Vote in This Week's Poll: Do other people pick on you for being healthy?
Very funny...and, hey, I'm from the south so, as I've mentioned before, barbecue lives in the strands of my DNA.
When you're into exercise and healthful eating, you sometimes have to put up with a little good-natured teasing. People roll their eyes when you fill your plate with vegetables or look at you in shock when you mention getting up early that morning to workout and, most of the time, it's all in good fun.
However, there are times when it isn't so good-natured. Maybe people don't want to invite you to parties because they don't want a party pooper around. Or maybe co-workers don't take you to lunch because they know you'll order the salad with your dressing on the side.
Sometimes people pick on you because they have a hard time making healthful choices themselves and don't enjoy seeing someone else do it with such apparent ease. Some people don't want a healthy person around, reminding them that they should be making better choices themselves. And, sometimes, people may see you as an anal-retentive health 'freak' who is so annoying, they don't want you around.
Whatever the issue is, there are those people who love to pick on the health-conscious when given the opportunity. What about you? Do people make fun of you because of your healthy choices? Do you make fun of other people? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Comments
I love food…especially the unhealthy kind. When I started running and working out it was to help combat that. I still indulge in the hamburger or the BBQ, but I usually will chose healthier sides, like fruit instead of fries and the like. Oddly enough, I have the determination to run a marathon (1st later this year) but not enough to drastically alter my diet.
Great observation. I dindn’t realise until I read your blog but I’ve experienced this and I’m left with guilt becuase of the way people react having a health conscious person around.
I’m less defensive about it than when I was younger so, can be confident with the way I am. I figure if they’re uncomfortable it’s their own doing. I don’t have to apologise.
i picked “yes because they think i’m a party pooper,” though it isn’t quite that extreme (i don’t think): i am vegan, and my friends and family (for the most part) do make sure there are things i can eat at parties. however, some of them don’t fully understand my diet, and even my own mother will tell me that i’m “getting a little crazy” about what i will and won’t eat. it doesn’t really bother me, though, because i feel great and it’s not like their comments could ever change my diet.
i’m not sure if they do or not. I’m not a rigid healthy food eater even though i try to educate anyone who asks on how to eat properly. i got snapped at by a friend who only drinks mountain dew and i kinda let him know the dangers of that and he should at the very least alternate with water.I try not to be too preachy but will help out anyone who asks for help.
People don’t pick on me because I exercise so much, but they are always commenting that I don’t need to lose weight, that I shouldn’t work so hard, etc. When in fact, I weigh 30 pounds more than is what is healthy, more than I weighed when I was 9 mos pregnant, and I ate anything in sight! Now I exercise so I can occasionally have an ice cream bar! It stinks getting to that age when your hormones are acting up and no matter what you do, weight stays put! So I try to eat healthy and work out strenuously, so I can go places and do what I want without chronic health issues.
We went out for a meal and someone mocked me with a “Ted is eating out ? what about his diet!!” I smiled and said “This week I burned 4325 calories at the gym, so I can afford it. I can also bench 150, here let me open that for you,”
I didn’t see a summertime place to comment so I am posting here; We in Louisiana have summer time from as early as April to as late as November and in 2005 it was still summer until December and then we got a taste of fall for about 3-4 weeks and then back to summer. I didn’t read the messages since they couldn’t help me at all. I was walking never when I was always reminded by my dad about cleaning my apartment since they threatened to kick me out and I got stress and it swole up my leg and it was I found the stress had lead to infection in the leg and I had to have the drips in the hospital for about a week, plus I found out I have arthritis which I got some drug to take and I started to take the Generic Advil when that was out. I am not able to walk from 10:00 AM to at least 5:00 PM and I sweat up a storm, but I drink cold water, I know a sin, and then I don’t get as tired in the death of summer time heat, and then I can have less threat of serious summertime problems and it helped my bs which is blood sugar and my blood pressure. I don’t stretch, another sin, since whose got time to take time off my walking and I need to take care of other things, one way to solve this is not walk, not need to stretch. I hate summertime and I miss having a bike, but until the Lord provides, I am having to walk here. I am sure your article had something interested in it, but I am too busy and need to rest. I hope to be able to ride a bike before long since thats a blessing, and I don’t worry about the plastic bottles, I know sin number three, since the news says that the wrong bottles will kill me also. I mostly hate summer time since the storms which can destroy all if we are so ‘blessed’
My Governor admitted those who are low income eat less healthy and so to make a point, I am more likely to go broke since its more blessed to go into the poor house and eating better, thats how you can tell when you get healthy foods, its much more expensive. I am being cute, but its based on FACT, but I do eat regular non overpriced foods and I am sick of the health ‘experts’ brag about how awesome Organic food is, but when its better in healthy amounts and such than other foods, I consider it, and if its not overpriced.
