When it comes to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle, everyone has to do what works best for them. I can give all kinds of reasons why a balanced diet and regular exercise is the way to go. But in the end, everyone has to find a style of eating and activity that they can live with for the rest of their lives. It’s not my place to judge whether or not someone is right or wrong if they choose to go about weight loss in a different way. Let’s face it: I’ve got opinions, and I’m usually not afraid to share them. If someone asks me for the best weight loss tips, I’ll tell them what I know. But it’s always gets a little tricky when friends or family members share their weight loss secrets with me (without asking what I think) and what they are doing goes against everything I’d recommend. I’ve had friends on the “certain number of days” diet, raw food diets, liquid diets and more. I have friends doing workout programs that (to me) seem less-than-effective. In the back of my mind I’m thinking “There’s probably a better way to go about this,” and I’m tempted to ask the question “Can you live with this style of eating (or activity) forever?” But instead of saying something, I usually stay quiet. I figure that most of my friends and family know where I work and what I do. If they wanted my advice, they’d ask for it. Right? Most people know that there is no magic bullet or machine that’s going to make weight loss easy. Even so, we’re tempted by all of the infomercials promising big results with little effort. Maybe, just maybe, we hope the claims are true and it’s not going to take any hard work. Those individuals who’ve lost weight the healthy way and kept it off know that’s just not the case. The hard work is worth it, but it is work and it does take time. If someone in my life was doing a diet or exercise program I thought was dangerous to their health, I would certainly say something. But most of them are just trying things that won’t likely lead to lasting change. It’s hard to bite my tongue, but most of the time I don’t think it’s my place to say something unless asked. What about you? When you see a friend or family member starting the next crazy weight loss fad, do you say something? Do you suggest it’s not a good idea, or just wait for them to ask for your opinion? |
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