Good afternoon!
Today we have a wonderful guest post for the Summer Glow Boot Camp. Take it away Paige. :)
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How to Deal with Healthy Lifestyle Sabotages
Hi OSG readers! My name is Paige, and I blog at Running Around Normal. I’m fairly new to the blog community, but I’m hooked, and find it to be inspiring, helpful, and a whole lot of fun! I’m super excited to be doing a guest post here at Oh She Glows!
I’m going to talk about how to deal with people who, whether innocently or spitefully, make comments to sabotage your healthy life-style habits with their words or actions.
People can be pretty critical when it comes to others being healthy. Strangers, coworkers, friends, and even family members can act judgmentally toward one’s healthy lifestyle. Have you ever been at an office party and chosen to snack on fruits and veggies, while a coworker, who isn’t as mindful about healthy eating, turns your way mocks your food choices? There are so many diets around today that people think just because someone is eating healthfully, they’re trying to lose weight. Whether that is or isn’t the case, we all know having a healthy lifestyle is much more than just trying to lose weight.
Sometimes it’s hard to deal with these naysayers. It’s easier to go ahead and grab a donut or a food that isn’t as healthy so they’ll be satisfied and go back about their business.
Moreover, it’s not always certain why people choose to express negativity towards a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps they’re unhappy with their own health, or jealous they don’t have the same self-discipline, or possibly they just aren’t aware that what they’re saying is even rude in the first place.
However, there are ways to deal with diet derailers without, well, derailing your diet.
· Take the high road: Don’t take the comments personally. As mentioned earlier, you don’t know the real reasoning behind the comments, and they could be not about you at all. Simply smile and say something like, “actually, I’m the healthiest I’ve been in a super long time. It’s great!”
· Surprise them back: Let them know they’re not being PC, but in a non confrontational manner. You could just reply, “how rude!” a la Stephanie Tanner, and give a friendly laugh. Let them know they’re comment took you aback, without letting it affect your attitude.
· Play along: take it as a compliment, and pretend the back handed part just didn’t happen. Give a simple, “Aw, well thank you for the compliment!” or “You’re too funny/kind.”
· Be honest: If they warrant a response, just tell them why you’re making the choices you are. Something like, “Well, crappy food makes me feel like crap, and this food makes me feel great! I’d rather feel great than eat that and deal with the consequences later.”
If you’re happy with your body and lifestyle, that’s what matters. It’s hard when people, especially loved ones, are critical of our healthy life-style habits, but just remember to take it in stride, and be true to who you are. It might be frustrating, but there ways to handle the healthy life-style naysayers without giving in to their jabs.
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Do you ever deal with negative comments about how you eat or other lifestyle habits?
Does it bother you or are you able to let it slide?
Gena, wow that did spark some great discussion! I see you call them Healthy Habit Haters like Kristen. I mentioned you and her in one of today’s blog about this clever name for ’em! :)
I think when I first started eating really healthy, I got a lot of comments but now people just assume that’s how i’m going to eat and don’t say much. Then again I still enjoy a doughnut when I want to without any guilt.
First – this definitely hits home for me. And I mean HOME! My husband is the biggest offender of this and it really makes me sad more than anything. I know he’s not doing it to hurt me, and that he’s really upset with himself for not having the motivation to eat healthy too. Most of his comments are kind of directed at him and have a pseudo-compliment for me in there – things like ‘Jess is doing so well on eating better .. me, I gotta have the burger & fries.’ Or he’ll randomly pick up pizza for dinner or make a batch of cookies to tempt me. Plus, whenever we go out, he wants to go to the chinese buffet or Buffalo Wild Wings. It’s upsetting sometimes and it’s sad because I want him to be healthy too! The best thing I can do is lead by example and hope he comes to his senses.
Second, I love Brandi’s quote about those who mind don’t matter!
Third, I’m so grateful that I do have some supportive people around me. Since I’ve been eating healthier and really putting myself out there with how much I’ve lost and how things are going, a few friends have told me that I’m an inspiration to them. That totally made my day. Not only that, but when I visited my mom, she told me she was proud of me and made sure to tell all her friends and doctors that I’m eating healthy and didn’t make it sound bad at all!
Last thing (I’ve rambled for too long), one co-worker saw me today and said “hey, skinny!” … That was the highlight of my day!
oh goody it works now! i was just going to mention that occasionally i intrigue people about my lifestyle and they start making better choices. its quite rewarding when that happens :)
-muffy
This is amazing… I especially love the “how rude” I always wanted to be Stephanie Tanner :)
Great post! I sent Angela an FAQ on this subject that she answered a while ago (no. 222), so it’s great to see that I’m not the only one who gets annoyed by other people commenting on my eating habits and telling me I must be anorexic or whatever.
Great post!
Actually I will be staying at my parents soon, and as much as I love them and am happy to see them, I am kind of dreading it a little bit as they are not really healthy eaters. Also I have been a vegetarian for a few months now and I already know they will try to have me eat some meat, you know, “a couple of bites won’t kill you”.
I don’t think they understand now the way I live, eat and exercise (I used to HATE HATE HATE exercising, and they still have the picture in mind I guess).
Anyway, thanks for the tips, I will keep them in mind when I go back to France next week!
I always just laugh because most of the time the people making the comments to me are unhealthy people. I don’t expect anyone to understand how I live because it’s me and what works for me doesn’t work for everyone. I think keeping a positive attitude is the best way to go, including with your reactions to negative people. Hopefully they will see a difference in you and want to do that for themselves ;-)