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I keep returning to this thought and I'm guessing that most people's knee jerk reaction would be no, that there is more pressure to be thin, but I don't think that's so. People are always bringing stuff to work to eat and going out for pizza together and once when I stopped eating sweets--no other dietary changes but that--I had a man ask me when I was going to get off that crazy diet. I have been pressured on numerous occasions to eat some dessert or to get ice cream and people look at me like I'm crazy if I say no. Also, even diabetics aren't taken seriously when they're trying to cut back, which is crazy. It's that old, "C'mon, don't be a stick in the mud--we're all eating it so join us." The amount of candy that the kids get on holidays is insane and the cookies at Christmas and they're so hurt if you won't try them. I have been firm but I feel like I have to avoid people when I'm trying to lose weight and I know it's not just me.
I agree 100% with you on this. If you are out with people and food is the focus and you don't want to eat as much or have the dessert, people look at you and ask" why aren't you eating"? Don't you like it? or they pressure you to eat more by giving you more on your plate when you tell them you don't want anymore. Then you feel obligated to eat what's on your plate. I am on WW for a year now and my family and my In laws know I am. They'll ask me if I want more or dessert but if I say no thanks they leave me alone. My DH was out to breakfast with some buddies of his at a local coffee shop...he has lost alot of weight and does not eat the same. He ordered an egg white omlette with cheese and side of toast nothing else. While the other guys were stuffing their faces with bacon, sausage, pancakes. One guy said to him "how come you aren't eating your usual today"? Another guy nudged him and said " don't you remember he had a diverticulitis attack last year and he can't have all that crap?" Then my husband replied and I don't need to eat that stuff anyway. If you eat too much people comment on it and if don't eat enough people comment on that too. It seems our society is centered around food all the time.
Do you think there is a lot of social pressure to eat?
I have been firm but I feel like I have to avoid people when I'm trying to lose weight and I know it's not just me.
First off, NO! NO, I do not think there is any social pressure to eat.
Secondly, I think its a combination of it just being you, and the people who surround you.
People in my office bring food in all the time. They always offer it and I always say no and leave it at that. What they think, or what they say of me refusing is totally and completely irrevelant to me. You should make it irrelevant to you as well. My health and nutrition intake is supremely more important to me than what they think. Just a polite "no thank you" is all you need whey they offer you their doughnuts or whatever. If they say anything, just say "well, your fat (if they are fat)" or "well your skinny (if they are the type who never had to deal with weight/health issues) and Im not" and leave it at that.
I would think that only children and teens would succomb to peer pressure, not adults.
I DO NOT think there is any social pressure to eat. Again, it depends on the type of people who are in your social circle though. Even still, if its important to YOU to maintain your health/fitness/nutrition intake you should not give a flying you-know-what about what anyone else thinks or says.
People like to see other people eating. I think there is pressure a lot of the time. It can be hard for people trying to lose weight and you have someone trying to sabotage it. I remember people telling me that, "you deserve this, look how much you have lost already". I would say yes and in order not to gain it back I am not going to eat that. It is mind over matter, which of course is all dieting is really. But for some it can be really hard. And some people relish the failure of others, especially when it comes to diets.
There is a ton of social pressure to eat, so take advantage of it -- use it to find out who your real friends are.
I consider a friend someone who wants to see you succeed. If you explain your success on a certain diet or plan or whatever to a friend, he'll be happy for you and he'll try to respect your new preferences going forward. He'll forget sometimes, sure, but a simple "DUDE, I told you..." usually works.
On the other hand, if someone repeatedly, almost systematically, ignores the changes you made and treats you like your old self -- sometimes he'll even say "you used to be more fun," and that's the dead giveaway -- then he's not your friend and not worth spending time even thinking about.
There is a ton of social pressure to eat, so take advantage of it -- use it to find out who your real friends are.
OMG!!! ARE YOU FRIGGIN' SERIOUS!!!!!??????
How on earth has this degraded into a "friends" issue or somehow some friggin' way to find out who your true friends are? Ridiculous. You know, Im not sure what planet you are from, but here on Earth its considered good manners to offer someone food if you have it. Its not a "Oh Im not going to be your friend because you offered me doughnuts". Ridiculous.
Again, its very very very very very very simple. Someone offers you food you say "No thank you". That is it. If they insist, you just say "no thank you" again. This isnt grade school where there is OOOhhhh so much peer pressure going on and you feel you have to do it to be with the "in" crowd.
Yes, there is a lot of pressure to eat, especially in the office where almost anything that's social (not work related) revolves around food. But in my office, people are really accomodating to our diabetic coworkers...no one pressures them to eat and we make sure to bring in sugar fee ice cream or snacks besides sweets when we have food in the office for someone's birthday.
I'd say there's a lot of temptation to eat with other people around, since they tend to bring not-so-healthy things to work and social gatherings. But I've always found "No, thanks" to be enough. I think any pressure is more likely to be self-imposed, wanting to be polite, not hurt feelings, fit in, or whatever. But most of that is in our own imaginations. Most times no one notices that I don't take a donut or hors d'ouvres, or at least they don't say anything.
If they do put on a little presssure, you could always say "Maybe later". When later comes, they'll probably have forgotten about it.
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