If you are on a diet or simply enjoying a healthy lifestyle, then you probably know that
peer pressure to eat foods that are not good for you is a major part of your life. If you are worried about the
food that goes into your mouth, don’t worry—there are ways to overcome peer pressure. It simply takes a little know-how to get people off your back!
Parties are a major source of peer pressure, especially with alcohol. However, remember that alcohol contains hundreds of empty calories in just one drink. When you go to a party, people might be pressuring you to have a drink and relax, and it can be difficult to say no when they are constantly trying to convince you.
Instead, offer to be the designated driver. This way, people won’t want you to drink and, in fact, they will probably be purchasing you waters and maybe even helping to pay for your gas. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Another
time when you may feel pressured to eat is at work when the boss orders lunch for everyone at a meeting or when you have to visit a client. Instead of giving in to temptation, simply politely decline the food by letting your boss know in advance or
order a meal that is healthy and split the portion in half so you have a meal for tomorrow’s lunch as well.
Baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, and other special events can also wreak havoc on your diet, even if you are good at resisting temptation on your own. When someone hands you a piece of cake and won’t take no for an answer, it can be difficult to know what to say! Here, little white lies might be appropriate. For instance, saying that your stomach was upset earlier in the day will convince a person that you don’t want to eat at the moment or pretending to have a
chocolate allergy will get people to allow you to enjoy the party without a hassle surrounding food.
Remember, however, that while refusing bad foods is fine, you should be eating good foods. If you do not, dangerous eating habits and disorders can develop, which will give you, your friends, and your doctor a real reason to worry. It’s ok to say no to peer pressure, but don’t say no to food in general!
Are you often peer pressured into eating bad foods? Where does it happen the most?
Mr. Bananahealth-and-fitness-buzz.blogspot
Comments (26)
Umm no.
this happens to me so much that sometimes i get nervous before going to a party with some of my best friends! how messed up is that? i don't mind a little indulgence here and there but one of my friends will shove fried foods and cake down my throat almost literally. or make me feel guilty for politely declining. sometimes i wonder if it's her culture and sometimes i wonder if she just wants to feel better for eating unhealthy too or splitting an excessive meal i really just don't need on my conscience.
it's hard when the people who are peer pressuring you are family. then you can't lie or say it's unhealthy without insulting their lifestyle.
at parties, i just take what's being handed to me (like dessert) and when it's chaotic, i go back into the kitchen and put it away.
I am, ha. It always happens at family gatherings. They guilt me into eating or they just won't leave me alone until I do. Then when I get something that's at least semi healthy, they nag me about getting more of this or more of that or trying that. Asking them to leave me be is pointless, haha.
The problem with me is that my idea of hanging out with friends is going out somewhere to eat and then doing whatever else.
Going out to eat is the hardest thing! I mean, why the hell would I order a salad when everyone else is getting chicken wings and fried this and tempura that.
So instead I just opt out for getting an appetizer. Yea it's still fattening but it usually isn't as fattening and the portions are way smaller then an actual meal. So hopefully I'm good.
people seem to really hate when you are eating healthily and losing weight, alot of shallow girlfriends hate it when you start to look better than them. and as for the other's- i dont judge you for being fat and stuffing yourself full of crap and then moaning to me about it and how they can't get guys le de dah, so why dont they just leave those of us who try to be and healthy and stay that away alone?
No matter what I never submit to peer pressure. I have an extremely STRONG will power that helps me through everything without even a blink of an eye! I have been blessed in that department for sure! No amount of donuts or alcohol are going to change my mind either!
I eat what I want to eat. Anyone who tries to pressure me into eating something is in for a fight!
An FYI about alcohol: it's just mixed drinks mainly that kill you (sugar). Alcohol itself, while it does contain calories, these calories aren't in a form that's usable by the body. So if you drink say, for example, Scotch on the rocks (one of my favorite alcoholic drinks), it's about 65 calories per serving, BUT, it's purely alcoholic calories, therefore none of that counts against your daily allowance.
