Resisting Negative Messages from Culture or Peers? Re: New Member Introduction

[Guest guest]

When I hear people obsessed with diet, I usually say one of two things:"I am anti-diet, and do not want to hear about any diets around me. Let's talk about something else, please."or"I'm recovering from an eating disorder and cannot speak about weight loss or diets. Thanks for respecting me in this regard." It is really hard to be around many of my friends for the same reason. Many of my friends are over weight and almost all the ever talk about is dieting and losing weight. Then there are the friends that I have that are super skinny and obsessed with diet and exercise and believe it is the only way to be healthy. I have one friend that has a degree in exercise science and is a director at the gym here in town and she makes me crazy. I finally had to "hide" her posts on facebook because they were almost ALL about what we can do to watch what we eat and count calories. All kinds of new diet tips all the time. I used to respond to all the tips with what I am doing BUT that was getting me no where because it seems as though I am the only one around here that feels the way I do. I am VERY new to IE so I don't have an success story or anything. I am really just learning the beginnings and trying to figure out what I need to be doing. With that being said, I know t hat I am tired of dieting. I am going to eat to live and enjoy it! And I will always stay active because I am an active person. It is hard to not let the outside influences penetrate into our minds and heart but we CAN do this. We don't have to just go with the status quo...we can be different and we can enjoy the person we are...blessings, flaws and all! Be blessed, Dawn

[Guest guest]

Good responses. It is hard to be around people who are always talking about diet. I think in the beginning it might be best for me to separate myself as much as possible from those people until I am strongly set into the IE mindset. Trying to explain this IE to most people seems futile and actually can backfire as they can try to prove you wrong.  So I don't get into it with anyone.

 

When I hear people obsessed with diet, I usually say one of two things: " I am anti-diet, and do not want to hear about any diets around me.  Let's talk about something else, please. "

or " I'm recovering from an eating disorder and cannot speak about weight loss or diets.  Thanks for respecting me in this regard. "

  It is really hard to be around many of my friends for the same reason. Many of my friends are over weight and almost all the ever talk about is dieting and losing weight. Then there are the friends that I have that are super skinny and obsessed with diet and exercise and believe it is the only way to be healthy. I have one friend that has a degree in exercise science and is a director at the gym here in town and she makes me crazy. I finally had to " hide " her posts on facebook because they were almost ALL about what we can do to watch what we eat and count calories. All kinds of new diet tips all the time. I used to respond to all the tips with what I am doing BUT that was getting me no where because it seems as though I am the only one around here that feels the way I do. I am VERY new to IE so I don't have an success story or anything. I am really just learning the beginnings and trying to figure out what I need to be doing. With that being said, I know t hat I am tired of dieting. I am going to eat to live and enjoy it! And I will always stay active because I am an active person. It is hard to not let the outside influences penetrate into our minds and heart but we CAN do this. We don't have to just go with the status quo...we can be different and we can enjoy the person we are...blessings, flaws and all! Be blessed, Dawn

[Guest guest]

Casey, I totally agree about Dawn's comment and here's why: it's not just that

people can be in-your-face with their diet-speak. It's also a very silent

specter too isn't it? Just knowing that most people are in the diet-thin-cult

puts intense mental pressure on me, even if no one has said word one about

losing weight or being on a diet or a comment on my size (and I suspect they

wouldn't!). I feel paranoid that I'm being silently judged because I'm not in

the thin club. So I think it's harder to not let unspoken pressures invade the

mind --because your own brain in mostly responsible for them!! ahhh!

Does any one have any advice or tactics for this? When I'm in a group of my

friends or women, and I feel that I am the biggest, how do I turn off the body

checking and feel comfortable and free from self imposed judgement?

Thanks!

>

> Thanks for the inspiration Dawn! Those last lines of your message are a

> mantra that I think we should all repeat to ourselves whenever we need the

> reminder:

>

> " It is hard to not let the outside influences penetrate into our minds and

> heart but we CAN do this. We don't have to just go with the status quo...we

> can be different and we can enjoy the person we are...blessings, flaws and

> all! "

>

> I'm loving you all already. Thanks for the support

>