Has anyone noticed how aggravated people get when you tell them your dietary beliefs regarding Paleo? My friends complain about being heiffers and then when you suggest they give up bread and pasta they freak out. I'm the skinny one who exercises twice a week and they run 10K's and are 40 pounds overweight.
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There's actually a few questions along these lines already -- check out the following link: http://paleohacks.com/questions/485/dealing-with-non-followers |
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I think it's hilarious that people think we are nuts! My roommate thinks I am going to die of a heart attack any day, meanwhile she is eating loads of sugar and fast food. When talking to people about Paleo, I think it is important to provide good basic information to those who are interested, but respect that some people aren't interested in eating healthier. They also may not care what you have to say about health, since you're not a doctor and everyone knows fat is bad for you and whole grains are good. Also, if haven't had any dramatic weight loss in your life (e.g. you are naturally lean) and you are under 30, older people will be even less likely to want to listen to your latest fad diet. I think the best thing you can do is to radiate health and well-being so that people will be interested in knowing what it is that you are doing. Don't be an evangelist, be a trustworthy source of information. |
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1) defying perceived convention will often be reacted against negatively, people are just conservative by nature and will stick with 'what works' 2) people are fearful of admitting wrongness on fundamental/basic issues in the belief that admission would gain them the title of a fool, or that they'd be seen as worthless or having wasted their time. these are things that drop one's status.. and people are often very concerned with status, especially those already perceiving themselves of low status like a fat person might be inclined.. 3) carbs and pasta have addictive properties (that would encourage the freak out you describe) 4) people lack imagination needed to not freak out about a bread-less life. they imagine their diet, heavy in bread, then they imagine life without bread, and they see nothing, emptiness. the lack of food in their imagined mind creates anxiety/freak out-ness. 'what will i eat then!?! there's nothing left!' 5) i think many people find much? comfort in food. suggesting you take that comfort away could lead to aggravation/hostility as people try to protect their comforts by shutting down any further conversation about it? all in all i think the aggravation you're experiencing is the same as if you were to 'challenge' any kind of basic, assumed belief one could have. |
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I think it comes down to fear. People get scared when they think of giving up food they have been brought up on; scared of having to put extra effort into making real food; scared of being the person who has to explain their diet choices. And in the end they don't think the results are worth facing those fears. Oh, and of course, fear of fat. After decades of being told fat is bad, even I still have trouble believing it isn't. Intellectually I know it's good, but I still have issues. So it's hard to change your beliefs. |
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I think it's especially galling when you're told to give up things that you were eating in the belief that they were healthy. Hence if you've been making sure to eat lots of healthy wholegrain bread and wholewheat pasta to fill you up and lose weight, then it must be very irritating to be told "Oh yes, I'd stop eating all the wholegrains, they'll fatten you up." |
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No. This doesn't happen to me, because it is MY lifestyle change. Not theirs. Stop preaching to people around you. You fixed yourself by going paleo, and that's awesome. But don't preach. Tell them "this is what worked for me" and find out if they want to know more. If they want to die 10-20 years early because of what they eat, then let them
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It's so annoying, I don't discuss what I do with anyone, unless asked. I don't like to lie, so I just give a short response and if they seem interested, tell them more. Conventional 'Wisdom' is so deeply ingrained in most people, it's pointless trying to tell them otherwise. Last week a co-worker asked me how I was losing weight, then their eyes popped out of their head when I told them I was going to get a fry up (English breakfast for you non-Brits). She then talked to me for approximately ten minutes on the dangers of saturated fat. I was so dumbfounded I just quietly walked away from my desk to her bemusement. |
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Becuase of Paleo my housemate doesn't really talk to me like she used to. She gets angry at everything I say, about anything. It's a shame cos we used to get on really well, but its worth it :-D |
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A very dear friend and I can no longer talk about anything diet related. She's just finishing up her nutrition degree, and won't even consider reading Gary Taubes because one of her teachers said the book was all lies. Makes me very sad to see her struggle with weight and health issues, and know that there could be so much help for her. But I'd rather keep her as a friend and hope she'll come around as more and more studies are blowing the lipid hypotheses out of the water. :-/ |
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