For more info about the mechanism, check out this link: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/Alcoholcaloriesandweight.html
Just an FYI, when I decided to lose weight, not once did I quit drinking, and in no way did it inhibit my weight loss.
I get pressured all the time to drink alcohol, but I'm a teetotaler, so I resist it every time.
I used to get pressured to eat meat, but people gave up on that, finally.
I pride myself on my strong will and ability to say "no".
Oh man, aaaaaaall the time. One time this girl had a packet of biscuits and offered me one and I politely said "no thanks" and she just kept waving it under my face saying "go on! Just one!" And when I still refused she got really upset and said "why won't you have one?"
Ffs... because I didn't want one, maybe?
My dad's always shoving biscuits and chocolate in my face cus he can't accept the fact I'm losing weight and he's not.
I hate people...
My bosses order pizza pretty frequently when I always decline. Every once in a while they'll give me a hard time. I bring my lunch so it's not like I'll go hungry. Greasy pizza doesn't sit well with me when I get stressed out later on in the day.
...or maybe you could just say you want to eat healthy instead of lying....
@abilene_piper_lg@xanga - amen!!
@gypsybird@xanga - Haha. Yeah. I'm a beer/Scotch person. I hate mixed drinks anyway. If you're wanting to lose weight, hard liquor really is your best bet, as it has no carbs/sugar. Beer has carbs, but if you don't overdo it and figure in the carb calories (you can calculate this by taking the total calories in the beer (or wine, or mixed drink), finding the portion that's alcohol times 7, and subtract that amount from the total calories). In a mathematical formula, it looks like this:
N = T - 7A where N = net calories, T = total calories, and A = amount of alcohol in grams.
I normally drink Scotch though. Maybe two beers per week (but they're dark, heavy beers too).
@abilene_piper_lg@xanga - i only drink hard liquor or hard liquor mixed with diet soda... no beer or mixed drinks, and very rarely wine.
@gypsybird@xanga - Ah. You have nothing to worry about then
I don't even really mix anything with diet soda...if I'm going to do liquor it's going to be straight up (then again, as mentioned I'm a HUGE Scotch person and that's supposed to be drank either at room temp. or on the rocks straight up).
Like right now, though, I'm drinking a bottle of George Killians' Irish Red. 163 calories total, but only about 70 net calories. Of course, I had a light dinner to make up for it.
I'll only ever drink wine with Italian food, actually.
I really hate outings for this reason. However, alcohol is OK, I'm a college student, gotta have that. Some people, even when they know I'm trying to be healthy, they get disappointed and even angry that I'm trying not to eat the same foods as them. I think saying you're trying to be healthy, sounds either pretentious or raining on the fun parade. I get nervous and sometimes, I don't go out if I know it's to a really unhealthy place with nothing good on the menu. =/
people bring bad food i.e. donuts to work constantly. answer to any and all food problems: will power. usually you can find something healthy when eating out w/ friends.
Peer pressure at parties to drink all those alcoholic drinks. Not only the calories, but did you know that studies have proven that after a really hard night of drinking brain function does not return to normal at least 30 days after the event. That is something to really ponder.
I usually tell people that I have signed up for a race the day after and that shuts them up.
Ugh, what about peer pressure into eating GOOD foods?
Gosh, I do want my burger and fries once in a while (;
Except for Twinkies, there is no such thing as "bad" food, and I'm sick of the phrase. Sure there's decadent delicious stuff chock full of calories, so we don't stuff our mouths with it. While I prefer to eat healthy, I don't fear food for being "bad." And if going out with my friends means I'm going to enjoy a drink and some hot wings, then I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of them, thank you very much.
Usually when my family and I go on road trips and they buy tons of bags of chips and soda. D:
Ha! I actually just blogged about this myself.
My biggest challenge is convincing my Mom to stop making so many desserts, and to convince my family in general that when I decline their offers of food, I'm not also declining their affection. They tend to equate "treats" with affection, and we definitely need to have a talk about that!
It's getting easier, though. The more I demonstrate my dedication to eating healthier, the more they seem to catch on and back off.
No. If I am not going to eat it, I am not going to eat it.