Have you told people?

[alto]

This question came up on another thread and has had some interesting answers, but I thought I'd try posting it as its own thread.

Have you told others you're on a weight loss program? Have you told others you're doing low carb? If you have, what have the responses been?

I haven't told anyone. I've started so many diets that didn't last! When I've lost enough that people notice and ask, I'll tell them. If they start giving me the "you're going to have a heart attack" speech, I'm going to say it's with a doctor's approval. A fudge, but not quite a lie :)

What about others?

[scotlass]

Hiya

I told everyone at first but got so fed up with all the negative replies that I finally just tell people that I am allergic to wheat and starch. everyone accepts that . Even when I lost a lot of weight on the atkins people still wouldn't accept it so I finally came off it as I listened to too many scare stories you start doubting yourself. Stayed on eating "healthy low fat" and would you believe (bet you can) I just kept gaining and gaining . So now after seeing for myself the delights of atkins I am back on. Have only been on for three days and am keeping it quiet which is a shame as a lot of people wou;d benefit from it.

[Karen]

I know I'm 15 lbs. short of this club, but I'll throw in my $.02...

When people started asking me what I was doing, I told them I had cleaned up the way I ate. No sugar, white flour, or any refined products. Eventually, I let LC out of the bag.

If I come across people who are really down on LC, I tell them the benefits I have experienced, describe what I eat, and ask them to find fault with it. They can't. Especially when they see me eating big fluffy salads with some meat and look down at their plate which contains a pile of French fries, a glass which contains Coke, and a body that crashes between 3-5 p.m. everyday.

The people around me started following my example. I've even met a few people who started LC because of an article I wrote for a well-read local paper. Right now, there are seven people I know who are successfully following a LC WOE. I've become something of a LC "guru" in my circle.

Last night the GM and I were standing at the bread station. I was eating a piece of butter, and he was eating a piece of bread with no butter and telling me that it was going to eventually catch up with me. In two years, I've lost 70 lbs., and he has gained at least 25. I wonder what will catch up with whom?

We know this is right by the way we feel - which you have to admit is pretty incredible! Look upon the naysayers as life-sucking trolls. Works for me! ;)

Karen

[nsmith4366]

I tell no one. I get GREAT pleasure out of being thought of as "the lucky one who can eat anything she wants!" fun fun.

;) N

[alto]

Karen, I think you have a guest pass :)

All of these responses are very interesting, I think. Scotlass, isn't it amazing that people will accept anything as long as you say you're allergic to something? Nancy, at first I just chuckled at your response, and then I thought, well, you are one of the lucky ones that can eat whatever you want and stay slim -- because whatever you want is lowcarb food :)

Karen, I guess I'm where you were at the beginning -- saying no wheat (and I really can't tolerate it), or any refined sugar or flour products explained things at my first-lunch-out yesterday. But this was a friend who's so used to my dieting, she understood that.

I think the horrified comments from well-meaning friends come from some of the things Atkins says -- "steaks dripping with fat, all the dressing you want on your salad, vegetables slathered in butter, all the cream and cheese you can eat." When it's put that way, it makes it seem as though LCers are just looking for a legal way to binge. When it's phrased as you put it -- moving away from refined foods -- more people can understand it. (I can believe you've become a guru :) )

[Karen]

Thanks for the "thread pass"! ;)

You know most people do eat this way:

"steaks dripping with fat, all the dressing you want on your salad, vegetables slathered in butter, all the cream and cheese you can eat."

And along with it, tons of carbs. The difference between "us and them" is that they feel guilty about the fat and we don't. We guilt over the carbs! There are probably some people who go to extremes with fat, but most are moderate. Can that be said about carb addicts? Can't say I've ever had a protein binge, but I've had plenty of carb binges!

Like really! :rolleyes: Only so much dressing will stick to your salad and only so much butter sticks to your vegetables. The rest sticks to your plate. And how nice is it to eat the crackling from a pork roast? Real nice!

Hopefully we will see the end to low-faD dogma...in our lifetimes.

Karen

[A thin me!]

Hi Alto: :wave:

Its "A thin Me." and I am glad that you started the thread from my entry last night. I also saw the one about telling people, too.

Since my entry - I decided to do the following for Thanksgiving.
For various reasons, NO ONE IS COMING TO MY HOUSE!!!
Normally I have 30 people with TONS and TONS and TONS of
food.

This year, I will make a Turkey, salad (for me), the required
cranberry gloop, mashed pototoes. I will also have olives and
other veggies for me. Of course there will be pumpkin pie, but since I do not like it, it will not be a problem for me.

