One thing I've had to learn is to not take on the zeal of the converted in all of this. We're excited because we believe in it, and we've had success. Especially in your position, I'd want to tell people. But the truth is nobody wants to be evangelized to. The times I have been effective is when I've been asked how I did it. I've often been asked follow ups about the stereotypes connected to low carb, but I have not pushed it toward anyone.

It's just natural to wanna. But it's also natural for people to be uncomfortable about it.

which is why I brought it up here not there

I just feel bad I cannot help them...I would not walk by someone lying hurt on the road but if they walk by me hurt I can't talk to them...and yes I think of fat as hurt because there is a lot of thing inside of us being damaged by the stuff we used to eat

Truth is...you can't save the world

No, but we can still be nosey! Hey, I even find myself noting what other people take out at the library. And it just makes me aware of what people might be thinking as I check out either at the grocery store or the library. There was one time I was checking out with a can of slimfast, and a huge bag of halloween candy. It was all I could do to not loudly announce, "It's not for me!"

the truth is, it is not her job, nor her right to put herself and her way of eating on a pedestal and judge others or try to "save" them - low fat works for some, just has high fat works for others - there is no "right" way. She did not get "there" to the point of proper eating overnight, and neither does anyone else.

It is human nature to judge others in one way or another (or at least form some sort of opinion upon first encountering someone). To say its wrong is unfair as we have no control over it - it is simply human nature. The person who started this thread had the courage to voice what we all know is true, whether we like it or not.

I don't think size-based judgement really needs a voice. The ONLY reason what she said bothered me was that the shopper's weight was used as a qualifier.

Had it been "I can't believe the crap some people buy that they've been told is healthy!" I would have either agreed or just skipped over it as another preaching to the choir moment... but it came off as "It was so sad those fat people don't know any better!" to a lot of us.

Absolutely. We all judge others. She didn't judge them and then lecture them. She thought what most of us would think in the same situation. It is very natural to want to help, but we cannot. Five years ago, if someone had started to lecture me about my groceries, I would not have considered it helpful.

Hey it is an interesting topic. I've been there as well with people I work with who need weightloss help. I go to lunch with them and eat salad while watching them wolf down huge plates of burgers, chicken strips, fries or whatever. Not my role to save them, and they wouldn't consider it helpful for me to try. That's the way of it and having walked a lifetime in their shoes, I understand.

I did not interpret it as such - to each is their own. Jill

I've had a few experiences where the checker or the bagger didn't keep their thoughts to themselves and it kind of irritated me. My freezer was almost empty (a big standup freezer) and I had a couple hundred dollars to spend on meat so I stocked up at Costco. They have checker teams there, one rings up and one puts the groceries in boxes in another cart. The two of them just would not stop about how much meat I was buying. I mean, just saying once "wow that's a lot of meat" would have been ok. But they kept going on and on.

Then just last week I was at Safeway and I found 2 ten-pound packages of thick sliced bacon that were half off. I grabbed both those puppies. The bagger just wouldn't stop. "Good thing you bought lots of water to get rid of all the sodium in this bacon." And at least 3 more comments about what a lot of bacon I bought.

Maybe they think they are being friendly and chatty. I just think they are being rude.

99% of the time I don't say anything on what they are buying .when I do say something it is "oh this dress is so cute" or if I see something that I might be able to eat "this looks good how do you cook it?"this keeps chatter to in the neutral and if the person doesn't want to talk they give a 1 word answer and I respect that they don't want to talk and don't take it personally and just finish ringing them up....you have to understand that many of our shoppers have shopped here for over 30 years and come because they are lonely and want someone to talk to...I know that unless you have worked at a store that you think that people want to go ,get food, and get out, but we have many older people who live across the street that have friends and family that ether moved away or don't visit. They come to the store to talk to someone even if it is "idol chatter" ....they are lonely ..the balance is knowing who wants to talk and who does not... and yes some cashiers are not able to tell the differents... I would like to think I can..I have many regulars that come through my line because they know I will talk to them about whatever they would like.. and I have some that come through my line because I won't bother them with chatter... agian balance