Food Pushers

06 Sep Food Pushers

Have you ever encountered a food pusher? These individuals can be extremely difficult to politely decline especially when you are trying to stick to your diet. They may pressure you until you finally give in and say “okay”. These individuals could be pressuring you for many reasons such as they are proud of what they made and they want you to enjoy it, they may know that it’s something that you like, or they may not know  know that you are on a weight loss or weight management journey. When a food pusher is “pushing” out of love, it can become hard to say no. There are ways to politely decline these food pushers in a way where their feelings won’t get hurt and your diet won’t get a setback. Below are five simple ways to decline food pushers.

Be confident and specific

Saying “no thank you” in this way will give them the hint to stop pushing. If there is a lack of confidence in what you are saying they me see that as a sign that it’s ok to keep on pushing whatever food it is. Look around prior and plan what you would like to eat instead so you can easily tell them that you are choosing something else.

Provide a reason

Saying something as simple as “I’m full otherwise I would’ve loved to try it” or “I’m not really a fan of…)” are great ways to let the person know that you would have loved to try what they were offering but there is a reasoning behind why you cannot try it.

Say thank you and change the subject

A quick “thank you” followed by a change of subject can be a simple and direct way of getting the point across that you are not interested in having whatever they are offering you.

Offer to take some to-go

This is a great way to get someone to stop pushing food on you! It shows that you appreciate their offering and are interested in trying it but would like to do so at a later time.

Take a small portion

Although you might not want to eat what they are pushing, taking a small portion or a few bites worth should hopefully get them to stop pushing. Let them know you enjoy the food and if they offer more, simply say you are full.

Remember, it’s your body and you get to choose how you nourish it!