Going to the gym = "on a diet"

[Giggle Goose]

We've been though this before, but I gotta say it again....WHY do people (especially women) feel they have to constantly chitchat about diet advice to other women, as if what they have to say is the freaking gospel? It's especially aggravating when the woman in question is overweight herself, such as one of my coworkers. If she knew everything, she would be thin, right?

Before you jump on me, let me explain that I've struggled with my weight all my life and I only know what's best for ME. I have a lot of sympathy for people who use food to cope with stress, because I do, too. I'm an emotional eater and right now I'm practicing eating only when I'm hungry and noticing when I'm full. That's it. I only weigh myself once a month, just enough to keep a sense of accountability. I also like to go to the gym during my lunch break. I usually just do a fast incline walk on the treadmill.

Most of the people at work know I go the the gym, so when I'm back in the office they watch my every move eating-wise. I can't stand it. They say things like "that's not on your diet" or "that's going to undo all your exercise." WTF??!! Who said I was on a diet? I eat what I want, when I want, and guess what, my clothes are getting bigger! Leave me alone!! GRRR!

The funny part is that I tend to gain weight when I'm depriving myself and getting frustrated with the overwhelming influx of diet advice from coworkers, friends, TV, news, and basically anywhere you turn! I also hate the idea that people think you always have to be working out "Biggest Loser" style where you have to feel dizzy, sick to your stomach, and basically in pain, or else your workout isn't going to get you any results. So I'd be better off just not working out at all than taking a brisk 2-3 mile walk?

I just don't get people.

[blas87]

It's jealousy and insecurity on their ends.

What really irks me at work is when I'm drinking soda pop or noshing on less healthier type foods on my breaks, my coworkers don't say a word. If I bring in tuna/salad/fruit/yogurt or something I made myself (or my parents had leftovers of) as leftovers, everyone makes comments "Miss Food Pyramid!" "My, what a healthy eater!" and other comments that are sometimes easy to tell they are hidden insults, other times you can't really tell if they just don't know what else to say.

I've become an emotional/excited eater myself in the past year or so. I've put on quite a bit of weight, on top of a lot of muscle/tone I've gained elsewhere since joining the gym a year ago. So I'm really odd looking, I feel, right now. I have so much bulk fat in my hip/thigh/lower belly area (bear in mind, I used to weigh 120-125, I'm flirting with 150 these days, and yes I realize there is muscle there but I have also gained fat) that I am almost always disgusted with how I look. Food has become like sex for me. I think about what I should make for dinner or what I should make after I go to the gym. I try to plan well, but I'll end up short on time or cash and just say hell with it and have a Coke and get a pizza, and then over-over indulge at restaurants with my bf or friends or family.

Not to mention, I barely speak of the gym anymore at work because people just glare at me or make rude comments. What is wrong with getting up and being active? At least I'm making an effort and have found a healthy hobby!

It sucks, and people are just plain rude!

[Greenday]

I finally started going back to the gym and everyone seemed pretty supportive of it...except for my one jerk coworker. He started saying how none of it will matter because of what I eat and that I snack all the time. Um, I barely snack at all and I eat maybe 1 or 2 meals a day so I don't have to burn a ton of calories to lose weight.

Calories burned > Calories taken in

I'm doing it, so shut up. It's generally all that matters.

[blas87]

I understand, Greenday. My boyfriend gets a lot of dirty looks and comments about how his body looks. He's constantly heard comments about steroids and people call him Jersey Shore (although he looks nothing like those fucking douchebags) and "gym rat".

It's jealousy. It's always been more prevalent that girls are the jealous ones, but guys can be the same way.

The worst is that his own brother makes comments at him as well, and he knows damn well how my boyfriend got his body the way it is. He's just jealous that he let his gym contract expire and he doesn't feel like going to the gym anymore (we all know his "sick" act is constantly faked, now it's just laziness), and he can't stand how he looks anymore since he's gone crazy and lost 50 pounds and no longer looks the way he used to when he used to JOIN my boyfriend at the gym.

[Cazzi]

They say things like "that's not on your diet"

Actually, anything is on your diet. People seem to get so hung up on diet = weight loss program when in fact. to quote wikipedia:
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism.[1] Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat.

Anyone comments about things not being on my diet gets told the above. Its nice looking at the confused & vacant expressions as they try to process that

Being an emotional eater & fairly large myself. I go for the definition that diet stands for "Dare I Eat That?" and going by the thinking that everything is good for you in moderation, the answer is yes

I also go to the gym, mainly to get fitter than I am & strengthen my main joint supporting muscles although I am trying to reduce my weight too, just not very successfully at the moment. Today my blood sugar decided to drop part way through my workout, so I finished & went off to the coffe/juice bar where I was asked if I wanted chocolate to give me a boost. I had a large banana instead, only because for once I didnt fancy choc

[HYHYBT]

Blas: I wish I had your problem

It's especially aggravating when the woman in question is overweight herself, such as one of my coworkers. If she knew everything, she would be thin, right?

There's the difference between KNOWING and DOING to consider. And it's the doing that's the hard part. I *know* how I ought to eat, and that being my size is unhealthy, but I'm still probably going to have Chick-fil-A for lunch today.

