What do you tell people?

[ShweetThang]

I'm going back to lighter life and I've also started a new job. My trainer at work is really anti these diets and gets on peoples cases about it (not is a nasty way). What do you tell people at work that you're eating? Do you try to hide it? I HATE discussing what I'm eating/if i'm dieting with people, but they always ask

[roratone]

So far only my partner knows. Ive managed to diisguise it at work by taking my powder in a tupperware. I need to be strong and confident myself and know that I'm able to do this before I start discussing this with people who may be negative.

I'm not ashamed of what I'm doing. I think I'll wait until people start noticing (Soon I hope) before I discuss my eating habits. They know I'm 'cutting down' as im getting married in June. I'm already getting stick and gip for giving up booze so dont want to give them needless ammunition!!!! All done in jest mind but it does grate on you after a while!

What other tactics have people used?

[lucylastic]

I was open with everyone I knew (and virtual strangers too ) from the word go. I didn't give anyone a chance to "get on my case" about it - I explained it was medically supervised, and staying morbidly obese would be life-threatening - no-one argued, absolutely everyone supported me (until I got thinner than them )

For me telling everyone had another benefit as well - it made me even more determined (if that was possible) to stick with it, so I didn't have to own up to falling off the wagon!

[peony]

I don't think it is anyone else's business - I have told the people that matter to me - close family and friends - and then only because I need their help and support.

When I have had to be with people who's business I have deemed it isn't, I have either said that I ate earlier, or if I have had to have a pack, I have made up soup in advance and taken in a flask. I know that that is seriously frowned upon as the nutrients are only effective within 10-15 minutes of making up, but I have been fortunate only to have needed to do this a few times and have decided that not having full nutrients so rarely will not hurt me. I wouldn't do that if I had to eat more frequently though so don't do it if you have to eat in front of someone every day.

If I was in a situation where I ate in front of others every day, I would go out by myself for a walk - tell everyone that I was doing it as I wanted to get fitter - and make up and have my pack away from prying eyes. Or I would pop into town 'shopping' or a myriad of other diversions.

Good luck with your uneducated and opinionated trainer!

xxx

[missbiker]

The argument to him to support YOUR choice may include: the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend the use of VLCD in the management of obesity. The programme is evidence-based and medically supervised. There are many health care professionals following the programme/recommending the programme to their patients, including doctors!

The benefits of following the VLCD outweigh the risks of being overweight. What, I suspect, he will be waiting on is for you to lose the weight and then regain it.

Or, you could just take a soup/bar to work and say it's a low cal diet and it's not as suspicious as shakes, imho.

Good luck.

[Belle Bee]

I've told a few people: my other half (obviously), my mum, a friend of mine that also has weight issues and the friend who did LL and recommended it to me.

I told all these people as I know they will not judge my diet, they will be supportive and I need some people to know and talk to them about it. I will tell others slowly, once I'm used to the diet myself. We're seeing friends this weekend, they asked us out for dinner, but I asked if it could just be a drink (as I can have water) - so I want to tell them why I changed the plans and why I wont be able to do meals for awhile, they are lovely so they will be supportive.

Luckily I work for myself, so I have no colleagues to badger me. I think that can sometimes be hard as you see them every day. I think that following the advice of missbiker is a good idea. On this diet your checked by a doc/nurse, so you know your healthy. Plus you have loads of support and you lose weight, it all seems good to me!

I hate it when people are judgemental, you're doing what is best for you. Stick to your guns and good luck with your diet!

[karenlisa]

I have told the world and his wife, i find it easier to be honest when at social events. Also i feel by telling everyone i feel that i really have to stick to it and get results, also it's great to hear people say how well your doing. For me personally it was the only way but everyone does have an opinion on it.

[amanda30ronan]

when ppl at work question what i am eating / drinking , i tell them and tell them how much i have lost in 2 weeks (1 stone ! ) and theyre amazed ! and say its fantastic that i have lost so much in such a short time , they also admit they couldnt do it themselves but it all depends on how much u want to lose weight and I do A LOT !!! lol

[roundrachel]

When it was a one off (ie, i didn't see them every day) I either told people I was on a dust diet (well, it is dust in a packet!)and they laughed, didn't beleive me, but didn't ask any more questions. Or I told people I was on detox which involved one meal in the evening. They weren't to know I didn't eat in the evening.
I was lucky to have the support of everyone from work. So much so that they wouldn't order food for me at events etc. Nobody gave me any grief.
I think if you don't make a big deal of it then other people won't either. Just be really dismissive of it and there's no argument to be had. It's your decision after all!

[Gemma79]

I think this is a total personal decision. I told everyone who noticed or asked, I wanted to be transparent about it and it kept me focused. When people started to be negative I chose to refute their statements and tell them that I am doing something that is medically cleared and that I am improving my risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, to name but a few obesity related illnesses. This shuts most people up As I am now 'healthy' weight people keep telling me it's time to stop. I respond to this by asking why didn't they tell me it was time to stop when I put on too much weight? No-one has the right to tell us what to do, it's our choice as adults, we are making informed decisions with our rational selves. Good luck on whatever you decide.

[Blonde Logic]

I just told everyone i was having a cup-o-soup - they never saw the little packet to see the brand so thought nothing unusual was going on.

No one ever suspected a thing. It was only when it became blindingly obvious I had lost a lot of weight did I tell them, and then had their total support.

[girloutdoors]

I didn't tell anyone at work for months. If you have your soup or a bar it just looks like you're cutting down and having a cuppa soup or cereal bar, no one really knows the difference. It's much easier to tell people a month or so down the line when you can say "well, I've been doing it for 8 weeks and have lost over 3 stone" or whatever.

[Thin_on_the_Inside]

Hi there,

I have to admit that I dont intend to tell anyone unless it becomes unavoidable. For me this is a quiet time of year socially so that helps but if I need to go to an event where im expected to eat i may have to invent an excuse rather than coming clean. I find dieting to be a highly personal issue and dont like discusisng it with aquaintances or people who dont really understand the issues.

Toti

[Blonde Logic]

The only reason I don;t like to tell anyone when I am dieting, is they then think that gives them the right to start policing you ...."should you be,....."..."are you allowed..."....."is that part of the diet?.." etc etc.

It is a personal thing.

I only told one friend at work, and my manager - not knowing how it would affect me during the day, felt best someone at work knew and
Understood….”just in case”.

Then, I only told my husband and his parents as we ate there regularly, so they had to know.

Aside from that, I got around every single work do, party, social engagement, holiday, etc., without anyone being the wiser.

People are not as interested in what we are eating as we might think. They are generally more interested in what they are putting in their own mouths!!