Quote:
) but what I have experienced is lots of people seeing my success and trying to capitalize on it by latching on to some totally random aspect of my plan that they seem to think is responsible for all of my weight loss! And then they do it completely differently, but expect to see the same results!
For example, a very typical breakfast for me is 1 cup of Total cereal with 1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk and 1/2 a sliced banana, right? Well, my mom claims that she is trying to eat healthier, and right after I finish my breakfast I'll often see her eating a huge gallon-sized bowl of some sugar-packed/nutritionally empty granola cereal with 2% milk and a whole sliced banana - not terrible choices I guess, but definitely not as healthy, and HUGE portions - and she'll give me this smug look, like "See? It's not so hard; *I* can do it too!" As if all of my weight loss has come just from eating a bowl of cereal!
Oooh, or another one of my friends who is very overweight recently became a vegetarian, and I swear he only did it because I am one, and he's seen the success I've had losing weight, and he thinks that that *must* be why I've lost weight. He freely admits that he didn't do it for ethical reasons (like I did), and indeed he'll still eat meat every once in a while for a "splurge" (or if he's just drunk and "forgets" that he's supposed to be a vegetarian), and it's so frustrating to me that he thinks he's going to lose weight just by giving up meat. I've been a vegetarian for 4 years, and I was still fat for most of it because I didn't replace the meat with healthier stuff; I just ate meatless junk! Which is exactly what he's doing, which is why he's not going to lose any weight from it, either... Yet at our dining hall he'll load up his plate with mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, a bowl of cream of broccoli soup, etc and talk about "how hard it is being a vegetarian." Sheesh.
This is the same friend who seems to have noticed that I eat Luna Bars a lot, so he started buying them, too... In addition to the sodas and candy bars he buys every day. Ugh, all the "copycats" just kill me! I mean, I would never try to belittle someone else's efforts if I thought they were sincerely trying, but to me it seems more like they're looking for the same thing that all the previous entries in this thread are looking for--a quick fix! An "all you have to do is ____ and you'll lose weight!" When will people realize that it's not that easy?!
i got this alot too when i was at my low weight. it really really irritated me.Originally Posted by Star2Be
I personally haven't been given any bad advice like these ones (though they are hilarious!! ) but what I have experienced is lots of people seeing my success and trying to capitalize on it by latching on to some totally random aspect of my plan that they seem to think is responsible for all of my weight loss! And then they do it completely differently, but expect to see the same results!For example, a very typical breakfast for me is 1 cup of Total cereal with 1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk and 1/2 a sliced banana, right? Well, my mom claims that she is trying to eat healthier, and right after I finish my breakfast I'll often see her eating a huge gallon-sized bowl of some sugar-packed/nutritionally empty granola cereal with 2% milk and a whole sliced banana - not terrible choices I guess, but definitely not as healthy, and HUGE portions - and she'll give me this smug look, like "See? It's not so hard; *I* can do it too!" As if all of my weight loss has come just from eating a bowl of cereal!
Oooh, or another one of my friends who is very overweight recently became a vegetarian, and I swear he only did it because I am one, and he's seen the success I've had losing weight, and he thinks that that *must* be why I've lost weight. He freely admits that he didn't do it for ethical reasons (like I did), and indeed he'll still eat meat every once in a while for a "splurge" (or if he's just drunk and "forgets" that he's supposed to be a vegetarian), and it's so frustrating to me that he thinks he's going to lose weight just by giving up meat. I've been a vegetarian for 4 years, and I was still fat for most of it because I didn't replace the meat with healthier stuff; I just ate meatless junk! Which is exactly what he's doing, which is why he's not going to lose any weight from it, either... Yet at our dining hall he'll load up his plate with mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, a bowl of cream of broccoli soup, etc and talk about "how hard it is being a vegetarian." Sheesh.
This is the same friend who seems to have noticed that I eat Luna Bars a lot, so he started buying them, too... In addition to the sodas and candy bars he buys every day. Ugh, all the "copycats" just kill me! I mean, I would never try to belittle someone else's efforts if I thought they were sincerely trying, but to me it seems more like they're looking for the same thing that all the previous entries in this thread are looking for--a quick fix! An "all you have to do is ____ and you'll lose weight!" When will people realize that it's not that easy?!
I just kept thinking, If *I* were your inspiration, you would know that you don't have to give up all the foods you love in order to lose weight! I mean, I'm happy for her that she's doing what she thinks is right, but I don't know where she got the idea that I lost weight by never eating dessert! 
Hehe.
My daughter's father convinced me to do this cabbage soup diet. I remember shopping for the cabbage and the little onion bits that went in it made by Lipton. LOL. I must have been out of my mind! Thing is I was a size 6/7 and always convinced I was fat since I had slimmed down but apparently could not get over my insecurities so I found myself making some nasty soup. It stunk up the house and when I tried to eat it it took almost two hours. By day two I was fed up. My girlfriend did it and she lost all the weight in her stomach (she wasn't a big girl, just a little bit thick) and we all were amazed so I tried it again. Oh it was awful! I said screw this and just upped my cardio. I had to dig a hole in the backyard to bury it because I was afraid the odor would linger if I threw it in my garbage. I tried grapefruit juice despite having a disdain for grapefruits. I couldn't even get down one gulp. My body immediately rejected it. I did the vinegar drink too. Took one sip and immediately spit it out all over my kitchen counter. It tasted like pee. I read in a book some lady said to try it but she said try raspberry flavored vinegar. I did. It tasted like raspberry pee. 
