Health Freak...

[LiftingNerd]

I'm sure most of us have heard this term before, and since you spend time on this forum it was most likely directed at your person. I was under the impression that freak implies something abnormal. I guess since I live in a country where a third of the adults are overweight (bet you can guess which one it is) my habits of taking proper care of my body to insure health would seem a bit freakish, but that does not make the mindset any less disturbing. This mild rant stems from a discussion at a family barbeque after I declined to partake in drinking festivities. So to everyone who chooses to instill some discipline in their daily lives congratulations, you are officially part of the minority.

[Young Athlete]

Woooooot! I'm considered a health freak myself by my family, and I don't care to be honest.

If we review just a few people:
Brother - So skinny and weak he can't do a push up
Sister- Doesn't eat enough, and when she does she eats junk food
Sister- Has digestive problems from eating to much/drinking to much crap

So honestly the people attacking you will generally be unhealthy themselves so really no worry

[Beppe]

They all pretend to know the truth. To them, keeping in shape is matter of drinking beer, eating foods full of sugar all day long, and go jogging or playing soccer once in a couple of months. Anything different, lifting weights, eating healthy, working out whatever happens is sign of illness. Reality is, they are SCARED TO DEATH. As you stand out from the herd of sheeps, they'll try to put you down. Friends, family, no bound is too sacred to prevent them from serving the social programming that tells them you have to be put back to order. But once you have seen the truth, even if they chain you back with all the other slaves, nothing can be the same again. So the only way to go is further.

[bluestreak]

We are freaks for having discipline, aiming at lofty goals and changing our lives in order to achieve them. The average person is perfectly happy with the status quo and finding the minimum required in life. They want to hear and see people like them as it helps justify their current state of existence.

All of us here have taken the hard road to health. We don't buy into the meal-replacement (starvation) regimes or 15 minutes exercise. We endure our 3-weekly sessions of calculated, self-inflicted suffering. We even take pleasure from our pain, for we know the benefit that will arise.

The best we can hope for is that those around experience a shock so great that they too are spurred into action, in the right direction, before it's too late.

To quote Gandhi:

First they ignore you... Then they mock you... Then they fight you... Then you win.

At which stage are you?

[eLvarouza]

One of my roommates always shakes his head or laughs or something to that effect when he comes into my room and sees the big tub of whey I have, and finds it silly that I go to the gym like I do and use the "free weights" and such. However, he finds it perfectly acceptable to do a lot of running and drink a shitload of energy drinks. So "cardio" is good, weight lifting is bad . How can anyone find having whey laughable when that person drinks a ton of energy drinks?

[LiftingNerd]

Yeah some people the first time they walk into my kitchen and see the protein and creatine their first remark is "Who's the meathead?". My favorite situation is when i'm on my couch reading when this is said so I can raise my hand proudly to proclaim "The meathead? That would be me."

[7611masari]

Yeah some people the first time they walk into my kitchen and see the protein and creatine their first remark is "Who's the meathead?". My favorite situation is when i'm on my couch reading when this is said so I can raise my hand proudly to proclaim "The meathead? That would be me."

God men are such slobs they never put away the damn protein!

I have never been called a health freak because everyone knows I'll eat any nasty combination of anything if you pay me enough and it contains no onions. Plus I lend my mouthguards out when someone on my team forgets one. Though the other day I told one of my guy friends I joined a gym and he said "Why do your guns need to be any bigger?" Actually I get a lot of that. But health freak, not so much.

[Young Athlete]

ha, protein is to big to fit any where and next time a boy says that just be like so I can beat you up

[Cleave]

At my brother-in-laws July 4th cookout on Friday I put together my lettuce wrapped hamburger while avoiding all the chips and sweets. I got a few offers for cake and cookies that I politely declined and a few people looking at me funny because of the way I was eating my burger but it went smooth for the most part. My brother-in-law said "you doing Atkins?" "Nope, I'm just cutting out refined flour and glutten. I eat carbs but I get them from vegetables and whole grains." I thought that would shut him up but he kept saying "C'mon, a hamburger bun ain't gonna kill you. You're not gonna turn into some kind Richard Simmons diet guru are you?" (A plain hamburger bun is about the worst piece of bread there is) He shut up when his wife came over and commented on how good my arms looked.

