Feeding
You try to eat better and healthier, but it seems that your friends are not too happy and encourage you to skip the diet. Why does it bother them that you don’t eat what they do?
By Maria Corisco
April 27, 2024 / 07:29
If you are one of those people who periodically go on a diet to lose weight, or, better yet, try to start eating healthier, you will have already realized that the response of your environment to that change in your habits can be quite stressful. And there is always someone who, at some point, utters the devastating phrase: “Come on, if nothing happens for one day…”
Does it sound familiar to you? “For one day nothing happens”, “one day is one day”, “you’ll eat lettuce tomorrow…”. Far from encouraging you in your purpose, they encourage you to skip your diet, as if their enjoyment of that appetizer, or that drink, depended on you also participating in a big way. There are those who have never had problems with their weight and are unable to understand your refusal to eat breakfast, cheers; or those who hope that “on a day like today” – the birthday, the family reunion, the celebration of the soccer cup… – you will be considered and join the party without restrictions; or those who, directly, think that you are a party pooper.
Why do they criticize you for taking care of your diet?
“Diet: that word that can cause sighs of resignation or glances of disapproval”, points out Mentxu da Vinci, nutritional coach, mindfulness expert and founder of Harmony Corporal. “When you decide to take care of your diet, you not only choose what you eat, but also how you live. And that can generate some interesting reactions in others, which are often due to two reasons:
personal insecurity. When someone is on a diet, they become a mirror for others. “Why can she resist the torreznos and I can’t?” “Insecurities surface, and some may feel uncomfortable when facing their own eating decisions and try to make us fall into eating things that we don’t want or that don’t feel good to us.”
The culture of food and fun: “Imagine a meeting with friends. Everyone toasts with beer or gin and tonics, while you hold your mocktail as if it were a trophy. Why do some seem upset? Because your choice defies the norm unwritten saying that fun can only be found if you drink alcohol. How dare you be different!” explains the expert.
How do you respond?
It no longer depends only on them, but also on you. In those moments when your inner devil that says that “a little bit is okay,” is it more difficult to resist temptation when we feel pressure from others than our own?
“Becoming aware of our thoughts and questioning them is the first step to make conscious choices that lead us to respect our body and our health,” explains Da Vinci. “The gaze of others, social expectations, well-intentioned comments. All of this can cause us to give in to temptation. But do we really want to make decisions based on what others think?”
Your own inner voice also plays an important role. “You justify yourself by telling yourself that he is very rich, but is it really true? It’s just another excuse to satisfy seek another source of immediate gratification?”
What to do when faced with pressure?
Become aware of it: Recognizes pressure, both internal and external. What is driving you to make that decision?
Question that thought: Do you really want to give in? What are the long-term consequences? How will I feel if I give in to my excuses?
Find alternatives: Are there healthier options that you can still enjoy?
Take back your power: remember that the decision is yours. You don’t need to justify it to anyone else.
How to make good food decisions
The “one day is one day” can be the perfect excuse to go for that tempting brownie. “And in our minds they appear arguments that feed that irrational belief: «It’s because of family pressure! I don’t want to look bad! I’m going to be the weird one if I don’t eat it! But, in reality, it is just an alibi to fall into temptation.”
It is a belief, an irrational thought and, as such, the best way to dismantle it, to neutralize it, is to question it instead of simply accepting it. Is there scientific evidence to support it? How does it make us feel? Is it aligned with our long-term goals? By questioning and analyzing, we can free ourselves from myths and make more conscious decisions in our diet.
In short, Da Vinci notes, “decision making goes beyond diets. It is a reflection of who we are and how we want to live.” But he also gives one last piece of advice: “On this journey towards healthier eating, let’s remember that rigidity is not our best friend. Sometimes we can afford exceptions; yes, consciously. Because? Because life is not divided between salads and torreznos. It is a balance between taking care of ourselves and enjoying ourselves. So let’s toast to the decisions made from my center and not from my whims.”
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