People pick on me because I’m in high school, and an actress, and a healthy eater. It’s all in good fun… they just think it’s odd. I wouldn’t have it any other way, however.
Yes, I do get picked on and most of it is all in good fun but I do have to say that one of my cousins found out that I eat healthy and was sure I wasn’t getting enough nutrients! This comes from a guy who eats and drinks practically anything he wants. Just makes me laugh that people who eat fast food often are suddenly dietitians when it comes to someone making healthier choices! Another gal I know knew that I ran and remarked how running isn’t good for you! I just take it all in stride.
Good topic which I have thought aboutBetter not to talk about being fit and healthy. People will notice that I did become fit, but you want to shut that conversation down, deflect it to another topic. It generates resentment.
I am a kinda fit 5′10″ 165lb, kinda skinny guy. I cannot remember the last time anyone made fun of my fitness or me; maybe because I was an amateur boxer, a cop, and a deputy DA, I have a demeanor people don’t want to ‘F’ with. I don’t think I have ever made fun of., in or near their presence of someone who was obviously unfit. I started working out around 1956 because of vanity, and do so to this day, mostly because of vanity. I eat pretty healthily, but I love my beer, and my hour-and-a-half work-out per day earns me two-to-three beers as a reward. But to get back to others’ fitness and their attitudes about it, I try to never forget that line from John’s Gospel, “Let that one among you who is without sin, cast the first stone”.
I don’t think anyone has picked on me but I think it is interesting how people react. Christmas is a good example. Friends and family know I do not eat chocolate, it’s my biggest weakness, and yet I always get a box of chocolate from someone. If a drop a pound or two or just look thinner in a top, I’m always surprised who suggests I’m getting too thin. My Mom is hurt if I don’t eat her cooking. She cooks like Paula Dean. My family and close friends mean well but sometimes they surprise me with unsupportive comments. I think for the most part they are dealing with their own issues and what they say or do really has nothing to do with me.
I eat healthy 4 to 5 days a week and do what I want 2 to 3 of them. I manage to stay at a healthy weight and body type for my physique, but my friends who knew me before I started to exercise think I’m anorexic…it pisses me off. I’m muscular and in great shape, I eat properly, take supplements and still will have a good time when appropriate, even when not.
It’s all about checks and balances, but I guess as we age, and friends who once where smaller than me, now are larger…jealousy is bound to rear it’s ugly head.
I’ve offered to help my once very petite friend to work out with me, she consistently declines. She has admitted that she is jealous that I look the way I do. I tell her to get off her butt and do something about herself.
To me working out isn’t easy, but it is a commitment I made to better my self image and health. It’s upsetting that some of my closest friends try to make me feel badly about it. I have stopped listening…I feel good, look good and very healthy, my Doctor’s would concur.
I always feel a special occasion is a good time to not worry about every morsel…enjoy yourself…you can eat well most of the time and remain healthy!
I have a lot to say on this topic, but I think Betsy has really nailed it in just a few words.
ALPHA MALE / FEMALE – It appears to be the NATURE of the BEAST to attempt to destroy that which is superior. If you are tight and they are loose they may feel threatened and use whatever excuse that can to bring you down to their level. It may be saying, “You are showing off”, or some other mental attempt to support their inability to work harder and be better themselves. This is the HARDEST PART of EXERCISE .. wading through the deadbeats !!!!!
Not overtly, but with askance looks of disdain! Isn’t it perverse how in a country such as ours where chronic disease directly caused by unhealthy life style is reaching epidemic proportions as is obesity. Yet, being healthy is snickered at! This, as lifes expectancy decreases!
love it when the doctor chimes in. this is the only country where the lower income people are more obese! god bless the usa.
I’m the guy with the best dinner parties, bbqs, wine tastings and general get-togethers. People that come are generally polite enough to listen to what I have to say about getting and staying in shape… Be a leader and lead by example. In such a position, people will not feel comfortable “picking on you” or at least not doing it with a lot of support from others… might even positively influence them to not go for a third helping.
Betsy is right! When people who presumably love us make fun of our good eating habits and activity levels, it is their problem showing through, not ours. And it is not worthy of our time to respond.
