For me, it's mostly my boss, who feels the need to comment, "You're always eating" to me.

In my defense, I try to eat 3 small meals/snacks during the day at work, as many nutritionists recommend. So yes, some times, he does happen to see me eating a snack. But it's better than going hours between meals and starving.

Yea my co-workers are probably the worse about it!
When we go out for a Friday lunch (usually pizza or something similiar) they would all get their pizzas and I would get a salad! And they would always say things like "You don't need to deit! Eat a pizza!" I know that I have a wonderful figure, but I work hard to stay healthy and keep it that way!

I love that you asked!! I ALAWAYS get comments and so forth.

My family and friends are big meat eating people and when I become a vegetarian a few years ago I was given a very hard time about it. It has gotten easier but sometimes they still pick on my food choices and the meat alternatives I eat. They think it is silly to eat something that looks like meat but not meat. I do it for health and have never felt better (part of my very big weight loss) but it does frustrate me when they can't just be supportive.

Where is the option, "Never, because my friends are not douchebags."

My MIL takes it personally when I won't let her feed my kiddies certain items. Her response is always "your husband ate this and he turned out fine."

ALWAYS. From my live-in boyfriend, of all people. Most couples fight about money, we fight about what is on my plate! He believes that in order for me to love life, I need a chili dog. I eat clean, really clean. I get that it isn't for everyone (my idea of junk food is Fiber One), but I am healthier than I have ever been, strong, and super fit.

Can I live in the world with the 2 people who answered "Never, because all my friends and family eat healthy too."

meumitsuki - That would Annoy me SO bad!
Luckily most of my friends and family are Very supportive because I've lost weight so far and they see me trying to be healthy. I do have a couple friends who will comment on my food choices, but it's usually because it's something they've never tried or coming from my best friend, the world pickiest eater who thinks everything is gross.

Yep. All the time. Some even stoop so low as to call it an eating disorder. Even though I eat a lot of veggies (which everyone is told to do)!!
However, I do have friends that have dietary issues such as Gluten intolerance.. those are the ones who understand. But when we all go out to eat.. a vegan and a gluten free... a waitresses worst nightmare.

OH and LOL@Tidalwave.

I do all the time. It's rather annoying, I just tune them out. I know I am way healthier than they will ever be.

I am not obsessive in general but get to use my food allergy as an excuse to be pickier than most folks without seeming like a PITA.

Yep, I get it all the time from most everyone, and I'm the same dunnon...it's like you eat healthy which equates to an eating disorder...WTF?? I eat no red meat, no real sugars (other than from my rockstar juiced at work lol), nothing fried, and consume all veggies, fruits, chicken & seafood. And because I'm uber healthy and thin, people assume that I am dieting. No, I just don't want to put crap in my body:)

For the most part, when people make comments it's because it basically is putting it right their in their face the fact that they don't eat healthy and they don't like it, and it makes them feel bad about it, so they go on the defensive or attack.

Not fun and not fair! it's amazing, it isn't socially acceptable to go up and tell someone they aren't eating healthy, or that they are fat/obese. But someone can come up and think nothing of telling you to your face that either there's something wrong with you b/c you aren't stuffing your face with a greasy burger and that you must be anorexic. DEFENSE TACTIC!!

Usually its my boss who tells me I need to eat more protein, and eat less carbs. She also says stuff when I cut back on my eating because I may have gained a few pounds or had a glutenous weekend. MYOB lady!

Every. Single. Day. Mostly at work.

My boss makes comments when he sees me eating like "Does that taste as good going down as it does coming up?" or "I don't know why you bother eating. It's not like it's going to stay in your stomach."

Ditto Berlin's post.

hippiecowgirl, I think I would reply to the boss, "Actually, it startles me when it comes out the other end, because it looks just like you staring up at me from the toilet bowl."

TidalWave: LOL and ditto!

YES this happened to me just last night. I was looking for a healthy option on a menu when dining out, and when I couldn't find one, they all told me "Well you need to eat some real food anyway, it's not good to obsess over it", I wasn't obsessing at all, just concerned about the sodium content of all the food. So yeah, super bloated today thanks.

hippiecowgirl - I cannot believe that your BOSS says that to you! I certainly hope that its an inside joke and not a serious comment - that's completely wrong!

I live in Nebraska but I don't eat red meat - which is considered treason here Not only do I get a lot of weird looks for the no read meat, my friends, family, and some times my co workers always comment on what I am eating. I get peeved when people make remarks about what you're eating while you're eating it, it's just plain rude.

