Explain, Explain, Explain
 

Do you guys ever get just tired of explaining the lc thing and it falling on deaf ears? My mom is just flabbergasted by my decision to lc. She doesnt nag, but occassionally the topic comes up and I realize how totally confused she is. The funny thing is, she will say she tried Atkins and couldnt make it a week w/o the bread. Did she read the book...NO! I am not sure what she was doing, but it wasnt my LC Atkins. She said last night "But you eat no carbs, right?" Here we go again, I thought to myself. What you have to understand is that she has some grasp of carbs. My stepdad is a diabetic and has to figure his insulin based on his carb intake. No matter how much I talk about it, they dont get the real connection. After 25 yrs of diabetes, he has had a heart attack, bypass surgery, stroke, eye damage, kidney damage, high blood pressure. You name it, he has it. I think, with the kidney damage, it may be too late for him to lc, but I just want them to understand it all...the connections between the weight, insulin, health problems, etc. But...I can explain it all over and over and a week later we are right back to where we started: "But you eat no carbs, right?" My mom is overweight, my 1/2 sister is overweight...I just dont want them to suffer the same fate as my stepdad. However, they cannot comprehend a life with no bread or potatoes!! I remember what that was like, but from the outside looking in now, it seems so sad. I know I cant make them do it, but wow...there is not a potato or bread in the world worth the problems and the life my stepdad has created for himself!
I guess I will continue to explain and hope that one day they will hear me!

I know what you mean.
My sister is now on weight watchers. A few years ago she became diabetic. A couple of months ago she tried atkins and told me she had to quit because her blood sugers were the highest they had ever been. I don't know which atkins she was doing but I know blood sugers should not increase. My dad also became a diabetic and tried atkins but stopped because of worry to his kidneys. I totally understand until I saw him eating real icecream and cake and all the stuff not good for him. He does this on a daily basis. I am sure that is not good for him.
What they don't see is the benifits of atkins. Changing the mind set is just too hard when they have blockers on.
angie

I have the same problem, I try to explain it to people when they ask about Atkins, and I have to repeat myself..its hard but, I know that I can't go back to the way I was eating before. I told one of my friends that if I ate one McDonalds cheese burger it would kill me! Not because its McDonalds, but, it would be that gross feeling that I just had two grease buns that are filled with crabs. I don't want to look at it as LCing any more, this is how I want to live my life, Healthy!!! So, when someone asks what kind of food I eat, I say good food. I get tired of explaining, so I don't. My sister tried LCing and she gave up after a week, cause she didn't feel good! So she puts down the Atkins diet cause she thinks she can't do it! Anyone can...just look at us all!

Erin...tell me about it!! Good grief, give it a chance!! One week and they are quitting already! Same with my mom!! I felt bad the first week too. Fortunately, I had the benefit of reading the forum and knowing it would go away soon! Knowledge really is power, isnt it?

My Dad was down on Atkins when I started it, too. And he's diabetic, so I got him "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution."

He loved the book. I think because it came at carbs from the viewpoint of his illness, and then he could see the sugar levels fluctuate, it got through to him in a way no amount of explanation could.

So if you have people with blood sugar problems, this might be a way around it. Of course, it helped that my Dad's a reader. But I found it really interesting, and even if someone else reads it, it might help the diabetics you know.

The thing is ... you CAN eat bread, potatoes, and pasta ... eventually.

The point is to make it an occassional thing after you reach goal (this is what I will do).

And no ... you cannot change people's mindsets especially when they are barraged by the media DAILY about low-fat and how "bad" atkins is.

Kind of like politics eh? ;)

I've been noticing quite a bit of negative advertising, one of which goes something like... "why do NO carb, when... blah, blah, blah".

Just more false ammunition for the naysayers to grab on to. No carb, my ***!

My stepmom is always saying "You must eat some carbs". I have told her a hundred times. "It's not NO CARB, it's LOW carb." But she is not listening. :rolleyes:

I think I'm lucky - I've never had to go through that! Both my parents watch their carbs (on Doctor's orders...) and my boyfriend just wants me to be healthy and fusses at me if I don't eat enough.

Honestly I don't know how I'd handle it!

I'm just tired of explaining it. Let my co-workers look at my food funny-- I don't care anymore. They comment and ask questions about my "no carbs." I correct them but keep my answers short, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible. I get tired of explaining over and over and no one gets it.

I can really relate to this thread, dad's an obese diabetic and mom has bad cholesterol... I've been LC'ing now for over a year and they have finally come to accept my WOE, and are very good about making LC meals when I come to visit. :) However, neither of them are willing to try it themselves. I have to accept their choices as they've accepted mine. It's hard not to proselytize though when it's your own family and you know it could help them so much!

My dad eats sweets too :nono: I think The biggest difference I've made to him is that he does it when I'm not looking now.

What irritates me is that my parents were very against this when I started LC-ing the first time. My mom kept saying, "You better be careful. This doesn't sound very healthy. Don't make yourself sick."

Shortly after I started losing weight, both of my parents starting doing Atkins. They each lost a bit of weight, but then starting eating a ton of carbs again (while claiming that they weren't) and gained the weight back. Now I'm hearing "It doesn't work, you're wasting your time, save your money...blah, blah, blah."

No amount of explaining will make a difference (frankly, I don't care what they think anymore). Live life for yourself and know that you're doing what you need to do! :)

Glad to hear I am not the only one getting this! No one bothers me enough to make me doubt myself. Heck...I live with a man who must have his little debbie cakes and wild rice, mac and cheese etc. He does his thing and I do mine. I just wish they wouldnt bring it up if they dont want to listen. My husband is great, though, thank goodness. I make his rice and he makes sure when we eat out, it is a lc freindly place. Thanks for the support and I will look in the Diabetic book!