I prefer Veggie Dogs to hot dogs and veggie type sandwiches and people bag on me over those choices, however, getting healthy seems to be a trend here so it isn’t the actual health aspect they are bagging on. I think they are afraid to try something other then their meat they eat so often. I do not make an issue at other’s barbeques though and try to make do with what is there. It is best not to push out choices on others in my opinion.
People don’t really “pick on” me about bring healthy. What they do (which drives me absolutely nuts) is make comments here and there about how I’m “just thin” unlike them. Hello! They still don’t get it. I’ve “earned” my body by running and making healthy choices such as eating foods in moderation. It frustrates me because often the speaker is pretty sedentary and could get similar results him/herself if he/she would put in the time and effort that I have. It was tough for me when I first started running, so I do understand that these choices (and the follow-through) aren’t easy. But I wanna strangle some of these “repeat offenders” who act like I just magically look like I do.
It cracks me up how worried my boyfriend’s female relatives all act about me because I eat healthy and exercise. Just to be clear, I am 5′1″ and weigh 120, which is just right according to what BMI tells us. And his mom and granmom are both great cooks who are severely overweight. In the four years I’ve known them, their comments have consistently been characterized by genuine concern for MY health! Since they are not being mean-spirited or speaking out of jealousy, I am touched rather than offended.
But I worry about when I one day bring over grandchildren/great-grandchildren and their concern over my habits becomes criticism over my parenting choices. I can just hear them now: “What kind of a mom denies her child multiple bowls of ice cream a day and forces him to miss his requisite four hours of tv a day for a stupid thing like outdoor play?!”
Oh well, cross that bridge when we come to it.
The results speak for themselves. My goals are not merely to be “thin” or “make smart diet choices” but to be larger, more muscular, with lower body fat % than the average joe. Nobody “makes fun of me” to my face, cause I could probably kick their butts.
If I had those kind of teasing, bitchy, small-minded, abusive friends/siblings either they wouldn’t be invited to my BBQ or I would skip theirs. Life’s too short to associate with people who don’t support positive goals.
I lost 55 pounds 2 years ago and people I work with and at my gym still tease me about what I eat and how much I work out… Someone even ask my grown daughter if I was ill !!!! This made me mad… I am 50 years old and in great shape and if someone is jealous then get off your butt and do something !!!!!
No one has come right out and teased me but things like I noticed you’ve been a lot of rabbit food lately. I usually respond with where have you been I’ve been eating like this for over 2 years. They shut there mouths and move on.
My issue is less with others commenting on what I eat and more with others feeling no inhibitions about commenting on my body – just because I’m fit and healthy doesn’t mean one gets to call undue attention to my appearance. I realize some will think I should take it as complimentary but the fact is I’m not comfortable with the “flattery.” I couldn’t imagine calling attention to an overweight person.
I am 5′10” 160 lb. I was up to 195 15 years ago. My experience of loosing the weight has taken some time. I could not suddenly start eating everything right. Eating is hard-wired into us. It is our comfort, our joy and our refuge. It is impossible to start eating correctly after decades of abusing ourselves.
I begin by cutting back on evening meals. I then replaced certain foods with healthier replacements occasionally. In time I was able to remove fried foods, starches and sweets nearly completely, but NOT without time and persistance. In the beginning I still ate some of what I wanted. Eventually the healthier foods took over and the unhealthy foods became less attractive.
This has given me compassion for the people tormented by their apetite for unhealthy foods. It is true that they scoff at us for our appearant self-control. We can tell how we made it happen and the work we put into replacing ‘bad foods’ for healthier foods as a way of life. Whether others admit it or not, we are a living example that it can be done if we determine to begin our own program of thinking about what we eat, know what is not good for us, and slowly replace those foods in our life with better food, without completely denying ourselves of everything we want to try.
It took me 15 years to get to this point without alot of pain. Progress was not noticed for a while, but then I got results.
It is no sacrifice to pass on the junk and enjoy lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats. I like how it feels now and remember how it felt in my heavier, unfit days. It was worth the taking of time to do it painlessly.
when i went on a lowfat diet, excercised almost daily but obsessively , i dropped 12 lbs, ate more healthy than i ever had and ate more often,(i mostly just stopped the junk food and butter and high fat), i felt great but people said i looked good but i needed to gain at least 10lbs(i’m almost 5ft 4 and i was 118lbs), now 7 yrs later i’m 15 lbs heavier and i’m still asked do i eat anything?, i do work out but am not as strict on diet but when i just feel like a salad or a smaller portion my friends say no wonder i look like a wind will blow me away(HARDLY)..i think theres so many people out of shape that they don’t know what healthy looks like…and i think that anyone who has ever tried to work out or dieted to get in shape and know how hard it really is, and what a change in lifestyle it is, have respect and would never make tactless comments..i always compliment someone that i know has dropped weight, or just looking good and happy…i usually ask what they are doing so i can get some different ideas!!! and its positive reinforcement for them to keep continuing.
