Curious Question for Weight Losers...

Just a question out of curiosity...

Do your friends/family know you are trying to lose weight? Are you being supported by others you know? Or encouraged to lose weight?
Or is weight loss something personal or private to you?

Weight Loss is very private to me...

I tell people, mostly after a raised eyebrow after I order something at a restaurant, that I'm trying to eat "more healthy".  I usually get the "oh, you don't need to lose weight" comment if I am open with it.

My family does, but my friends don't. I don't like the attention that follows such a statement-- ie, people monitoring to see whether you really ARE losing, and how fast, and watching absolutely everything you eat. Even if they are being supportive of it, the attention is uncomfortable for me. I don't want to have to "explain" that I ate a small breakfast and that is why I'm having the chips. Or that I'm eating only a salad for lunch because I have something planned for dinner. Or that yes, steak can be part of a weight loss diet. And a million other things that come up when people "expect" something of you.

Like feanor I didn't choose to broadcast what I was doing because I really don't like the heavy nosey-parkering that always goes on when you tell people you're on a diet!  I think if you do that, people smelll weakness and see it as carte blanche to intervene with, as feanor says, 'should you be eating that!!!???'.  Not helpful. 

If you have a family or a partner that you share meals with, I think it's a good idea to tell them what's happening in case there are any implications that affect them.  But present it as a fait accompli!! e.g. "We're not having junk in the house any more and we're all eating more healthily... " 

And if you want support... be specific.  If you'd like someone's help, ask for what it is you need.  I don't think it's particularly constructive, for example, to ask a partner to act as policeman on your eating habits (which a lot of people seem to do).  It's asking for control freakery!  But if you ask them to encourage you by going jogging together in the mornings or by not bringing home takeaways that can be a good idea.

I didn't tell anybody.  Now that I'm on maintenance, I can't really help but eat healthily.  Some friends, however, think I am anorexic when I get two small plates of steamed veggies in the dining hall when I actually love the taste of it =.=

Hehe, that reminds me white_sakura.. even when people DON'T know I'm on a diet I occasionally get comments (which doesn't encourage me to give any more information!) Such as when I was with some friends having lunch-- a sandwich on a hamburger bun packed with veggies as well as 2 tbs of hummus. It was about 300 calories..and delicious. They said wow, that's a lot of veggies. I said I like veggies. ;) And that was that.

I'm doing it myself- with the support of online friends. I've done this so many times before, this time I said to myself 'I'm doing this for myself, so if I don't tell anyone I won't have to listen to all the helpful tips and 'advice' from friends & family'. I'm 16lbs down since January and people (well, just my Mum actually, and a lady I haven't seen since Christmas) are starting to notice- that gives me the motivation to keep going.

well im mainly losing weight because my mum is the one who thinks im fat, i just want the snide remarks to stop.
not fair because she's so thin and thinks its easy for me to be too.

i used to always be the 'skinny' kid and my sister was the chubby one- till i moved to a different country for school and put on weight without noticing, and my sister started very drastically dieting- now she is disturbingly underweight and i (well i thought i was fine but according to my mother, and my aunts..) need to lose a good few kgs

I didn't tell anyone (apart from the bf) untill I couldnt deny it anymore (lost 50lbs+)

My mum hasn't been supportive, she nagged me to make sure I was eating healthy when she noticed I was on a diet, complained I was being too strict with myself when I wouldnt eat her soaked-in-butter veg, and has now decided that i've lost too much and should stop my "diet" immediately. (Thank the lord I don't live at home anymore, all that nagging would drive me batty!!)

My bf wasn't supportive at first at all, infact he would go in a bad mood when I wouldnt get take-out pizza at the weekends, and stopped getting cream cakes when I was out shopping. (I didnt stop him eating all those things, he was just being selfish!) But we both knew I was overweight, and once he seen that I was approaching weightloss in a sensible way, he warmed up to the idea!

I think you have to be strong, and realise you are doing this for yourself. Its tough when the people that mean the most to you don't support you, but the chances are they are just concerned / dont like change / a little jealous.

Make yourself proud, and don't let others stop you :)

I haven't actually mentioned "losing weight" specifically to anyone except my best friend - I just don't want the attention, especially since it's only a few extra pounds I'm trying to shift, nothing major at all. If anyone asks why I'm not drinking midweek, or why I don't eat after dinner anymore, etc. I just tell them I'm trying to be healthier, especially from Monday to Thursday. My boyfriend has noticed the improvement though - "Oh my god, I didn't think you could get any hotter BUT YOU DID!"  Ha I'm well happy! Still another little bit to lose - but again, not telling him that!

Kind of a bit of both, I don't broadcast that I'm trying to lose weight cos I don't want people eyeballing me everytime they see me to see if I have lost anything. Everyone knows I hate the way I look and they all know I practically live at the gym and swimming pool but I put more emphasis on the fact that I enjoy exercising (which is true) and that I'm trying to combat my depression naturally (also true) rather than trying to lose weight

My friends and family don't know that I'm losing weight, although it's really pretty obvious.  I never actually told anyone that I was setting out to lose weight.  I'm at college right now where I'm getting support from no one, although I'll probably get some from my family when I go back home. 