[eLvarouza]

At my brother-in-laws July 4th cookout on Friday I put together my lettuce wrapped hamburger while avoiding all the chips and sweets. I got a few offers for cake and cookies that I politely declined and a few people looking at me funny because of the way I was eating my burger but it went smooth for the most part. My brother-in-law said "you doing Atkins?" "Nope, I'm just cutting out refined flour and glutten. I eat carbs but I get them from vegetables and whole grains." I thought that would shut him up but he kept saying "C'mon, a hamburger bun ain't gonna kill you. You're not gonna turn into some kind Richard Simmons diet guru are you?" (A plain hamburger bun is about the worst piece of bread there is) He shut up when his wife came over and commented on how good my arms looked.

Way to drop that bomb on me after I spent two hours making some sick hamburgers over the weekend, which I bought some hamburger buns for.

Do they have whole grain hamburger buns?

[Brennan]

To quote Gandhi:

First they ignore you... Then they mock you... Then they fight you... Then you win.

At which stage are you?

The mocking stage probaly. I got called a russian the other day haha

[Sylvor]

I always find these situations funny where people look down or sideways at you for making good healthy decisions. Usually for me after being offered a few things that I refuse I get the question, "are you on a diet"? To which I reply now, nope I'm not, I just don't eat foods like that regularly anymore. The follow up to that is usually some form of mocking, or questioning which I let roll off my back. Or the funniest is when I'm told that I shouldn't worry about what I eat because I look good and I'm not fat. When I am clearly overweight (ie too much bodyfat). I know it is a fact, I know what I have to do about it to change it, and I am completely ok with it. I'll even tell them that I'm changing things cause I'm sick of being fat. Then Dr. psychologist comes out of nowhere and starts to try and analyze you for having one realistic thought about yourself (notice I didn't say negative). These days way too many people have problems with looking themselves in a mirror and seeing flaws/mistakes and figuring out how to fix them. Way too much positive reinforcement to children theses days. Being now in Ontario it is near impossible to fail a grade in lower and high school.

Not enough people take responsibility for themselves. "I'm fat because of my genes", "I have a sit down job that makes me fat". They cry and wine but never make a dam change in their own life. Then to top it all off when you start to take off the weight and look better, they ask you for your secret. When the answer is plain and simple. Hard work and dedication.

Keep it up folks. I know I still have to improve on areas for myself and I enjoy seeing threads like this.

Now if I can just find the power to turn down beer.

[bigwhat62]

i could tell that my wife and my healthy lifestyle has had a positive affect on our family and friends. my wifes mom has osteoporosis and quit drinking her daily sodas after we told her how bad they are. we pass up desserts 90% of the time (that other 10% is blissful) and people are like what. and then we tell them how bad the dessert is and then all of sudden you see them get smaller portions...haha! i like helping people out with the knowledge about health i have, especially people i love and care about. i think it should be a responsibility of ourselves to educate and help our loved ones.

[LiftingNerd]

Or the funniest is when I'm told that I shouldn't worry about what I eat because I look good and I'm not fat.

When i get this same comment I look at the person, normally, with a quizzical look while thinking of pointing out the obvious to them, "How do you think I got this way? By not taking into consideration what I eat?".

[hazmat]

All of you folks seriously get hassled by family/friends for how you choose to eat? I've never really encountered this. I eat what I know is good for me, allow myself a few "shouldn't eats" here and there and move on. If I'm at a cookout, I'll eat maybe one burger or one dog on a bun, but if I want anymore it's without the buns and I generally skip the different "salads" and the desserts. I've had people ask "no bun with that?" and I say "nope" and move on with my day. I've been doing this for about 8 months and have never had anyone mock or belittle or anything along those lines. Most of my family and the bulk of my friends are very supportive of me in this and several get recipes from me because they know it's a) actually pretty tasty and b) healthy.

About the only hassling I get at all is when someone goes looking for something to drink and finds nothing but water or if they want some kind of snacky thing and I just don't have any around the house. They may ask why I don't keep chips and I just explain I'm not a big fan of that kind of food(well, I am, just know it's not terribly good for you). Most times, they're more impressed that I don't buckle than they are trying to come up with new and interesting ways to bust my balls about it.

I'm more than likely to be the one hassling someone else about their diet if I hear them bitching about being overweight or out of shape. My boss does this constantly as he yanks yet another Weight Watchers meal out of the microwave, and I can't help but suggest maybe he change his diet...not really a hassling, I guess, but I'm still pointing out where he's off course.