Hey all!
I have been popping in and out for over a month and catch this forum quickly for motivation every day at work (as one of the owners here I don't fear using the internet - LOL!) but I haven't really gotten to interact yet - so here goes..........

What is your best line for refusing foods that aren't LC? I used to say I was a diabetic (but wasn't at the time) and couldn't eat this or that but at my highest weight I was over 475 and you could see on their faces that they must have wondered how I got to that weight eating correctly as a diabetic? Well, almost 200 pounds later - I AM a diabetic and it still doesn't deter most "light weights" from shoving food at me even when I tell them that I cannot eat such and such. So, please let me know what you folks do when the "well intentioned" folks you meet in life say - "Hey a taste won't hurt" or other well phrased one-liners given to us as if it was permission to eat - without having to give them a long lecture or history of your life in LC land!

You folks here are awesome because here I feel that I am NOT alone on this journey to be "normal" in a super size me world!

when someone asks me( especally when I am the weight I am ment to be :125) I just tell them that I am still full from eating earlier, 4 hours earlier..and I couldnt eat another bite...that usually opens the door to a conversation on "what DID you eat thats kept you so full?" topic...now, there are people who will just shake their head and disagree, but deep down you know that they may try it...especially after hearing this from enough people, who look fabulous or have terrrific self control...who doesnt crave that?? seeing those same people later on, say months later on and you being lighter is such a great feeling of vindication...some people just make excuses not to try things becasue they are too lazy even if the changes are effortless, or even better for you with little to compromise: these are the people who question the LC woe, saying it is harmful and causes all kinds of life threatening ailments...they are talking themselves out of it...so it isnt up to us to covince them I suppose, only to prove to them just how wrong they are( through our results and intelegence)!!!

Hello! Welcome to the board.

My best line is simply "No, thank you."repeated as needed. I used to get bogged down in lengthy explanations, but I finally realized that they aren't ENTITLED to a lengthy explanation. What I choose to eat is really my own business. If I get into the "why" with most people, it just leads to the "Oh, c'mon! Just a LITTLE?" thing

If they're showing off a new creation they baked or something, I usually say "That looks wonderful, but I'm not hungry." Of course, that can backfire if I happen to be eating my OWN lunch when they make the offer.... so I'm back to the polite "No, thank you." again.

Why do people get all weird when you refuse food? Isn't it weird when you think about it?

I have a few upcoming events that I'm nervous about, and I'm rehearsing some lines!
"Oh, sorry, I have food sensitivities..."
"They do look wonderful, I'll try some later..."

However, I like the "Thank you, but no thanks."

but I usually just say, "I'm sorry, I am steering away from carbs, thanks though"

It's long been a wonder to me how culturally our people react to food.

From the time I was a normal size until my present state, I have seen this.

First there is the Restaurant Lecture. This involves another person, male or female but usually female, who decides that you simply must eat dessert so they'll feel better about doing so, or you must try something from their plate.

Should I refuse, this results in a lecture from said person as if they are the authority on all things diet, about 'small portions' and so on. The most ironic thing about this is that very often, this person is overweight themselves! If I appear to be at least 20lbs more overweight than they are, they apparently feel entitled as more-expert. I've had people who weigh at least 250 sit there and lecture me about how to eat, because I am larger than they are, and I am almost enthralled with the kind of psychology that would drive them to this -- but not really, LOL.

I used to be kind. I used to make up stuff. I'm allergic to it. I just ate a cow, I couldn't possibly eat another thing (haha). I used to be detailed and explanatory -- and I was always amazed that some people will actually DEBATE! Let alone if you say you're on a certain eating plan -- and then, the more totally ignorant and stupid they are, the more they will opine on your plan, so then you're not only defending your right to not eat, you're defending your plan, your intelligence for choosing it, etc.!

Now I simply say, "No thanks." If they say, "Are you SURE?" or such things, I say, "Yes, thanks though!" and go on my way. If they actually try to argue this or push it on me further, I say with a big smile, "It really isn't any person's business what another person puts in their mouth. I said NO." This generally shuts them up with astonishment, and yes they act affronted, but I am relaxed and friendly and usually it passes -- if it doesn't, oh well. I'm willing to bet they don't pull the lecture routine on anybody else after that! I've come to feel like I'm doing a service for innumerable other people in their future if I take the fallout from being that pointed, in order to get it through their head how that behavior is just NOT OK.

