No Weight Loss Groups for Me

As I mentioned as an aside in my post The High Cost of Losing Weight, I have somewhat of a reputation for not playing well with others. It's not that I don't try, it's just that by some quirk of nature I don't usually fit in with groups very well. I'm the square peg that just can't be pounded into a round hole, and as much as I might try to be like everyone else, people recognize me as being the zebra with no stripes.

Add that to the fact that I'm cynical, I laugh at my own jokes, and I'm ruthlessly honest, and I just don't fit in.

A few months ago, my partner and I had to attend some training classes that were taught in a group setting. I was the one that asked the tough questions, the questions that brought up unpopular or uncomfortable subjects. In a way, I became the class hero, because I was asking the questions everyone else was thinking but was too afraid to ask (several other students thanked me after class) but it made the teacher angry because I was thoroughly trashing his pre-defined world view about certain subjects.

Like I say, I don't fit in.

There's a reason, though, that I don't want to join a weight loss group. In the short term, I think they can be very supportive and helpful. In the long term, though, I run out of patience with people because they tend to gripe about the same five problems. I've made a list of the common gripes, and my sarky, but usually unsaid, remarks.

1. My boyfriend (husband, family, friends, etc.) aren't supportive of my weight loss efforts, and they keep undermining my diet.
   
   Well, if your boyfriend (husband, family, friends, etc.) aren't supportive, you can either dump them, or go live on a desert island for a while. Remember girls, it's you who decides what does into your mouth, not your boyfriend.
   
   
2. I don't understand why I didn't lose weight this week, I exercised, drank my water, stayed on my food plan, and didn't cheat (well, except for the entire box of Oreos I ate last Tuesday) so I should have lost at least something.
   
   Quit whining. You didn't stick to your food plan for the entire week. Oreos, especially in such a large number, are guaranteed to stick to your butt.
   
   
3. I ate an entire raft of jelly beans. I just couldn't help myself.
   
   If you can't control your own behavior, you are never going to lose weight. Throw the damn jelly beans out so you aren't tempted, or lock yourself in a room for the next six months until you can get past your cravings. Sorry gals, you are responsible for your own behavior.
   
   
4. My family won't eat the healthy food I'm preparing for myself.
   
   See item #1 from the list. If that fails, tell them "too bad" and they can go out to McDonald's every night on their own. You can bid them a fond farewell as they head out the door, "Bye, enjoy killing yourselves!"
   
   
5. I just can't make myself stick to my diet this week!
   
   Then maybe you should go home and not waste your money. See item #3.

Now, in all honesty, I can't say that I've never been guilty of doing any of the items on this list. I've complained about all of them at one time or another, and I'm sure that pretty much every dieter I know has done the same. I guess the point is that I get tired of listening to other people talk about the things that I hate the most about myself.

For some people, listening to others who have similar problems is helpful. For me, it serves as a further reminder of my own failings, and I despise myself for it.

Oinkstop's report card for the week:

Works well with others: F+