How can someone help their friend exercise/eat healthy without seeming rude?

Jump to Last Post 1-6 of 6 discussions (14 posts)
  1. Vieenrose profile image61
    Vieenroseposted 11 years ago

    How can someone help their friend exercise/eat healthy without seeming rude?

    I have a severely overweight friend who completely denies the issue..how can I help her become healthy? Note: I'm not trying to act better than her or seem mean. It's become an issue where she can't do activities she loves..i just want to help her.

  2. mio cid profile image60
    mio cidposted 11 years ago

    Well in my opinion  it's time for some tough love,I would confront her with reality as  tenderly as possible not to hurt her feelings but also in a firm and unwavering manner so she will see you are serious about it and this is a real health issue that will not be solved by ignoring it.

  3. Vieenrose profile image61
    Vieenroseposted 11 years ago

    Thank you for your response..yes i think it's time to approach her. I will be sure to focus on wording/body language to ensure that she won't be offended.

  4. Georgie Lowery profile image88
    Georgie Loweryposted 11 years ago

    I was in your friend's position not so long ago. It will basically come down to her needing to accept her situation. She is likely not in denial but is feeling very insecure about her weight. At least that's how I was. Any friends that suggested weight loss or offered tips to me then made me feel even more horrible about myself. With me, it was just like an addiction. I couldn't turn it around until I was ready to do it. If you've never been seriously overweight, there's no way you can know what it's like or what's going on in her head. Just let her know you love her.

    1. Vieenrose profile image61
      Vieenroseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your response! Yeah, i understand that it's complex & me telling her won't change anything unless she herself accepts it. I plan on giving her constant encouragement/support..just showing that I'm here for her.

    2. Georgie Lowery profile image88
      Georgie Loweryposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You can always make suggestions, like going on a hike or something that requires physical activity or inviting her to a healthy restaurant. Just don't tell her it's because she needs to lose weight. You'll risk her alienating you if you do.

  5. Cara.R profile image64
    Cara.Rposted 11 years ago

    You could invite her to do things with you that involve exercise. Ask her to go to the mall and walk around. Invite her over for dinner and you cook her a meal she likes but prepare it in a healthy way. But if she is not ready to admit that her weight is stopping her from doing things she once loved; then there is not much you can do until she is ready to face it. You can only be supportive and encouraging to a degree and the rest is up to her.

    1. Vieenrose profile image61
      Vieenroseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks! I actually had a idea similar to yours (going shopping then inviting her over for dinner w/friends). I see what you're saying, even if i try to help, if she can't admit/accept then there really is nothing more to do...i will for sure support

  6. duffsmom profile image60
    duffsmomposted 11 years ago

    You can't.  You think she is in denial, but believe me she knows, she really does.  Nothing is more horrible than being told, in the name of love, that your body isn't what it should be.  If she is a living breathing person she already knows her weight is becoming a stumbling block.

    Be there for her, listen to her, support her and if she mentions wanting to lose weight or make changes, simply ask what you can do to help--let her know you will help her any way she will allow you to.

    Believe me, with obesity, she is mired in something that is dark and scary, but until she is ready to fight her way out of this pit--all you can do is love her for who she is and support any positive decisions she makes.

    1. Georgie Lowery profile image88
      Georgie Loweryposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      This right here is the honest truth.

    2. duffsmom profile image60
      duffsmomposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, written from deep in the pit I mentioned above :-)

    3. Georgie Lowery profile image88
      Georgie Loweryposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's damn hard to get out of that hole, but once you start climbing up it's worth it.

    4. Vieenrose profile image61
      Vieenroseposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow great answer..i never thought of it that way..that she might know but chooses to ignore. Yeah i'm gonna use some of suggestions listed above & just roll w/ it. The worst thing is, she gained weight suddenly, before she was so adventurous/live

    5. duffsmom profile image60
      duffsmomposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sure giving it a try Georgie!  I am so thrilled that you have worked so hard and had success.  Inspiring.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)