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?
Great post! I’ve also heard these people called “Healthy Habit Haters.” I think anytime someone makes a comment about another person’s decision to be healthy, they aren’t hating on that other person– they hating on themselves. They feel insecure about whatever decision they’re making, so they try to bring that other person down so they don’t feel so bad.
And do you know what I have to say about that? THAT’S WEAK! Love, don’t hate :)
I’m 18, so the idea of eating anything other than fast food and junk is unheard of among the people I hang out with. I got a lot of comments about my choices initially, but my closer friends I see more often have learned to respect my choices…for the most part.
The people who are the worst for me are the ones who insecure about their own habits. I hate that they deal with this by saying things like “what are you, ANOREXIC!?” when I choose carott sticks over chips, but it’s their issue, and eventually they’ll figure it out.
Great post! It’s amazing how sabotaging even close friends & family can be. I work with these issues quite a bit with my clients.
I hate when people make comments about my eating habits. It happens a lot with my friends since I am in college and all they eat is fast food. I basically ignore it, but it does bother me!
This is a great post – thanks paige! :)
Great post! And so true about how others might affect our own healthy life style by offending us.
Great post! My (overweight) family ALWAYS comments on my eating habits and how much I exercise, even though I don’t think it is an abnormal amount at all. They really do bother me and I probably shouldn’t. Eventually, I just look at them, and their lives, and say to myself, “I don’t want to be like that. That’s why I am the way I am.” And then I’m fine! The people closest to me, my boyfriend and closest friends, are overwhelmingly supportive and that’s all that matters.
Wonderful guest post! I loved reading it!
I just started down the clean eating path and started an exercise regime and I get the most slack from people whom I work with. Not so much comments on what I am eating, but what I choose not to eat. A lot of “oh, just have a litte bit”, or “just a few bites wont hurt you” when I say no thanks when it’s offered to me. I’m geting to where I just say oh thanks and leave it at that, it goes un-noticed wheather I ever ate any or not..hahaha!
Great post!! I love Paige’s blog! I hate the negative/critical comments- and i seriously CAN’T help making a snide remark back sometimes :D I think the rudest is when people say ewww that is disgusting or how do u eat that it’s so gross! With family you just have to deal but hopefully as far as friends go we can surround ourselves with supportive people!
“…people think just because someone is eating healthfully, they’re trying to lose weight.”
Bingo!
I get a lot of comments to the tune of “Look at Vanessa, she’s eating so healthy again!” which I just ignore and smile quietly to myself when everyone around me is uncomfortably stuffed at the end of a meal and I’m perfectly satisfied.
People are funny.
i have never understood why people comment on healthy eating yet never give a second thought to eating crap. my mind works totally opposite. in fact, back in april i was at my parent’s house and went grocery shopping with my dad and an uncle. i bought things like veggie burgers, hummus, fruit, etc and my dad made the comment, “we didn’t raise you to be like this,” but in a very judgemental way. i simply replied that, no, he didn’t raise me that way, but i learned to live a healthier, happier life all on my own.
Great post! I wrote a blog post recently about workplace saboteurs. Fortunately they seem to be the only people in my life that give me a hard time about choosing healthy foods and saying no to the constant barrage of treats. The one thing that I still don’t like is when people say “you can have this you are so skinny!” or “oh come on, live a little” as if to say eating a giant piece of birthday cake is the only way I will live. I say boo to that. Sure I love cake, but what my co-workers don’t seem to understand (and I am sure I am not alone) is that I do have a life outside of work and I choose my treats wisely. They don’t see what I eat or do outside of work so its not really fair to say I don’t have a life without indulging in every treat that passes under my nose!
Excellent guest post! Thanks, Paige. Your dog is SO cute!
Thanks so much Paige, this is such a timely post for me – this type of behaviour is so common (unfortunately).
I went through this recently with a “friend”. Over the past 6-7 months I have dropped 25 lbs (the healthy way = eating well & exercising). This friend knew I was trying to lose a bit of weight and asked how I was doing, I told her and was innundated with comments like:
– “Really? 25lbs? You don’t look like you’ve lost that much”
– “I lost weight last year too, but you know we eventually all fall off the wagon and gain the weight back, right?”
…etc.
I brushed it off at the time by just replying on how good I feel because I know the comments are rooted in insecurity & jealousy, but it just makes me sad that this “good friend” would be so unsupportive.
In the past when I’ve tried to bring this up with her she seems to go into ‘defensive mode’ and my concerns are lost – what’s a girl to do?!
Great post! I have had to deal with comments all my life! I have always eaten pretty healthy, I have IBS and figured out a pretty young age that junk food did not work for me! It used to bother me, but as I have gotten older I can just brush it off. If someone really harps on it, I tell them the truth. It’s funny how it would be inappropriate to tell someone that they may want to rethink that donut or bag of chips, but it’s OK to comment on someone’s choice to eat the veggies and fruit.
Great post — I always love a good Full House reference! :D
I agree with some of the other commentors that the workplace seems to be the worst for this. I usually just say something that’s half true, half joking, like, “Oh, I can’t, I’m going out tonight, and I have to try to have a LITTLE balance! Ha Ha!” So it’s honest to an extent — I AM striving for balance — but then they also don’t think I’m a big party pooper or anything. :)
Sometimes I also just lie and say I’m allergic. :)
This happened to me last week. Everyone was enjoying donuts and coffee and when I opted out of donuts I got about 5 comments saying I should just eat them or “you’re too healthy”. I’ve also gotten comments about how I eat healthy “all the time”, which isn’t true and my coworkers know it. Sometimes I think they say those things just to point out that I’m different than them instead of accepting the fact that I’m being healthy while they sometimes aren’t. A lot of it has to do with their own insecurities, so I try and stick to my guns and remind myself that I’m opting for healthier choices for me, not anybody else.
It’s interesting that our society is so hooked on the latest diet fads but we taunt those who are striving to be healthy every day.
Good guest post!
love the topic and post!!! i could go on for days about this topic. as bree said, why is it ok to tell a thin perosn they are too skinny but not ok to tell an overweight person they are fat?!?!? a double standard really, but i suppose it is a tactic to make them feel better about their unhealthy habits. talking about weight is something i never do, because it makes me feel uncomfortable and it is a very personal thing.
“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?”
YES! It happens to me all the time, not only because I am a healthy eater but because I am a vegan too. I agree with the advice you gave about dealing with this. As rude and annoying as it may be, it doesn’t help to take those kinds of comments personally. I think that people who do this are either jealous or threatened by our habits. I often get people who make comments about my veganism and then try to justify their own habits later. (They’ll say things like “Well I only eat red meat ocassionally” or “I only eat chicken”)
I’ve learned to let comments like this just bounce off me. It’s not worth getting upset over.
Leah, I understand you there. My dad used to be a very unhealthy eater, and would mock my eating habbits. Unfortunately now he has diabetes, but I’ve been making him healthy dishes, and alas, he thinks they actually taste good!
Carolinebee, I agree – sometimes the comments can get nasty enough where they *do* warrant a confrontation. Can’t let people walk all over ya!