Top secret atkins plan

[2big4mysize]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I followed Dr Atkins advice and recruited friends, family and coworkers to be part of my support network and after a few questions I never had anybody sabatage me. I even had folk at church telling the servers of the Wed dinner she can't have that before I could even say no thank you when they offered me something not on my Atkins.

I'm sorry you have folk who aren't your friends and don't support you.

[thefemalegreenday]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I just tell people Im a health freak and I obsess over what I eat =P

My friends tempt me ALL of damn time but there all jealous of my willpower though so its all sweet!

[Whatsername]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

My Atkins plan has no finish, so... but no, I don't tell folks I'm on Atkins. I didn't ask their permission to stuff my face with garbage, and I don't need their ok to eat well.

I like that repsonse!

I didn't tell anyone when I started Atkins. Primarily because I had to see how I did on it first. I had done Atkins before and wasn't sure how I would do (mainly due to meds I am on now that can make it hard to lose weight).

I think the challenge is people seeing it is a plan, not a quick, easy, temporary thing.

Jane

[JaxMama]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I tell people I how I changed my diet, if they ask. I don't make it a secret just because I enjoy the other health benefits besides weight loss which was a good portion why I started again. People ask, I tell and they think about changing their ways. Plus the more people that know what I am doing they will keep me focused. But you have to do what's right for you!

[hopejoy]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

Well, since I keep falling off and not getting anywhere, I feel it is better to not say until I have results, that way they can't argue with results. It is embarrassing that I lost and regained. Don't want to talk to 'them' about that.
liz

[verynervous]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I'm glad you asked this question. People are so intrusive about my diet and restrictions, and I can't seem to dodge their rude questions.

[meat]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I think this is a very very important subject.

Many of us are fighting a beast inside of us which wants to eat the direct opposite of how you eat on atkins, which is why we're overweight in the first place.

If you look around the board, many people are restarting again for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc time.

Obesity is a chronic condition, it doesn't go away just because you're thin.

Some combination of your brain and your body is often fighting to claw it's way back up the scale and get you to eat all of the foods that injure you for reasons we don't really understand.

So by doing any way of eating that isn't your default eating behavior that made you overweight in the first place, you're going against your nature. Going against your nature is very difficult.. this is why all modifications to your default way of eating have the same equal 1% to 5% 3-5 year success rate.

Most people find it next to impossible to do something that isn't part of their default behavior, which is what they would really be doing if it just didn't matter and there were no consequences.

That being said, the point is that modifying your diet for health reasons, no matter what way you do it, is very formidable, and your body & mind often fight you tooth and nail the entire time.

When ANY kind of negative pressure is applied to you, from ANY source, it can easily start to chip away at your motivation, no matter how well you're doing and how happy you are.

We see many times on forums like this how people drowned in negativity by their families or their doctors fall apart, get depressed, almost give up, want to give up, and sometimes really do just give up and disappear.

It's nice to think things like "well if they don't like it they can take a hike" but a lot of this influence is subconscious and most people just aren't as strong as they would like to be.

Therefor, i think it can be crucial a lot of times to conceal your WOE from those around you to help ensure your success.

A couple of strategies... anyone else who has some please contribute:

1) Lie. When someone offers you something, claim you ate something like that already when they weren't around, or yesterday, and you've had your fill. Never admit you're on a diet. If someone asks, say you got bored and you're branching out. You're sick of sandwiches, you've eaten 2000 of them this year. You've sick of cupcakes, you've been making muffins at home. You got food poisoning from pizza last month and now you can't stand the smell of it. Never admit it has anything to do with aspirations of health. You'll just open yourself to lectures and negativity. Everyone with a tv thinks they're an expert on nutrition and healthy living, and people love nothing more than to lecture and lord over each other even or ESPECIALLY when they have no idea how clueless they actually are.

I know this is hard to believe, but most people are a lot more comfortable with the idea of you staying fat and eating things objectively harmful than trying to change yourself on them.

People like consistency and expectations and when things change they get nervous. It's not a rational process. They don't even realize what they're doing.

2) Like someone suggested above you can also put a spin on it... "I'm just eating a lot of vegetables and salmon and chicken.. i don't have any rules i just eat what i feel like" while they preach on & on with their moronic "advice" you can just nod your head and ignore them so at least they don't have an opportunity to criticize you or terrorize you because you haven't given them anything to work with.

When they try to forcefeed you something you can't eat, never admit you can't eat it, but just say something like you aren't in the mood or you don't like it. You believe them that it's good but you just ate. You're working on only eating when you're hungry and not out of boredom.

I think getting into the confrontational "I'm going to openly do atkins and prove everyone around me wrong" is definitely helping to set most people up for failure.

Lying about it or spinning it into something mainstream is a much safer bet.

[verynervous]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I wholeheartedly support that response, meat. I think it's brilliant, founded in social science and practicality. Applause. I don't care what anyone else says (and I imagine there will be criticism) I love it. When someone can't be trusted with personal information about you, they don't deserve it. If they are going to judge your answer, then they are essentially they are asking you a trick question. A trick question calls for a trick answer, in my book.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

>>I can't seem to dodge their rude questions.>>

Why are they asking questions in the first place?

And here's a secret ... you don't have to answer.

You know how politicians don't always answer the question ... if someone (for some reason) asks you a question that you consider rude, just answer some other question ... or say, Thank you.

And change the subject.

[verynervous]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

atkinsgal, my grocer hits on me. that's the worst one. he thinks my shopping cart is just something i fill up so that i can make conversation with him about it. then the samples girl comes around, and i always have to tell her "i'm allergic" to make her stop the sales pitch. i wish a simple "no thank you" or "i don't like to talk about my diet" would do, but until then you're right. lies and a subject change will have to work. if i know i'm not lying from shame or from secrecy - just from a desire to protect my privacy - i can probably live with it.

[meat]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

haha, what a jerkoff! that is so terrible.

tell him the steaks are for your husband.

[guekjian]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your earlier response Meat! I have been lying consistently because the second you open up, people try and sabotage...Just one won't hurt you...but bread is healthy...you're eating too much fat...yada yada...I now claim allergies like you wouldn't believe and people leave me alone! Whatever works...

[PolarBearKing]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

Thanks meat - I was feeling guilty for lying at a party because I didn't want to drink (I told everyone that I hurt my back and took a muscle relaxer and a glass of wine would make me sleepy). When the desserts came out, I just said I was full and would have some later.

For the most part though, I like to let everyone know what I'm doing and when the nutricianal experts come out, I just say the proofs in the results. I have also found out who my true friends are because of their support (one picked up three Atkins cookbooks at a yard sale recently and gave 'em to me)

I also stay off of slippery slopes (like bars) so I don't fall down. But sometimes you just gotta do what ya wanna do. So it looks like lying it will have to be in those situations.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

>>i wish a simple "no thank you" or "i don't like to talk about my diet" would do,>>

Walk away from the sample girl.

Shop somewhere else.

Wear headphones when you shop (even if you're not listening to anything).

Seriously, YOU don't have to have ANY conversation with ANYBODY about ANYTHING you don't want to.

Conversation is a two-way street. You have to participate. You can choose not to.

[kareena]

Re: Top secret atkins plan

atkinsgal08:
'eating whole, unprocessed foods, no sugar, no refined carbohydrates, heart healthy fats, lots of vegetables, low glycemic fruits....until they'd want to change the subject!"

superb!!u had me laughing on this for hours!!