Everyday Systems

So, my cousin (and best friend) joined Weight Watchers. Which means that now she believes she is virtuous and good and everyone else is bad. I am upbeat about it and we talk about how it's a great system and I'm generally positiveregardless or any doubts. I told her about the NoS Diet and got a negative response. Even going so far as to say "I think you'll gain on it, you'll eat too much." I didn't let it discourage me, and just chalked it up to that's just how she is.

Then, I read another post about negative people. It made me realize that we all may have to deal with people that are less than enthusiastic, that may even be downright disapproving in their responses. I just wanted to be an encouraging voice for anyone else that is dealing with trying to change their habits and their life with little/no help from the people around you.

So, We can do this! Even if we don't lose crazy amounts of weight immediately, what we are doing is creating a better relationship with food, making ourselves healthy, and every stinking Dr. in the world will tell you that slow and steady is better than dropping weight fast. We are less likely to have loose floppy skin, to have health issues from losing too fast, or to have our metabolism shut down and think we are starving. We are awesome and this system is awesome and the only reason they are negative is because they are jealous of the lovely meals we are having when they pick at their no-fat, low-calorie, dressing on the side, itty-bitty bowl of greens and wish they could eat like a normal person.

Good job guys! Have a great day!

That's the spirit! It *is* awesome. I LOVE what this system is doing for me!

Dear Sugarfemme,

I totally understand how you feel. I am also doing no s with very little support from the people around me. My hubby insists on having all sorts of snack food around, co-workers pressure me to participate in the mid morning snack and friends who are dieting poo poo no S. Thank god for this bulletin board!

Just remember that your friend may well lose a lot of weight while you lose slowly or maintain, but chances are in a year she will have gained it all back while we, the tortoise of the story, find our happy ending.

Cheers to us!

Sugarfemme, if you recall your psych 101 classes, you may have run across the term "operant conditioning".

I suggest pepper spray.

If you're a positive person, you will cancel the negative people, leaving a net balance of zero. To maintain equilibrium, your long term weight loss will be offset by their long term weight gain, leaving you in a superior position. Erm... I think.

I'm quite lucky in that most people I know are positive in their outlook and we leave one another to our own devices unless asked. There are some naysayers around. I ignore them.

It's strange, but some people assume that if a moderate behaviour is virtuous, then extreme behaviour must be saintly. So it goes with diets. No-sers practice a moderate form of control. Weight watchers is an extreme form; ergo, it must be more virtuous.

So accountancy or abolotionist dieters will disapprove. But hell, diets are like religions; almost immune to rational debate between different sects. You'd get the same disapproval if you were on Atkins or Slimfast or The Jesus Diet. You just aren't in the right sect. So don't try to win.

What's better, I think, is the response you get from non-dieters. Or more precisely, the lack of response. No-s is a kind of incognito diet; you can go to a restaurant with friends without coming off as having an eating disorder or OCD. You can eat with your family. You can swap recipes with your granny. You will get less stick, overall, on NoS than on any other diet, I think.