This FitSugar reader sure could use some advice on her dieting co-worker's behavior.
Dear Fit,
I'm a generally health-minded person. I eat well, exercise regularly, and reap the benefits. I'm happy with my weight, have tons of energy, and hardly ever get sick. I'm friends with one of my co-workers and am happy to say that my healthy lifestyle has rubbed off on her. She works out with me on our lunch break, eats salads for lunch (instead of her usual fast food), and she's even ditched her afternoon soda and cookie habit. I'm really proud of her, but now I'm miserable because she's been really cranky. She jumped into this lifestyle head first, and I think her body isn't used to the lack of sugar and fat. I can tell she's just not happy because of all the junk food she's missing, but I can't stand her quick comments and bitchy attitude. I don't want this healthy diet and exercise routine to ruin our friendship. Any suggestions?
—At the End of My Rope Rose
If you have any experience with this or any suggestions, please share them in the comment section below.
melissa
American Retro
Herve Leger
The physical reaction to coming off of crap food is real, and unfortunately something out of the control of most folks. I would perhaps pull an article about this phenomena that supports the idea that she will get better, and perhapsmove towards the happy place you are in. If she is a close friend I would give it to her with a encouraging note letting her know she won't be a b*tch forever
1Man I've hit this rut. Constantly cranky because my body's lacking sugar.
Usually at this point I have a glass of juice or nibble on a snack bar just to get my sugar hit without breaking my diet. I'd suggest that when your coworker gets her cranky pants on you suggest a choc coated snack bar (Like slim secrets so she wont go overboard on the calories) or a cup of coffee.
Green tea with berries also works a treat.
2i think fit has already answered this question with the sweet snacks under 200 calories slideshow!
make sure your college is replacing the sugar and fat with healthy fats and food that makes you feel full for longer.
i find that a lot of people who start to eat healthy forget to maintain a good intake of protein - lettuce leaves alone is not enough to keep your energy up! you need some grilled chicken or low fat yogurt/cheese or healthy nuts to keep you going.
3I would agree with the comments above. It sounds like she may be needlessly depriving herself of nutrients like protein. Also - it's important not to feel deprived on any "lifestyle change" or diet, so if I were her friend i might take her out to get a treat one day at work, like a small cookie or scone - and tell her that, if I'm craving a cookie, I just eat the cookie because if I don't, I will end up binging on cookies later on. Reassure her that as she continues making generally healthy choices, she won't crave sweets nearly as much as she used to and she will find it easy to fend off foods that are not as healthy.
4Total deprivation is going to make anybody cranky. You have to allow yourself a little treat now and again so you don't get diet burnout. Tell your friend that it must be tough for her to give up all her favorites at once, but that instead of a cookie in the afternoon, maybe she should try a protein bar or something like that...something that'll satisfy her and cut her cravings a bit.
5I would bring her an orange (or some kind of fruit high in sugar) and some almonds (healthy fat and a bit of protein) when she gets a little cranky. This little snack is healthy for both her body (energy! nutrients!) and for her mind (she'll realize there are healthy options, just because your body is craving sugar doesn't mean you have to reach for a cookie).
Stabilizing her blood sugar should help out her moods and it's feel good food!
6Win/win!
Just so you are aware, those are early signs of anorexia. Jumping in a diet with that much willpower could easily lead to that kind of obssesion. according to the radical changes in her mood you have noticed, her body is not reacting well. Healthy humans would do anything to survive from starvation (ex; eat and sleep, you know)and anorexia is the only thing that keep us blind to that.
7I'm not saying your friend definitaly has it, but you could tell her about the way you feel so she could think a little about what her drastic diet does to her.
good luck
I second the comments of bringing her a healthy snack to show her that she can have a small 200 calorie snack without feeling guilty. If she's following you as an example, seeing you have a snack or sharing a snack with you may show her that she doesn't have to avoid them when her body is telling her she needs one. Sometimes it's best to give in a little rather than endure crazy mood swings, headaches, etc.
My coworker (also one of my closest friends) and I try and eat healthy and motivate each other. Sometimes when one of us is having a bad day, or b*tchy, or cranky, we'll share a few pieces of dark chocolate, or split a small cupcake or something. Usually sharing the snack and having a few minutes of chatting (or venting, ha ha) will calm us and it's made us that much closer.
8A banana! I swear by them mid-morning.
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