I get flak mostly from my family, even though they consider themselves "foodies." I certainly enjoy a good steak or burger from time to time, but I also enjoy a nice big salad, smoothie, or pile of tofu. It's all about balance (and all delicious), but some people get weirdly threatened when a companion opts for "rabbit food." It's so silly, and so limiting.

I am pretty lucky (for now at least) that i don't have to mind what i eat too much. It takes a lot for me to gain weight, even so i still eat pretty healthy. My family and friends do (or did) give me a hard time about giving up alcohol (not that i was an alcoholic, it's just a personal choice)! They still tease me about it which is funny to me, aren't they supposed to be proud that i'm being responsible? Anywyas...

I eat fruit, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains, with the occassional indulgence, and I get picked on incessantly! I hate it! I get picked on like I'm some kind of freak. It shocks me how in one breath someone can say that a thin, fit person doesn't need to worry about what they eat and then lament how they're overweight when they eat crap all day!

I don't get why people need to chide someone for not eating junk. I think it might be because we live in a society where processed junk food, fast food and over sized portions are common so anyone who eats the way we're actually supposed to eat is going to be looked at someone on a diet, over-obsessed with food or on some kind of eating disorder. I think people should just mind their own business and just STFU. I feel much better with my veggies, fruits and other real food than I would with a diet of primarily junk and greasy food that would give me a stomach ache anyway.

I'm a nurse and my co workers always comment when I bring in my whole grain cereal, fresh fruit and skim milk for breakfast while they go to the grill and order huge omlettes with home fries and pancakes etc etc. It is amazing how bad these "health pros" eat. Especially the older nurses. The younger ones seems to eat healthier. But for them, at lunch it is burgers and fries and then sweets. And yes, most of them are overweight bordering on obese. Observing them is negative reinforcement because I don't want to get that way. They are no role models!

Thank you francoisehardly! Everyone should mind there own business. I highly doubt people would like it if I mocked them for eating disgusting, over-processed food. If I did that then I would be accused of being mean-spirited. It's definitely a double-standard issue.

No one usually comments on my healthy eating, but often I make fun of my boyfriend (just jokingly) about his junk food eating habits--he eats honey buns and Fruity Pebbles for breakfast, for example. But the other day at a restaurant, he switched his side from chips to fruit. He says he's going to eat healthy now, too. We'll see!

Yes!! All the time! I get comments about what I am or am not eating. People need to just shut up and mind their business. It seriously drives me crazy!!

yes i agree with a lot of you! i often get comments like "so that's why you're so thin..." especially because i am a vegetarian. and i am NOT a vegetarian for weight-loss or weight maintenance reasons. i agree with berlin - they are probably just defense mechanisms. instead of criticizing, americans should have open minds and try to adapt to healthier lifestyles!

Since I've lost 95lbs. people feel it's ok to "monitor" what I eat. I feel like I'm under a microscope sometimes.

Luckily most of my friends eat well and we all like to be aware of what we're eating, so it's not an issue with them. My fiance teases me a little bit, but I've been a good influence on him because he eats far better than he used to. His family on the other hand...grr! We cannot have a meal with them without someone making a comment. And his mom is one of those who keeps trying to give you seconds and is insulted if you don't take them. She keeps telling me that I'm going to waste away. I am at the high end of the BMI thing, so I don't think I'm in danger of that anytime soon!

One of my friends and I kind of have a running joke. She accuses me of eating rabbit food; I overly dramatize/joke about the fact that there are trans fats in the unhealthy stuff she eats. It's good fun.

Vegetarian + gluten-intolerant = my eating habits are the subject of every office get-together.

Also, I think that maybe, in some cases, people who criticize us for eating healthy are doing it because they feel guilty/jealous that they're not eating healthy too. It might sound stupid, but I really think that could be the cause of some of it. These people don't have the will/time/etc to change their lifestyles, and they're jealous of the benefits we get for having changed ours.

Levi1 -healthcare professionals can have the worst eating habits! I am a young nurse too, and I often get comments on my eating choices, especially since I work nights and comfort food is next to coffee in the fight to get through the shift. However, I am happy to say that I have do have some health food allies and we always bring in healthy snacks for one another.

