Quote:
Originally Posted by tigarlily1
I told them I am not doing it for vanity I'm doing it because I want to be healthy and energetic. Plus I have diabetes on both sides of my family so I do have a higher risk if I don't keep on top of my weight. In a way it was flattering because they don't think I look like I need to lose weight but I definately don't think it's wrong to want to be healthy!!
Of course not! And it's also not wrong if you were to want to lose weight for vanity's sake. People have as many reasons for wanting to lose weight as they have methods of accomplishing that goal.
I think that people make these thoughtless comments about starving and surviving on only lettuce because those are their past experiences with "dieting". Too often, it's not approached as a lifestyle change to healthy habits, but instead is seen as a time of restriction, deprivation, and being harsh to oneself. So when they see progress from someone who has made a lifestyle change, and they see her eating a nice salad at lunch, they automatically associate that with, "She is surviving on only lettuce! I couldn't do that!"
I honestly thing that a lot of people who say things like this aren't trying to be deliberately hurtful or rude; they're just saying something kind of thoughtless or unenlightened.