How to handle jealous/nosey co-workers

[steflou]

Now that I have started losing weight some of my co-workers (female, of course) have asked "how much have you lost"? I really don't want anyone knowing what I weigh or want to weigh. I also have some saying "you don't need to lose weight (they are big as a barn themselves!). What are some good replies that will keep them out of my personal business?:evil:

[Martha]

Now that I have started losing weight some of my co-workers (female, of course) have asked "how much have you lost"? I really don't want anyone knowing what I weigh or want to weigh. I also have some saying "you don't need to lose weight (they are big as a barn themselves!). What are some good replies that will keep them out of my personal business?:evil:

I'm doing this for my health. That's not something I want to discuss, yet. I don't know, I don't weigh frequently with this plan/way of life/way of eating.

[Gaelen]

y'know, this topic comes up now and then, and it's part of coping for many of us. So I've moved the discussion up to this forum so that everyone will see it. This is on-topic for all of us.

[Spruce Goose]

Since I started low-carb I've gotten a few comments (mostly compliments). I'm not very good at handling compliments in general so I deflect with humor :)

I don't tell people what my starting weight was or where I'm hoping to get to. If they ask I will tell them how much I've lost. That often leads to questions about what I'm doing to make it happen. I'm not much of a LC evangelizer so I generally leave it at telling them I do LC at which point the subject quickly drops as they "could never give up X".

[laughingW]

I almost always turn the intrusive personal comments right back at them.

For "how much have you lost," I ask in a very sincere way, "why do you ask?" And then wait. And wait. With a really sappy face like I know how hard it is for them to talk about their weight. Usually this makes that one go away.

For "you don't need to lose weight," it really depends on the person, how pointed I get. The worst is giving the stink eye and saying, "how do you know?" A milder one is, "my, how personal, bless your heart." The dig from the American South, bless their hearts.

[mcsblues]

I always lead with the health benefits, yes the weight loss is a great side effect, but did you know since I've been taking care of my health I haven't had so much as a cold in 6 years? This is usually a conversation stopper ;) but if it isn't, you have already pre-empted question two (all that fat must be bad for you ... artery clogging ... your kidneys will explode etc. etc) :)

[steflou]

I forgot to add something I once heard Dolly Parton say on tv when someone asks her how much weight she has lost-she says "I won't tell you because I don't want you to know how fat I was"!!:D

[maxlharris]

Let's see:

"How much have you lost?"
I'm not really sure, but thanks for noticing.

"You don't need to lose weight."
That's nice of you to say.

Two theories of non-responsive response. The litigator will tell you to confine yourself to yes/no or very short responses on cross examination. Works nicely. The political adviser will tell you to go long and meandering, to own the conversation. Truth be told, both work very well.

If people want to know what I'm doing to lose the weight, I tell them that it involves cutting out sugar and starch from the diet. If they are curious, I warn them that it's something you have to do forever, and it is not easy on a lot of fronts. If they are undeterred, I lend them my copy of Lifeplan.

If someone presents a LC-myth, they get a politician's answer. Long and detailed. I have long passed my low carb evangelist phase.

[Frank Hagan]

I'm pretty open with people because, well, I don't really care what people think. I'm male, so I don't have the same "beauty myth" thing to deal with (guys sometimes brag about how much food they can put away, or when they topped 200 pounds .... "in 10th grade!"). But still, I used to be pretty sensitive about what others thought of me. Not anymore. So I would say something like:

"I've lost about 32 pounds, eliminated Prilosec and blood pressure meds, and I feel great."

I think the reason I feel apprehensive about revealing something is based on my own insecurity. Will they approve? Will they think I'm some kind of food-kook? But in the end, they aren't the ones taking my blood tests or setting my goals. I'm doing this not for them, but for the LOML, my children and grandchildren. It doesn't matter if they approve of my diet, my weight, or anything else. It matters if I approve, because those things belong to me, and not to them.

Max's response reminds me of the old joke about 3 southern ladies (how old ... you'll know by the context that this one reaches back into the 1950s). One said "My husband has been very good for me, he taught me to never brag about our investments worth millions" to which the third said "That's nice." The second one said "My husband taught me to never talk about our extensive gifts to charity," and the third said "That's nice." After a few seconds the first two ladies asked the third "What has your husband taught you?" and she replied "He taught me to say 'That's nice' instead of 'B*$~!#@T!'"

[Roadstr]

All good suggestions above, they just have to fit your personality and be appropriate for who you are talking to. To the "how much you have lost?" you could answer, "well, it's not really how much I have lost, but how great I feel and if I felt any better I would have to take something for it. It's not so much about reducing fat, but feeling better for me." That response would probably be better for a co-working. For a supervisor, "you could say, "I don't weigh myself everyday, so I don't know, but I have lost several inches as of last week and I'm feeling a lot better." In a supervisors, eyes... you feeling better means better productivity and that ends the discussion.
For when they say, "you don't need to lose weight" you could say, "Thanks, but I am finding I feel better these days!" Make the weight idea as if it's an unknown thing that can't be communicated. Or you could always tell them in Stone's, hehehe.
Hope this helps.
BTW, how much have you lost? LOL!

Now that I have started losing weight some of my co-workers (female, of course) have asked "how much have you lost"? I really don't want anyone knowing what I weigh or want to weigh. I also have some saying "you don't need to lose weight (they are big as a barn themselves!). What are some good replies that will keep them out of my personal business?:evil:

[Omlette]

I personally got offended earlier this year because people were not commenting or asking about my weight. I had lost 60-70 lbs, and I was proud of myself. I just wanted the acknoledgement of my hard work.

I don't always tell how much. For that question, I would just say, "I'm not sure, but I feel great" or "I have lost several sizes of clothes."

If they ask how, I say, "I eat good healthy protein, fats, and cut out sugars but have fibrous veggies."

Of course, if it is someone that is being snotty, you could always say, "What, I've lost weight. I didn't realize that. I haven't been trying. I didn't know that I needed too. What are you saying? You think I'm fat?" HeHe. It will make them back away. LOL

[maxlharris]

Small caliber handguns are also effective.

[jilly27]

I have a slight problem with sarcasm..... I overuse it occasionally :D

When people ask me what I've been doing to lose weight I like to tell them;

"I found an amazing weight loss secret!... It really works!!..."

"I eat right and exercise"

Said with as sincere and straight a face as I can possibly maintain.

Of course I only use this on people that I don't really know me well enough to be asking. The few people I actually like I will tell that I have cut out flour and sugar etc. I rarely say "low carb" because that often elicits a response I don't feel like arguing. When you say you've cut out flour and sugar they nod and say "oh really?, its working well" without realizing it's the dreaded -insert false criticism here- LC diet.

Jilly