I get picked on ALL THE TIME for my eating habits. My husband tells me I need to eat "real food" (meaning red meat and lots of potatoes) and he thinks eating veggies/good food are a waste of money. Good thing I do all the grocery shopping or we'd be eating nothing but Doritos and hot dogs. My family actually understands my eating habits more and they're really understanding about always making sure they have stuff there that I'll eat. A lot of my friends say "Why are you eating that rabbit food? You don't need to lose weight." Does NO ONE understand that you have to continue to eat healthy even when you get to your goal weight?? I swear, no one seems to get that concept.

I think a lot of people that pick on healthy eaters are jealous that they don't eat that well. I worked with a woman that was severely obese and she was always eating crap. She was always telling me that I should eat this and that at whatever restaurant because it was so good, etc. I told her that I don't eat out a lot and I like to eat healthy and she seemed like I was personally criticizing her.

It's sad to see that this happens to people. And I agree that some of it comes down to people being jealous of others who work up the will to take care of themselves. I think what bothers these people most is that in seeing that eating well and taking care of yourself can be done then it leaves them with no one to blame but themselves for their state.

My mother's favorite line "I'm sorry we can't have you guys over for dinner more, but I just have no idea what you will let the kids eat."

How about nothing with crap in it? "Real food" to me is food that actually resembles its original form!! I definitely think there is a double standard.

Not so much for eating healthy, but for apparently "not eating enough." Just becaue a don't eat huge meals 3 times a day, people assume I have an eating disorder.

Not at all...I'd say my friends and I are all pretty health-conscious and try to eat the best we can.

That is one of my biggest pet peeves. I think people do it when they feel guilty for not eating healthy while I have salad or whatever. Still, I don't comment on their choice of food, so I would appreciate that same respect!!

I gave up eating red meat about 12 years ago. And to this day my mother will mention it like it's brand new. If we're invited over for dinner she'll say something like "Oh, I was going to make hamburgers, but I guess you won't eat those" I thought it would stop after a while, but apparently not.

i get it constantly, from my friends but especially from my family. it's really annoying and sad that people can't practice healthy habits without having to take crap about it from people that should be supportive. My father constantly criticizes how I eat, and I can't even count the number of times he has told me how I am going to have such a "boring life." Well I'm sorry but if the only reason why his life isn't boring is because he is eating greasy cheeseburgers then that's just unfortunate. I definitely agree with those who have said that people feel threatened and jealous by people who eat "properly" because it just puts the spotlight on their own faults and they don't know how else to handle it.

Sometimes. But I think it's about jealousy and resentment. I'm fit and sculpted, and I look a lot younger than my peers, even those who are a few years younger than me. I get hit-on by college boys.

I've been eating healthy since I was in high school. I was laughed at and ridiculed a lot back then. Occasionally, nowadays, I run into an old high school friend. They look much, much older than me. They're pot-bellied, thick-waisted, wearing unflattering "mom jeans," etc. One would never guess we were from the same class! Look who's laughing now???

YES. usually, it's an obese woman at work. i just take it as her insecurity.

i get the same lines as you, fit..
my friends tend to actually feel sorry for me when i eat a salat and they eat their greasy pizza/something... they don't understand that i'm enjoying this salad way more than i would enjoy eating a fat packed something..

No that would be silly!

OMG...When I'm like "no thanks, I don't want any bread" My friends flip out and say that I can some and don't be stupid and OMG, you're so crazy! annoying

I think there's a fine line between eating healthily and being obsessive. My cousins' mother let them only eat healthy food when they were growing up (no cheese, no sweets!) and they ended up being overweight when they reached adolescence because they realized there were better tasting foods in the world and went wild eating everything junky! Alos, a co-worker tells her little girl that plain non-fat yogurt is "ice cream". I say wait until she starts school and realizes what ice cream actually is. No child should be deprived of those kinds of treats. Likewise, adults should be able to indulge once in awhile or else what is the purpose of life?

"Likewise, adults should be able to indulge once in awhile or else what is the purpose of life?"

Junk isn't all that appealing or all that great of an indulgence. I rather have a little bit of good dark chocolate. And how is being able to indulge anyone's purpose in life? And based on what people are posting here, it's obvious people think normal healthy eating is obsessive, even when it isn't at all and it's also obvious people think we're missing out on life because we don't want junk.

Not for what I eat, but how I eat it. I'm pint-sized and get full very quickly, and people keep pushing me to eat more and stop 'starving' myself. Now I actually threaten to throw up on them if they keep forcing me to eat when I'm full.
I hate the "you're not fat, you can eat more" - dah, 1.I can't handle more food, and 2.I'm not fat because I pay attention to what I eat.