okay.. ENOUGH!

I understand that this post may receive some negative feedback, however my frustration needs to be heard.

There is this pre conceived notion that just because someone is "small" or "thin", that they can stuff their face with whatever they want all day long. Besides that being very unhealthy, it is also very untrue.

Being a (naturally) skinny girl myself, I'm tired of people giving me wierd looks when i measure my food (my roomate), turn down cake or cookies (co-workers) or order fat free dressing/simply grilled/no oil or butter added (waitresses).

I watch what I eat in order to be healthy and fit- am i not entitled to a healthy lifestyle as well?

why is it, that those who are "overweight" feel they are the only ones allowed to watch portion control, turn down sweets, and stay within a calorie alottment? can someone explain that please?

any other small girls out there who feel this way as well?

thx :)

lol yes i understand.... if a skinny person did any of the above to a fat person they'd be really rude, but when someone does it to a skinny person it's okay. and i dont' think that's right.  i used to be skinny so i know how annoying it is.  i wasn't trying to lose weight and i wasn't digging for complements. i just wanted to stay skinny!  people constantly felt the need to force treats on me and tell me how "it's okay" and this and that... and guess what? i started listening to them, eating whatever i wanted and gained weight! and now i am on a diet struggling to lose it!  i think people feel the need to make themselves feel better about thier habits. i ranted about this somewhere else but my coworker thinks i'm the healthiest person on the planet (definately not, but i do eat relatively healthy, especially during the work day) and felt the need to dangle a donut at me adn tell me how "geez it's ok, it won't kill you!" and all that... i don't like donuts!  sorry not worth a pound for a food i really don't want...

Overweight people have the same problem.  If people see you eating fatty food or high calorie food they automatically think no wonder she's so fat, if they see you eating healthy low fat, low cal food they think "it's a bit late for that"

Believe me I'd rather be thin and have people thinking what they think than overweight and have them think what they think.

 

i don't think it's fair either way. grass is always greener on the other side right? it's just as annoying for either person.  it'd be nice if people could just mind their own business right??? don't get me started on the looks/comments/questions/annoyances i get when i refuse meat :X

I've always gotten those kinds of comments. I've been a size 4 all of my adult life, and I've gotten very used to friends giving me a hard time about avoiding alcohol and sweets, something they seem to feel you shouldn't want to do if you are thin. I recently lost 15 lbs., though, and am a size 0, and now it is decidedly worse. I'm still in the healthy BMI range, I have lifted weights and done cardio for almost 18 years, I eat A LOT. I just try to make healthier choices now than I ever have before. I am more aware of what I eat and how much of it I eat. But friends and coworkers don't seem to understand that I am not dieting, I am not developing an ED, I am not doing anything but paying more attention to what I put in my body than I used to do, and also using that newfound respect for food to convert the last few stubborn fatty deposits on my body to lean muscle mass.

That being said, though, it doesn't really get to me. I don't like to talk about my lifestyle choices—it's just something I am doing for myself—so I haven't ever communicated to anyone that I'm not dieting. I can understand where they might be concerned if they don't understand the reasoning behind my refusing to eat some things and my careful choices when eating out, etc. And as a result, the weight loss—what is simply the natural consequence of upping my nutrition—could therefore be alarming to them.

People judge others.  It's how we make ourselves feel better.  You can't stop people from thinking that just because you're skinny you can eat a Big Mac and not have it go to your thighs just like the overweight people can't stop people from thinking that Big Mac is the reason for their thighs.

In my experience, when losing weight you should probably gain a few pounds of thicker skin.  The same applies to those who're trying to maintain or even gain weight.

I totally agree with the usefulness of this post. I've lost 40 pounds and I'm exactly at the middle of my BMI range. Now, my friends and family are watching what I am eating to make sure "I eat enough". I'm nowhere near having ED, I just don't want to be fat again... It's just soooo annoying! Everytime at work I would say no to rice, pasta, fries... everybody's telling me that it's OK to eat. Even when I'm cold and have goosebumps, they go: no wonder, you don't have any meat on you! ENOUGH!

Original Post by loislain:

Overweight people have the same problem. If people see you eating fatty food or high calorie food they automatically think no wonder she's so fat, if they see you eating healthy low fat, low cal food they think "it's a bit late for that"

Believe me I'd rather be thin and have people thinking what they think than overweight and have them think what they think.