Whenever someone comments on my healthy food choices it gives me an opportunity to evaluate what they’re eating. Usually after I explain what is in the food they’re eating they usually don’t make such comments again. Whether or not I get invited to gatherings depends on how well they know me, it’s not because of what I eat, I hope, but that I’m a great person to have around.
2 overweight girls at work say they “are proud of me” when I eat something that’s not healthy. I think that’s a sick way of looking at things. I have no comment back when they say that to me.
It’s funny that you should have this poll today, because just yesterday my friend’s husband was about to sit next to me in church, and he said, do you mind if I sit here, and promise not to beat me up?! Because I’ve been working out consistently, and now I actually have some muscle definition. I think some of our guys friends are jealous, because they have slacked off and know they should be working out. Maybe they’re not used to seeing women with muscle. Too bad!
Most of my Family& Friends, know that I am VERY DISCIPLINED!! They usually just say that alittle of the bad stuff won’t hurt you once in a while. I tell them that with some foods, this may be true. But my view is this: A drop of poison may not kill you, But afew drops over time will! Then I just smile and say “No Thank-You, I’ll Pass”. Strangers usually listen to my advice; especially when they tell me that I look like I am in my Early 30’s and I tell them that I will be turning 50 this year!!! CLEAN LIVING and 30 years of running and Martial Arts!! BOORAH!!
I had this conversation with my personal trainer the other day asking how she dealt with negative comments or looks about being healthy. She said that even after training for the last 20 years she still receives comments from family and “well meaning” friends about her life style. Even though I have been living a healthy lifestyle for years, I tend to get those comments constantly. I work with a group of girls who are all overweight and obese who eat cake and fried foods everyday. I always decline and then get comments like aren’t you good enough to eat with us. My answer always is of course I will eat with you but I’ll eat my salad. Then you get the eye rolls and whispered comments. Though one of the nurses I work with always says that she wants my organs when I die.
It is such a backward society when the world is ballooning out and all diet related diseases are sky rocketing and family and friends still make comments about being healthy.
I’m not healthy.
I’ve received the “because your thin”, statement. If people aren’t complaining about something then they’re just not happy. In our own ways we’ve discovered the big secret of all. Exercise!
See you at the gym.
I am glad to hear that I am not alone. Since I have lost weight and adopted a healthier lifestyle, I am often the butt of jokes and ridicule at gatherings. However, I have come to realaize that those who ridiculed and give me a hard time are actually acting out of jealousy and their own insecurities about themselves, and at least to a degree feel a bit threatened.
I have several vegan and vegetarian friends for whom I cook at parties. I also have a few Muslim friends and one Jewish fellow, all of whom get along fine about their different dietary preferences and requirements. One lady we know has irritable bowl syndrome, so can only eat certain raw foods. I handle the food on separate grills and serve it in such a way that everyone can make their choices without any fanfare. Even doing all that, I do notice that other folks, while they tend to respect religious, vegan, and medical preferences, will still poke fun at the friends who eat light because they are health conscious! It reminds me of folks who will tell redneck jokes because ethnic jokes are no longer PC. Seems like people have to pick on somebody no matter what. I guess if I ever invite a health-conscious redneck to one of my dinner parties, he’s going to have a hard time of it.
I was thin and everyone seemed to admire my ability to stay thin from childhood through 2 pregnancies to 30-35-40-45-even 50 yrs old. The common phrase I heard was “what do you have to worry about? Look at you!” when I would try to order off of a menu with consideration of the fat content, when someone offered my anything fattening, when my boyfriend would offer antoher glass of wine, a dessert at a restaurant, etc. You get the picture. I settled with a boyfriend, do all the cooking, had greater reviews from his meals with more dairy(butter) and added more olive oil and dairy to my diet also. Now I am very overweight and have gained 30# since living together! Hey, stay with your own regimin! don’t let your loved ones influence you when you know what is good for you! Enjoy life, but leave the fat behind! Cheers!
Luckily i work with a group of people who bring in healthy lunches, i believe we try to outdo each other.It’s motivating. We do celebrate birthdays the old fashioned way and sometimes someone will bring in something decadent to share, but that’s the exception, darn.