I would like to think I will have the control over this meal and if I can get through this, then it will be success. If I can be LC up to the day and during the day -- I win. Leftovers of Turkey will be fine, too.

Thanks again,

A Thin Me!!

[grrlpwer]

I've told everyone i know that I have started a new WOL and WOE....but my Dr he knows exactly what i'm doing and he stands behind me 100%... :D

[Lessara]

When I first started this diet I got a lot of
"Good, you need to lose weight" from my family.
And even though I lost 30lbs during my first month, no one
in my family could see a change. (Which was wierd because I went down a dress size). At work because I just came off a stall, think the diet is a fad and doesn't work. I'll give it a month to see if that changes. I realized that the important person to tell, is yourself. Commit to yourself. So I stopped telling people. I find I lie when confronted. I tell them I'm diabetic or that I'm alergic to wheat to get them off my back. This bums me out but I find I have so much support here on this board that I don't feel the incentive to quit. :p

[nsmith4366]

HEY! Don't be bummed out.

Your diet is private.

What you choose to eat is a private matter (according to ME).
Think of dieting as something you do in a bathroom stall...that's how I think of it. Of course, that's wierd - I invite all of you in MY bathroom stall??? Well, I 'm sure you get my POINT! You don't pester people about what they put in thier orafices and they should not pester you. But alas the world is not fair, they pester.

About lying.

Sure, people will comment because people tend to lean toward being RUDE sometimes, they are curious, just making conversation/harmless or not, - do yourself a favor - first - just forgive them - THEN lie if you want to (do you really think everyone who said to you that they were "fine today" and they had a "great" weekend were being 100% honest??). Tell yourself you are "maintaining your privacy without offending anyone", not that you are a lyer!

But no one noticed!

As for people not noticing - what IS a fantastic and amazing weight loss of 30 whole pounds (if I lost that much I'd be under 100 pounds! It's alot of weight)...honestly, people don't even LOOK at eachother anymore - do they! I once wore an entired DRESS backwards to work/dressed in the dark. At first I was horrified thinking that no one was nice enough to tell me...when I fessed up the funny boo boo to my co-workers, they were all bummed out because they didn't even NOTICE and missed out on the teasing they could have done to me! Good rules in life to learn #1. People don't notice and #2. If people notice, people quickly forget.

A test.

QUICK, tell me what ties the men in the office are wearing today - QUICK! Nope, too slow!...see what I MEAN?

And anyway -
Besides, who cares if they notice or NOT. This is for YOU right?
You are the one who dressed you this morning and YOU noticed!!!
And YOU will be walking around inside yourself the rest of your life ...and they WON'T.

So -

You have such a nice pleasant face and smile...I hate to think of a frown there. Cheer it UP WAY UP - you've lost 30 FABULOUS POUNDS!!!!! :hyper:

[Victoria]

Dear Lessara,
You've lost 30 pounds! That's great. You are shrinking!!! I think it takes a lot of "normal" weight people a hit in the head for them to really notice when a larger sized person loses weight. Don't gauge your success by their opinion. I know with me, I look the same but smaller. As I lose more, I know it will look more noticeable. But, just the physical differences I notice, keep me going. Like my feet not hurting, having more energy, being able to hug my husband closer. Even just noticing my stomach is not as close to the steering wheel in my car. Only heavy folks can understand how little things like that can be so encouraging. So keep it up!! :thup: Don't be discouraged by a stall, just keep working on it. When I first started I kept a journal of everything I put in my mouth...Sometimes it was hard to be that honest to myself. But it helped me figure out what was working for me and what made me mess up. Maybe that will help. :rheart: Victoria

[Natrushka]

Originally posted by alto
Have you told others you're on a weight loss program? Have you told others you're doing low carb? If you have, what have the responses been?

If it comes up I'll tell 'em more than they want to know :) I've done my research so I have an answer for just about anything negative they have to say; but the clincher is this "Well, the head of the Heat Institute's Weight Loss Clinic put my mother on this diet last year and has been blow away by her lipid profile and my GP thinks it's doing me a world of good, so I'll defer to their judegment" Usually shuts 'em up ;)

Nat

[BaileyWS]

At first I didn't want to tell anyone ... just my husband ... because I wasn't sure if it was just a fad or what ... I decided to start the two-week induction and thought ... yeah, right, let's see if it really works ...

It did.

Now people keep asking, "what are you doing? You look great!" And they're commenting on more than my weight ... my hair and skin glisten with energy and health ... they say I just look more alive ...

So I plug Atkins ... my doctor recommended it for my body type ... and it's working well.