I can't recall ever judging someone for the food choices they made, though it is certainly possible. I do kind of wonder how people, in the general sense, can eat something called a "Triple Bypass Burger," for example, or consume 160+ grams of sugar/fat and 1,500 calories eating one of Baskin-Robbins' shakes on the higher-calorie end. So the thought has crossed my mind. But I know for certain that I have never wondered at an overweight person eating healthy, or going to the gym, etc. If I think anything at all, it is "Good for them!" I applaud people for making healthy choices. And I don't associate unhealthy food with overweight people. I can't actually remember ever paying attention to what a particular overweight person was eating, or a thinner person for that matter. I just, as I say, may sometimes wonder how an entire day's worth of calories—and sometimes more, in one dessert alone—can be in one meal on the menu, whether or not people realize how bad what they are eating is for them (I consider myself to be well educated about food, but even I have sometimes been surprised to find out how bad for you some restaurant/fast-food items are), and how exactly we can as a country be healthier. I've had this sort of conversation many times. It isn't targeted at any one person, but rather is sort of a quest to understand how America got where it has health-wise.

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

 I do kind of wonder how people  consume 160+ grams of sugar/fat and 1,500 calories eating one of Baskin-Robbins' shakes on the higher-calorie end.

Unfortunately, b/c it tastes so good! It seems that some of the best tasting food (cheesecake, chocolate, baklava, all kind of desserts, donuts, bread, nutella, nuts, 10% fat yogourt....) are not healthy at all! I was seeing this dietician and she was wondering the same thing. She even told me that one night while she was eating at a friend's house, she got so upset because they offered her fatening food in mass quantity. At that point, I realized that some people don't actually enjoy eating!!

Original Post by roylucie92:

Original Post by petite_powerhouse:

I do kind of wonder how people consume 160+ grams of sugar/fat and 1,500 calories eating one of Baskin-Robbins' shakes on the higher-calorie end.

Unfortunately, b/c it tastes so good! It seems that some of the best tasting food (cheesecake, chocolate, baklava, all kind of desserts, donuts, bread, nutella, nuts, 10% fat yogourt....) are not healthy at all! I was seeing this dietician and she was wondering the same thing. She even told me that one night while she was eating at a friend's house, she got so upset because they offered her fatening food in mass quantity. At that point, I realized that some people don't actually enjoy eating!!

Oh, I love to eat. LOVE IT!!! I'm not saying those foods aren't tempting. Man, I adore Baskin-Robbins. Chocolate Mousse Royale is like heaven on Earth to me. But I'll order a scoop at 300 calories instead of a 1,500-calorie shake, if I really need a "fix."

I get what you are saying, though, and you're right: it tastes good, really good. It's hard not to give in to that, and sometimes I do, because what is life if you can't indulge sometimes. But I still try to do it in as healthy a fashion as I can, fitting it in as a reasonable-calorie indulgence every now and then. But that's not an easy choice to make. I have a major sweet tooth. So I know it's a real challenge for anybody who likes to eat. Sugar and fat may not be considered "true" addictions, but they're definitely not easy to turn away from, either.

Healthy food can be delicious, too, though. If what I ate didn't taste good, I wouldn't eat it, because, as I say, I really love food. I think a high-quality chicken cutlet with a little bit of olive oil, pepper and other spices, cooked on the BBQ is awesome. I had this the other day and it was seriously better than any chicken sandwich or chicken dish I have ever ordered out. Add a sweet potato and I'm thrilled. But yeah, sugar, fat...? They're two of the best things on the planet. (I'd call nuts generally healthy, though, as long as you eat them in moderation. Whole wheat/grain bread is pretty good for you, too, as far as bread goes. But then, most things can be eaten in moderation, and should be to avoid binges. Depriving one's self, or getting upset when you indulge, is no way to live, in my estimation.)

 

agreed i do love eating :)  different things are worth differnt to people is all... i dont' have a sweet tooth really at all... so i'm not even depriving myself i usually just dont' want it and people dont' get that.  now stick a bag of cheese doodles in front of me and we might have a different story lol  but i've found healthy foods that taste really good!  i've been a vegetarian almost 15 years so i've had plenty of time to scope out new foods and try new things and cook for myself and i genuinely like the food i eat. if i didn't i wouldn't eat it! 

i've never paid much of any attention at all to what other people eat so i don't get the fascination either.  i've never asked someone why they're eating a burger. or a five million calorie drink. or anything. 

Petite_powerhouse: I hear what you're saying and I agree that healthy food can be just as good as not-so-healthy-but-so-tasteful! I have a problem with moderation though! That's what I can't do just yet, so I have to NOT have any at all!

All that talk about eating made me hungry! And it's only 3 pm!!!

Original Post by roylucie92:

Petite_powerhouse: I hear what you're saying and I agree that healthy food can be just as good as not-so-healthy-but-so-tasteful! I have a problem with moderation though! That's what I can't do just yet, so I have to NOT have any at all!