Once when a coworker was on lowcarb (she lost a ton of weight), another coworker had all kinds of opinions about how bad lowcarb was. Knowing that cw1 could not eat popcorn or donuts or soft drinks, I swear cw2 would deliberately make popcorn (the smell of it permeating the room was overwhelming) and always offer her some, she would bring in donuts, or a six pack of soft drinks, always stuff cw1 couldn't have.

I finally decided this was a massive insecurity control issue on cw2's part. She felt that cw1 HAD to be and stay fat because it made cw2 feel better about herself for some distorted reason. These are the people who mysteriously not only don't support people eating well to save their own lives, but openly sabotage them. I felt so badly about cw1's situation that I finally got a variety of types of nuts and little jerky sticks and brought them to work and kept them in my drawer so if she really wanted a munchy she could have something safe for her. I wasn't even on lowcarb then. I just felt bad for the situation. Having seen it more objectively that time, I now see it a little more clearly when I am involved, than I might have otherwise.

Food is a drug. It's a biochemical substance you ingest that causes modification to the biological entity. JUST SAY NO. heh heh!

.

No, thank you. It works for me too. I'll add that I had a late lunch, brunch, dinner, whatever too and that I'm not hungry if it persists. If it's really persistent, I just say I'm trying really hard to stick to my food plan as closely as possible right now and no, I don't want to have that.

After three times, I've never had someone go further. If they did, all bets would be off. What's it to you if I eat or not? Tell them they are being rude forcing food on you.

What she said.


I am continually floored by how many people on this board have stories about people in their lives who intentionally sabotage them, or taunt them, or get in there face and try to require them to eat something they don't want.

I have no idea what kind of personal issues those people must have to get so nuts about someone else's eating habits.

I hope I never have to find out.

my exhusband was one of those who would push food and then make a comment on my weight but others do also..

i like pennint answer, this allows you to eat your own food, how much of it you want, its truthful and it puts you in control of you

Yeah, this is a real problem...it's incredibly annoying. I go with being nice and saying "no, thanks," a couple of times as well, and if it gets pushed any further I get stern about it. I don't make up excuses, I'm just honest - "I don't eat that. Don't offer me food I can't eat - you're not helping me, just stop." I will not debate the merits of low carb with people in this situation, and if they try to start I'll say "I honestly don't care what your opinion is of the diet - it's what I'm doing and it's worked for me." Any further and I'll get into the whole lack of respect angle - they wouldn't try and force pork down an orthodox jew's throat, don't expect me to eat your diabetes-inducing cake. Luckily it's only gotten that far twice or so since I started this thing.

One thing I've found, though, is that if you've lost a lot of weight, which I have by now, people stop giving you grief about it as much. It gets to the point where they CAN'T deny that it's working, at least for you, so they can't really say anything and they come to realize that if they do, they will be doing you harm (and that, therefore, they are being jerks...).

-j.

"No thank you. Not right now, maybe later."

That usually shuts them up because even though I know I will not have any later, in their minds I might, so they stop.

I just say "No thank you" too.
Lucky for me, all of the people I work with have seen my weight loss, and know how hard am I trying, so they don't try to push the brownies and junk foods at me as hard as they used to..so I am grateful for that!

OMG, you would think that this would deter anyone trying to coax someone to eat!!!!

No thanks, I am on a special diet, but thank you. Works most of the time for me.....

Annie

Not only do I low carb, but having recovered from cardiomyopathy and still fighting the hypertension battle, I eat no added salt. So when I go somewhere for dinner, I offer to bring a salad and ask if they can prepare the meat course without salt. Of course everything else has salt in it so I can't eat it. Well, my salt restrictions are not so severe now, but it gets way more respect than low carb. "No thank you" is always my first line response and if I get pressure, I just say, "I am alive and healthy and a year and a half ago I was dying. I got here by restricting what I eat."

Actually some people watch what I eat because they are curious about how a person goes from dying to losing weight and becoming very healthy. It's kind of scary!!!

I hear you on the salt Rev!!!!

(and btw, my doctor is thrilled: bp 120/70!)