Responding to Diet Talk

Last week, I wrote about the temptation to diet as I am surrounded by diet talk. I’ve been thinking about that some more. Why do I fall into that? I start being tempted to diet partially because I just don’t know how to respond to diet talk. I tend to think I only have two options: conform or fight. And I really hate to fight these days, though I will when needed.

I have to remember that more options are available to me. As I have been thinking about this and came up with an idea. Al-Anon encourages the loved ones of alcoholics to mind our own business and let alcoholics figure it out for themselves. This is an idea Al-Anon calls “detachment.” I think I have to do this for chronic dieters as well. The idea is to let someone see that their behavior isn’t working on their own; it never works to try and force someone into my way of thinking. At times, they see it quickly. Some folks will NEVER get it. Either way, I am more serene if I don’t push my ideas onto someone else.

Because so many people do not realize that not dieting is even an option, I respond once with some statistics (“dieting doesn’t work %95, even if it is for your health”). However, if they know what I think about dieting and still insist on spouting diet talk to me, then the noncommittal responses come out. Here are some I have come up with:

• You might be right (you can think, “snowball’s chance in hell” without saying it)
• I’ll be interested in seeing how that works for you (one of my favorites)
vGuess we’ll see
• Talk to me in (3, 6, 9) months.
• Talk to me in 5 years.
• I’m not comfortable talking about this.
• Please don’t talk to me about this.
• Diet talk sets off my eating disorder.
• I understand your need to diet, but please don’t talk to me about it.
• Hmmmm
• I can see why you would think that.

If nothing else, I can change the subject. If they insist on talking about their diet, which some diet evangelists will, then I can simply walk away if need be. If someone respects me so little, why should I put up with them? The important thing is that I not take it personally. Our society has done a good job brainwashing everyone to think the diet-binge-guilt cycle should be a lifestyle. It takes a determined and brave person to change that thinking.

So, anyway, diet talk is a pain, but, today, I don’t have to put up with it. Detachment is a wonderful tool to use when confronted by a diet evangelist!