[guywithashovel]

Some people just can't help but to comment on what other people eat. I used to get the "My, what a healthy eater" comments at Wal-Mart when I would get something from the deli for lunch. People also asked me if I was on Adkins when I ate tuna from the can. No, I just like tuna by itself.

[Hyena Dandy]

The whole thing is crazy.

I'm not on a diet, and I don't get as much exercise as I ought to. When I do, its going out on a bike, usually to buy food or go to buy videogames. I couldn't stick to a diet if I tried, trust me, I've tried. But I'm not going to mock people who eat healthy, or go to the gym, or whatever. Nor am I going to mock people who are overweight. I hate almost all manifestations of the 'us vs them' mentality, but this is one of the ones I hate the most.

[Boozy]

Most of the people at work know I go the the gym, so when I'm back in the office they watch my every move eating-wise. I can't stand it. They say things like "that's not on your diet" or "that's going to undo all your exercise." WTF??!! Who said I was on a diet?

I can understand why that would drive you crazy.

I think it's also an interesting insight into how North Americans think about food and exercise. We don't have a healthy attitude about things like this. What we eat and what we do with our bodies is far more important than their effect on our appearance. Our lifestyles shouldn't be about how it makes us look.

There are a thousand reasons to exercise, and only one of those reasons is weight control. I'm not even remotely overweight, but I still go to the gym every day. Aerobic exercise is necessary for everyone's cardiovascular health. Exercise has significantly decreased the duration, frequency, and severity of my migraines. I no longer require an antidepressant during the winter months like I used to.

If you end up dropping a few pounds as a result of working out, that's awesome. But even if you didn't, the exercise would still be incredibly valuable for your overall health.

I also understand where blas is coming from with her co-workers' comments about her healthier food choices. I usually bring some carrot sticks and celery and a piece of fruit to munch on during the day, and I get comments such as "Someone like you doesn't need to eat celery!"

What a baffling attitude! Fruits and vegetables are not "weight-loss" food. They're just food. They provide necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber. That's an absolute necessity for everyone. I don't eat veggies because I want to lose weight, I eat them to, you know, not die.

[BlaqueKatt]

I usually bring some carrot sticks and celery and a piece of fruit to munch on during the day, and I get comments such as "Someone like you doesn't need to eat celery!"

well obviously no one would ever actually like eating fruits and veggies. /sarcasm

I love me some celery and mandarin oranges...yummy...currently munching on pumpkin seeds(without the shell).

[Giggle Goose]

There are a thousand reasons to exercise, and only one of those reasons is weight control. I'm not even remotely overweight, but I still go to the gym every day. Aerobic exercise is necessary for everyone's cardiovascular health. Exercise has significantly decreased the duration, frequency, and severity of my migraines. I no longer require an antidepressant during the winter months like I used to.

Exactly! I sleep better, I move better, and I just FEEL better in general. I like exercising to "remind my body it's alive" (heard that on a TV show once, I liked it )

There's also people who think that exercise is only something you do to lose weight, or as I said earlier, if you're "on a diet." *sigh*

[AdminAssistant]

As a version of this - people who are on a diet that think you should be, too.

Now, I need to lose weight. I know this, my doctors know this, etc. I try to start eating better in spurts, then get lazy, and it's even harder with Fiance saying, "We don't have to cook, I'll go get us something...." So, anyway, yes, I'm overweight.

Last night, I met some girlfriends at a new frozen yogurt place. When it comes to dessert, I don't like fruity things, I like chocolate. If there's no chocolate, then I'd rather spend my calories somewhere else. So, I got some chocolate fro-yo with sprinkles, pecans, and chocolate chips and dug in. One of my friends, who is on Weight Watchers, saw what I was eating and said, "Yeah, I didn't get chocolate because that's like TWICE the calories and then there's the toppings. I mean, might as well get a candy bar!" ?? She had some kind of banana/mango combo topped with fruit and granola (and looked absolutely miserable while eating it, btw). I didn't say anything, but I immediately felt hurt, embarrassed, and guilty for trying to enjoy a treat after a really busy, crazy week. Y'know, you worry about what you put in your body, and I'll worry about what I put in mine, mkay?

[Andara Bledin]

"Yeah, I didn't get chocolate because that's like TWICE the calories and then there's the toppings. I mean, might as well get a candy bar!" ?? She had some kind of banana/mango combo topped with fruit and granola (and looked absolutely miserable while eating it, btw). I didn't say anything, but I immediately felt hurt, embarrassed, and guilty for trying to enjoy a treat after a really busy, crazy week. Y'know, you worry about what you put in your body, and I'll worry about what I put in mine, mkay?

Miserable, passive-aggressive bitch. Don't feel bad about eating what you want to eat just because she was trying to make herself feel better about not being able to have what she wanted.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

Miserable, passive-aggressive bitch.

What's sad is that she's a 40 year old, grown-ass adult. I wouldn't be too surprised to hear something like that from a 20-something colleague, but she should know better. I know that she's super-paranoid about her weight (she's going to study in Japan next year and it sucks to be a plus-sized woman in Asia). But really, leave me and my fro-yo ALONE.

[blas87]

See, it's the misery that goes with restrictions on food.....that's what makes me just go running and get a soda, or stuff a hot pocket in the microwave instead of cooking something.

If you restrict and restrict and say "Can't" too often, you will go NUTS!