change that allows for a natural progression towards better health. All the best in reaching your goals!

I would definitely have bristled if someone told me i'm not "allowed" to eat something! I think that is perfectly understandable. I admire your conviction to change your lifestyle for the better. Know that the people on this site support that goal :happy: Keep working to get healthy & show everyone what "not dieting" can do for you!:drinker:

I get that all the TIME!

"are you allowed to eat that?"

hahaha sometimes it's good because it makes me think about it but come one! haha

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting". My coworkers have noticed my weight dropping over the last couple months and started asking me what "diet" I was on. Or, better yet, when I decided to splurge (because it was within my calories for the day) and have an Ice Cream Snickers bar with everyone else, one woman made the comment, "Hey, you're not allowed to eat that! You're dieting!"

I'd like to think I'm changing my entire lifestyle and, to me at least, "dieting" infers something short term and "fad-ish".

The only thing I've ever said to anyone, other than my wife, is that I'm trying to be healthy. Not sure why I came to hate the terms "diet" and "dieting" so much.

/rant

Couldnt have said it better!

I don't like the word diet either, although, strictly speaking, anyone who eats is on a diet. But I know what you mean.

I say I'm on a diet because it's shorthand for 'I am trying to make healthier choices and nachos Bell grande is not on the list" but yeah, it's more about making some permanent changes.

Two years ago, all I ate was refined carbs (and fruit). If I ate meat, it was a hamburger from McDonalds or buffalo wings. That was also the only time I ever got any fats. I had vegetables maybe 2-3 times a week. Otherwise, it was pretty much cereal, white bread, crackers, chips, candy, beer, diet coke, 3-4 servings of fruit a day, Smart Ones rice and beans, campbells chicken noodle soup, and spaghetti. Day in, day out. Sometimes scrambled eggs if I was feeling really ambitious. I stayed pretty much the same weight for 10 years (probably my caloric intake was pretty steadily around what I was using) but I was pretty thick around the middle. After I got pregnant I started considering this foreign thing called protein and vegetables. I have been working for the last 6 months on incorporating more lean protein and vegetables into every meal, and cutting way down on empty calories. But I don't really consider it a diet- this is the way I want to eat from now on. Doesn't mean I'll never have a treat again. I eat treats all the time, I just keep the portions small.

I find sarcasm works best for me in such situations...although it can backfire, lol. For example, in the ice cream bar situation, I would have been tempted to say "Oh it's fine, I just won't eat anything for the next two days, so it'll even out."

I agree on the terminology, though. The technical meaning of 'diet' is pretty far from what most people mean when they say the word now. This is why I only have a couple coworkers who even know I'm doing the MFP thing, monitoring calories, etc. The very last thing I want in the world is coworkers criticizing or commenting on what I eat. I'm already very self-conscious about food, so everyone tracking what I eat would be like my worst nightmare!

i'm with you... it took me a long time to realize i needed to change my whole lifestyle rather than just diet though, so they are probably just not 'there' yet, i wouldn't let it irritate you. It bugs me when i am having a treat though within calories and everyone says you shouldn't be eating that... x

I tell people I'm ALLOWED to eat anything I like. Sometimes I like my salad & beans. Sometimes I like my ice cream, or eating out in a restaurant. If they want to ask what changes I've been making to get the results I have gotten I"m more than happy to share. If they ask me what diet I'm doing I just say I'm not on a diet. I'm just exercising and watching what I put in my mouth!

Yep, 9 times out of 10, those people who are on a "diet" will be on some sort of "diet" in a few weeks when this "diet" fails. I love to report that my DIET is the healthy way I choose to eat. Lessons I've learned the hard way. Wish I would have had the knowledge I know now 20 years ago.

I'm not really certain why, but for some reason I've become irritated with the term "dieting". My coworkers have noticed my weight dropping over the last couple months and started asking me what "diet" I was on. Or, better yet, when I decided to splurge (because it was within my calories for the day) and have an Ice Cream Snickers bar with everyone else, one woman made the comment, "Hey, you're not allowed to eat that! You're dieting!"

I'd like to think I'm changing my entire lifestyle and, to me at least, "dieting" infers something short term and "fad-ish".

The only thing I've ever said to anyone, other than my wife, is that I'm trying to be healthy. Not sure why I came to hate the terms "diet" and "dieting" so much.

/rant

Next time someone says something like that, respond with, "Technically, we are all dieting because your 'diet' is plain and simply whatever you eat. What I'm doing is changing my diet habits from unhealthy to healthy. That doesn't mean I can't have a treat once in a while. It just means that I can't splurge as often, and when I do, I have to exercise self control and don't overdo it."

Does my mom work with you??? lol If we EVER have a family gathering she monitors my plate to see just what and how much of what I eat and then the next day gives me her critique. Gets very aggravating, evidently I understand what I'm doing since I'm down 71 lbs, but it's like she cannot get over oldfashioned mindsets and give up control (EVEN though i'm WELL old enough to monitor myself :bigsmile: )

Id tell them where Im gonna shove my snickers bar....oh wait im gonna eat it....when someone said something to me about that a year ago when I was dieting...I smiled and offered to come help clean out thier fridge and cabinets so they could get healthy too...I remember she looked kinda weird at me not sure if I was really wanting to help, or I was implying she could use to lose some weight too lol...she never did say anything else to me after that.

Most people think dieting is about living off rabbit food and never being allowed to indulge.

These people are idiots.

The word diet for me implies restrictions and limits. I am living and eating just how I want to for the next 50+ years. I do not cut out foods because that means I would be cutting them out FOREVER.

And a world without icecream is just not ok with me. :flowerforyou:

I agree, I am NOT on a diet. I'm trying to treat my body well, and nourish it while getting rid of some of the weight I received as a 40th birthday present from the cosmos.LOL
For the ice cream scenario, and the question of "are you ALLOWED to eat that". . . my feeling, and reaction would depend on the asker. For a co-worker I might try sarcastic sympathy, something like "Aww, is that how you think it works?" Using this tactic, you really have to commit, don't look snide, wear a really sympathetic expression as if you feel sorry for them.lol
If it was a friend or family member, I would use it as an educational opportunity. I would try to advise them out of the all or nothing mentality, because if it's someone I care for I would want them to be happier and healthier too.