The Top 5 Things Dieters Hate to Hear

By Staff Reporter | Dec 30, 2015 | 05:30 AM EST

The New Year is upon us and, after all, the merriment and the Netflix binge watching and binge eating with the family, it's time to get back in shape. If a diet is on your New Year's resolutions like a good number of the population, here are things you might not want to hear as you go through the ordeal of getting back on track to living a better, healthier life.

Health reports that about 66% of women aged 25 to 55 who have dieted or are trying to lose weight claim that people who are close to them, like friends and family, undermine their attempts at improving their health. Here are some not-so-encouraging words that should never be said to someone who is dieting.

1. "Try harder! It's like you're not even trying!" Never yell at your friends or family who are trying to diet and lose weight. Yelling at them, especially negative comments would only make them feel bad. Don't pretend to be a personal trainer who yells out commands at the gym. About Health reports that according to gym owner Diane Raymond, "Making a person feel bad about his or her effort, mental/emotional status or progress is not a strong motivator. If you can't be kind, or if you are uncomfortable, then say nothing."

2. "So have you tried the (insert name of diet here) diet?" or "I've seen you try that, doesn't work." As previously mentioned, if you have nothing good to say, don't say it. FOX News reports that according to Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, a nationally recognized health expert and the co-author of "The CarbLovers Diet", the best response to this type of criticism is, "No, those fad diets don't work. I'm on a healthy plan that allows me to stay healthy and still lose weight."

3. "Are you sure you can eat that?" or "Are you sure you don't want any of these homemade cookies your sister made?" Don't micromanage a person's ability to decide what he or she wants or does not want to eat. You are not their parent or their dietitian or their nutritionist, so let them be.

4. "But you look great!" Losing weight to become healthier is so much more than looking skinnier. Try to understand that the person may at a higher risk for obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, and proactively wants to decrease that risk by living healthier and losing weight. Women's Health also reports that providing body-focused praise may lead the dieter to become obsessed with losing weight for their appearance and not their overall health.

5. "It's Friday, let's celebrate and go for drinks!" Don't be that enabler type of person who makes it more difficult for the dieter to stick to their weight loss goals. Good Housekeeping recommends that if you really want to be kind, supporting friend, suggest a restaurant with healthy options.

Latest News