 

I totally understand. When I first decided to eat healthier, I had to go cold turkey on junk food. It was the only way I could get my cravings under control: moderation didn't work. After a time, I was able to reintroduce treats and control my intake. But I have always been the kind of person to cut whatever it is I am struggling with out completely before I can get control over it.

petite: Out of curiosity (since I know everbody's different) how long did it take you to eat with moderation? Personally, I never (or almost never) have sweets since 1 1/2 year and I still find I'm too weak to gradually put it back in my "diet" but I've noticed that when I eat more than usual, I feel physically bad (bloating, heartburns) so I figured my body got used of eating healthy. Also, if I eat too much sugar, I'll feel light headed. As for alcohol (used to drink A LOT), after 1 1/2 year, I can drink it moderately without feeling deprived...

I totaly understand where you are coming from!

When i was overweight and first started in my 'healthy lifestye' if i was to turn down something then i would ALWAYS  assume that people were thinking, 'oh it's about time she did something about that'

And now that I am alot thinner they say why don't you just bloody eat it, it wont do any harm, but what they don't understand that yeh one treat is okay but if i go back to eat how i was before then i will go back to look how i did before too!!

Yes! I get that all the time!
My mum is constantly saying "Gees girl, you're already skinny. you don't need to worry about it."
It's frustrating!
I don't want to gain the weight back (as i know i am slightly prone to doing so) so i continue to count calories, watch what i eat and avoid bad foods.
I still work out, i still do everything.
I hate it when people then say "Oh well, you don't eat."
I DO eat, i eat as much as i am supposed to, but because i am now the thinnest person in the house, i get to take all the "Oh you must have an eating disorder" heat.

*mumble mumble grumble* stupid people.

:) Hehe take care everyone!
xxx
C.

When I was younger I was very thin and people used to try to get me to eat more, always saying "Your too thin, you should eat more".  Well I wish I would have followed my own rules and not let them influence me, now I have to count calories to lose weight.  So stick to your guns and let people know that you make those choices to stay thin.

I would first like to encourage each and every one to stick with "What works for you"! Unfortunately, we live in a society that when you are doing better than someone else, they will try and take an opportunity to knock you down beneath them; whether they realize it or not. So, when someone offers you a treat, and you turn it down, and they proceed to comment further, that's their frustration at your self control. It's not personal to you, it's their own self struggle; so take it as a compliment, and pray for that individual to get a handle on their struggles. I commend each one of you for sticking to your own boundaries, and understanding your selves enough to establish that control. Awesome job! Way to Go! :-)

I used to think like that.  I'd see a slender girl order a salad and think "If I was that thin, I would have ordered a burger, because I could!".

However, with education on nutrition my thinking started to change.  Now I see a slender girl order a salad and think "That's why she's slender, she orders salads instead of fried chicken."

It's all about education. The same people that are pushing the fattening foods don't really know how bad they are for you, they haven't researched the subject....we have.

I completely agree with the original post.  I don't think it's fair.  I'm not skinny, by any stretch of anyone's imagination.  I'm actually here to help motivate myself to lose about 80lbs.  However, I don't think it's fair when people judge what other people eat/drink or how they live.  It's their life, and they have their own choices to make, it's not ours to judge that.

However, there is a point at which I believe skinny girls can be annoying with their food habits.  For example, there is a skinny girl I work with that makes a HUGE point of making sure everyone around her knows she's on a diet, and she's trying to lose weight.  I can completely understand a skinny person wanting to get rid of a few pounds or even just eat healthy.  What I don't agree with is trying to make everyone on the planet become part of that struggle, because, honestly, every pound is a struggle no matter how big you are when you start.  If you need motivation that badly, pleasse keep it out of the office.

I think there's a balance from both sides.  Don't make a huge deal about being on a diet, and don't judge other people for what they eat.  I know it's easy to say, and hard to do, because people are who they are.  Honestly though, just take a step back and realize that no matter what size we are we all strive to be healthy.

i totally agree. when i was in college i first started paying attention to what i ate, and at dinner i would say no to fries or extra potato etc just because i didn't feel it was good for me. everyone would make rude comments and acuse me of being annorexic etc, and i remember saying to my friend its so stupid that society will look down on you for being fatm but then also ridicule you for being interested in excercise and a healthy diet. its like, not all of us can eat what we want and stay thin...

on a seperate note, recently ive been watching tv and feel as if one commercial is telling me how great a wendys/mcdonalds/burger king is and that i should eat it, then the next one is telling me how their product can help me lose weight!!! no wonder america has such weight issues, with us being told half the time to eat what we want and the other half to work out and be healthy