I had lunch with a an old friend of mine a few days ago, who was aware that I'd taken this journey some months back and at first it was a pleasant conversation. We talked about kids, husbands, politics, funds and a lack thereof, we just talked about life in general.
I purposely didn't mention my weight loss or anything about dieting because I was sensitive to the fact that she has gained a serious amount of weight in the past couple of years. Then she hit me with this question... "So are you still obsessed with this weight loss/no carb thing?" I could feel my temperature rising, I could almost smell blood. I was enraged, I was so incensed that I wanted to ring her neck!! Obsessed??? I kept my cool, and I said something I normally would never say to anyone for fear of hurting their feelings. But damnit, I thought....she wasn't sensitive to mine! I looked her dead in the eyes and said, "Obsessed is just a word that lazy people use to describe the dedicated, so to you, yes, I'm obsessed, but you really should work on that laziness, so you can see it for what it is."
I think my face must have been red or something, because she immediately said, "Wow, OK...take it easy." I retorted and I won't go into detail about the rest of the conversation, but I knew I got my point across loud and clear when she apologized.
The thing is, my original retort was so out of character for the me that I used to be. I think I finally got tired of taking hits for being dedicated (this isn't the first time I've heard the word 'possessed' in relation to my dieting) to something that will only enhance my life, and to have someone attack me for possessing dedication, really pissed me off this time instead of making me question myself (which I will never do again.) I know I'm not obsessed...dedicated is what I am.
I couldn't help but think that turning 50 has brought me into my own, as has this diet. I am truly empowered by being so dedicated and I will defend it to the end. There is a certain self-confidence that I feel now, as opposed to my 30's and 40's, a peace of mind that comes from the dedication I have, a knowing. I won't let anyone sabotage my mind, my diet or the certainty of who I am. Not anymore.
The upcoming weekend will be a busy one, I have a memorial dinner tomorrow and a baby shower on Sunday. I will come back to blog though, as neither of these things is an excuse for laziness ;)
I purposely didn't mention my weight loss or anything about dieting because I was sensitive to the fact that she has gained a serious amount of weight in the past couple of years. Then she hit me with this question... "So are you still obsessed with this weight loss/no carb thing?" I could feel my temperature rising, I could almost smell blood. I was enraged, I was so incensed that I wanted to ring her neck!! Obsessed??? I kept my cool, and I said something I normally would never say to anyone for fear of hurting their feelings. But damnit, I thought....she wasn't sensitive to mine! I looked her dead in the eyes and said, "Obsessed is just a word that lazy people use to describe the dedicated, so to you, yes, I'm obsessed, but you really should work on that laziness, so you can see it for what it is."
I think my face must have been red or something, because she immediately said, "Wow, OK...take it easy." I retorted and I won't go into detail about the rest of the conversation, but I knew I got my point across loud and clear when she apologized.
The thing is, my original retort was so out of character for the me that I used to be. I think I finally got tired of taking hits for being dedicated (this isn't the first time I've heard the word 'possessed' in relation to my dieting) to something that will only enhance my life, and to have someone attack me for possessing dedication, really pissed me off this time instead of making me question myself (which I will never do again.) I know I'm not obsessed...dedicated is what I am.
I couldn't help but think that turning 50 has brought me into my own, as has this diet. I am truly empowered by being so dedicated and I will defend it to the end. There is a certain self-confidence that I feel now, as opposed to my 30's and 40's, a peace of mind that comes from the dedication I have, a knowing. I won't let anyone sabotage my mind, my diet or the certainty of who I am. Not anymore.
The upcoming weekend will be a busy one, I have a memorial dinner tomorrow and a baby shower on Sunday. I will come back to blog though, as neither of these things is an excuse for laziness ;)
Wow.. nice handling of this situation. I like your analogy relating her comment to laziness, you were absolutely right.
ReplyDelete