“Are you still on that stupid diet?”
That’s just one of the questions I’ve fielded since my weight-loss Journey began over 5 years ago.
I am on the Keto diet, which is a low-carb, low-sugar, high-fat diet that has become particularly trendy over the last couple of years. I’m sure if you’re reading this right now you’ve probably read a few other articles about Keto. I’m sure you’ve already read about what Keto is, how to succeed on Keto, how to fail on Keto, and amazingly delicious recipes to make while on Keto.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this diet works for me, especially when done right. I don’t refer to it as a diet within my own life. It’s more of a choice about eating what I choose to eat and what I don’t choose to eat. It’s worked for me, I’ve stuck to it and I’ve lost about 50 pounds overall.
Hooray for me, right?
Well, not entirely.
I’ve been met with some Sharp hostility and resistance whenever my food choices come up.
Many people are simply not cool with the fact that I’m not eating “regular,” or “normal” food anymore such as potato chips, pasta, bread, cake, and other foods with lots of carbs or sugar.
I realize now that this is probably what a vegan might feel like whenever they are around other people who choose to eat differently.
Eating is such a socially entangled event in our society. We are usually eating with other people and a lot of the time, from what I’ve discovered, many other people feel the need to comment on what you are putting into your own body versus what they are putting into their bodies.
I have found that since I lost the weight and succeeded on this diet, the people around me — many of whom I consider close family and friends — have scorned me for my food choices and I’m still trying to figure out exactly why that is.
Even though I don’t agree with all of the food choices I see people I know making, I have never felt the need to criticize them publicly for it or even comment on it at all.
You would not believe the number of people who seem to feel personally offended by my decision to perhaps order a salad instead of french fries, to order a cheeseburger but without the bun, or the decision to cut sugar out of my life.
I think to myself, are they jealous? That would be the most obvious reason, wouldn’t it? Did they have diet goals and they failed? Do they resent me because I have lost the weight and they haven’t?
It seems absurd that people who say they care about me would feel jealous because I finally reached a goal that I’ve had for a very long time. I’ve put a lot of effort and dedication into it and it’s certainly not to make them feel bad.
My food choices have absolutely nothing to do with anyone else and everything to do with myself. It’s a very personal thing.
If somebody asks me about Keto and they are genuinely interested I’m happy to offer advice from my Journey. But, generally speaking, I don’t really worry about what other people are putting into their bodies. I can’t control that. I don’t expect them to want to control what I put into my body either.
I get the sense that others have felt that I feel superior to them because I’ve succeeded on the Keto diet — which also happens to be very trendy and celebrities are doing it. Perhaps they feel as though I’m just on a pretentious diet bandwagon. There’s not much I can do about that if they do feel that way.
I don’t feel superior to anyone. But I do feel proud of myself and for the first time in my life, I’ve found food choices and a lifestyle of food decisions that work for me.
We can argue all day long about which diet is healthy for you and which diet isn’t. We can argue about sugar, fake sugar, eating meat, not eating meat, eating carbs, not eating carbs — but at the end of the day, we all need to do what is right for ourselves.
When I was eating bags of Doritos and devouring entire pizzas with a side of cake nobody was commenting or telling me that I shouldn’t eat those things — mainly because it’s more socially acceptable to eat those things, I believe.
It just comes down to change. Not everybody is comfortable with change. I think it’s fear, insecurity, and people feeling uncomfortable with the fact that I’ve done something new, stuck to it, and changed myself physically.
At the end of the day, I am still going to continue making the same food choices that I’ve decided are best for me. If someone thinks my choices are stupid, ill-advised, or unhealthy, they are free to have that opinion.
However, I do think we should all be a little more diplomatic or considerate when we are spouting off about what someone else is choosing to put inside their body.
The Keto diet is not for everyone. I don’t expect or need it to be for everyone.
I could write a whole article on how to begin the Keto diet, how to stick to it, tips and tricks, etc, but what I’ve found more compelling than the actual diet itself and my weight loss is the social reaction regarding my changing my eating habits.
I hope that as I continue to make my own food choices, more people around me can co-exist with those choices peacefully. I so appreciate the few in my life who have never made it an issue and who have minded their own eating business.
As for the others — well, as the expression goes, c’est la vie.
Have you had a similar experience while changing your eating habits? Let me know in the comments!
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Losing weight is hard work. Good job.