 

For me weight loss is private, I hate talking about it to people I actually know (people on-line on the hand are fine).  It's awkward, I never know what to say other than, "Why yes I did lose weight..."

My family knows, but they know everything, lol. We all live within a 5 mile radius of each other, and I have three sisters so gossip spreads like wildfire. One of my sisters is also counting calories, and having success, and I get the others to walk with me on a regular basis.

I guess I don't care if my family knows. My friends don't know, but they will soon enough :)

The one person that I want to notice the most hasn't seen me since November, and I am already 30lbs lighter than I was then. By the time I see him in July, he will have to be blind not to notice....but I don't think I am going to tell him that I have been working so hard, I think I will let it be a mystery: 'You look great!' 'Yeah, I know :)'

 

i tell most of my friends (the people i see most). that way they pressure me less to go out and eat badly. they become like a support system with renewable motivation. when i'm feeling bad for myself and think i might cheat a bit, they are there saying,"i thought you wanted to lose weight. what are you going to eat that for then?" it's easy for them to say because they aren't the ones being restricted... but it reminds me that i have goals and i shouldn't give in to breaking them.

ALSO, i'm paranoid enough to think that once i tell people i'm trying to lose weight, they will be watching to see results. i work harder to make sure my weight loss is noticable. i do this to make sure they know my progress and will not think me a loser. (this whole thing is taking place in my head. they probably couldn't care less. but at least i know how to use my paranoia to work in my favor. haha)

Just my husband. He has been my backbone in this whole journey.

I prefer not to share my business with my family. If I do it will be broadcast across the whole valley in a few hours.

Most people I know are aware that I am losing weight.  I don't hide it and if they aren't supportive, I just ignore anything they have to say on the subject.  Some of my friends are very supportive and curious about how I have lost 114 pounds and I am not shy about telling them.  As for people making comments about what I choose to eat, I just say to them, "When you have lost 114 pounds, then you can tell me that what I am eating isn't good for me." and they usually don't have anything to say after that.

All that being said, I started this whole thing because of personal reasons.  I finally got disgusted with where my weight was and something in me decided that it was the right time to do something about it.  Some of my motivations are related to my family, but I am really losing weight for myself.

I've told a few select people that I'm trying to lose weight.  I don't hide it, and I have had people ask me questions at work when they notice I started bringing lunch from home instead of eating out or raiding the vending machines- I don't mind telling people that I'm trying to lose weight- but I've told VERY few people that my motivation for all of this is so that I can get pregnant in a year or two and have a healthy pregnancy.

I didn't really tell anyone up front that I was losing weight.  Well I told my DP..but the rest of the world No.  I bring a scale or measured food everywhere I go.  I do ask for nutritional info of food I am eating.  I don't really get any strange looks because I live in the San Fransico of the east (Asheville NC). So the fact I am eating healthier is not that big of a deal the people around me wouldn't Dare eat non organic food let alone stuff from McDonald's. 

I also hung out in a cirlce of firends back east that ate 1000 times healthier than I did. Although most of what I made was homemade it was loaded with extra fat and no meal with Rice or Potatoes went with out homemade gravy...I swear I gained 20lbs whe nI learned to make gravy.

So everyone in my immediate social cirlce just knows I am cleaning up my diet. They indirectly support me with their habits. I know taht parties are more likely to have whole wheat oatmeal cookies, and fresh fruit, than Burgers, Chips , and soda. 

 

My DP is supportive to the point of asking me how many calories he ate lol.  I don't really know for sure but I can tell him how many calories is in each serving of every dish I make.  I usually make his plate on my scale as well..but he normally goes back for seconds. He really wants me to lose weight so i will agree to getting married..No fat brides allowed in my wedding photos. (shallow I know..but lets be honest here)

 

 

Only my roommates really know how much I count calories- I've had comments about having lost weight, and I just say I've started eating healthy foods for once. It started at the beginning of the semester with a total nutrition overhaul when I realized I wasn't getting enough fruits and veggies, then became calorie counting, and now I'm a vegetarian. I've lost ten pounds (low of 114) but am gaining back in muscle as I lift more. I'm trying to concentrate on how I feel in my body rather than obsess over the number on the scale, and hopefully others can see that, and support my lifestyle...

Everytime I tryed to diet I would tell everyone I knew, but I always failed.   So this time I didn't tell a soul.....not even my fiance.  it wasn't long before my fiance started to notice and I had him keep it hush hush.  I tryed to stay away from extended family members for a while.  about 3 months after I started we had to throw a big birthday party for my dad's 5oth b-day.  The look on everyones faces when they walked throw the front door was so worth all the hard work.

I  guess my family knows I am changing my diet and lifestyle but I wouldn't really say i am being supported.  My husband (God love him) thinks I look fine and doesn't really want me to lose weight.  I want to do this for me though so really what anyone else thinks doesn't matter anymore.  I want to be thinner, healthier and more active.