One person ... only one ... said anything ... and it was out of concern for my kidneys ... she is a survivor of kidney transplant. So I assured her that my doctor was monitoring me all the way (that's the truth). She's satisfied. It's nice knowing people are concerned for my well-being.

[BaileyWS]

Originally posted by Victoria
I think it takes a lot of "normal" weight people a hit in the head for them to really notice when a larger sized person loses weight. Don't gauge your success by their opinion. I know with me, I look the same but smaller. As I lose more, I know it will look more noticeable. But, just the physical differences I notice, keep me going. Like my feet not hurting, having more energy, being able to hug my husband closer. Even just noticing my stomach is not as close to the steering wheel in my car.

Speaking of the little things ... I am so looking forward to flying north on Saturday and NOT asking for a seatbelt extender! I hope they don't shorten the seatbelts between now and then <G> And I'm pretty sure I'll fit in the seat better than I did a few months ago -- the last time I flew.

I'll let you know when I get back how it went.

[RamonaK]

I think being straight forward... and being honest with myself.. if more impowering than worrying about what others are going to say! Afterall.. it is that behavior that has kept me being fat and dishonorable to myself...

I went to my inlaws for Thanksgiving and my partners parents were great about not forcing carbs and even asked us what all we could and couldn't eat and she cooked accordingly...

My older sister is concerned.. because she is my older sister.. :D

AND I am sure I will hit a few more bumps along the way... and that is fine...

I am going to do a bit more research.. and read the Eades book.. from what everyone has described.. it is great information...

Ramona

[ChristinaW]

I've told people and got varying reactions. One story that kind of irks me was the other day we went to Fazoli's for lunch and I asked for no breadsticks with my salad. The cashier went nuts. He turned to the guy at the other cashregister and said she doesn't want any bread sticks. This guy then yells it out to the whole restaurant. Oh was I mad. They did apologize, but that has to be about the worst that has happend to me.

Most people that I encounter are just un-informed. A lot of them think you can have no carbs. One lady said but you can't have tomatoes, onions or anything like that, all you can have is lettuce. Boy did I have fun setting her straight. Then there is the attitude that you need every food group to stay healthy. I usually try to inform them that I do eat most food groups and I still get some carbs and that as time goes on I will be able to incorporate those other groups back into my WOL, but just not right now.

I love how I'm eating. I love the way it makes me feel, and it is the first time I have lost weight and not been hungry and had cravings the whole time. That is what matters to me. Not what other people think.

Christina

[Sh'ra]

I don't start induction until Monday, but have been cutting way back on carbs in preparation for a little over a week (and did low carb for over a year two years ago). I tend to tell them what I did before (if they ask) - that my hypoglycemic symptoms are increasing (true), that I'm going to be diabetic if I don't cut back on the carbs (true), and that it makes me feel physically better, as well as regulate my blood sugar.

If I answer this technically, they seem to be happy with that, and leave me be.

I'm not telling anyone outside my husband and daughter this time, though, until I'm well in and well on my way to losing. If they notice my weight loss, THEN I'll tell 'em :)

Sh'ra

[golemShed]

I haven't told any of my friends back home. I guess i'm setting up some kind of big surprise for them or something. I think it's going to be great! I can hardly wait for all the compliments! I haven't been at it for very long, but i think by the time graduation comes around, i will be noticably less heavy. I'm really looking forward to that.

Going home is usually the most fun thing for me, and going with this extra boost of confidence should be the best visit home yet!

[Victoria]

Hey golemshed,
I think it's real important to have something to look forward to. When you surprize your friends and family back home it will be glorious. The surprize part of it sounds fun. I'm excited for you.

For so long, I've noticed my family's concern on their faces because of my weight. It's fun to see their happiness at my success in this way of life. I had felt so defeated by it before, and now am so thrilled to actually see the scale numbers going down. Keep going. Is graduation in June? If so, you have quite a few months to make a big difference. It's only taken me 5 months to shed 50 pounds...and I've been doing this very carefully. I still have quite a way to go, but I really see the light at the end of the tunnel now. Thank God! :p Victoria

[gecolon]

At first I was in my old diet mode. I wasn't going to let anyone know (in case of failure). This created too many issues. Too many questions about why are you eating this or that, and too may offers of things I no longer eat. So I started to tell people so that they would (or so I thought) stop offering me things, and asking me if I want to order out. Now I tell everybody. Not as a defense, but because I want to scream it from the roof tops. Low carb has given me back my life (I hope I don't sound a little to melodramatic, but that is how I seriously feel). Peace.