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" Almost everyone has tried to drop pounds at some point, whether it&amp;#039;s post-baby, to get healthier or for a special event like a wedding or a reunion. But even if you&amp;#039;ve dabbled in diets yourself, that doesn&amp;#039;t mean you should comment on other people&amp;#039;s efforts. &amp;quot;You may think you&amp;#039;re being supportive, but weight loss can be an emotionally charged topic for many people,&amp;quot; says Michael R. Lowe, PhD, professor of psychology at Drexel University and research advisor to Weight Watchers. &amp;quot;Offering unsolicited advice is seldom welcome.&amp;quot; Here&amp;#039;s what not to say to anyone trying to lose weight. 1. &amp;quot;But I made this treat just for you!&amp;quot;  This puts your friend or family member in an awkward position: She may not want to hurt your feelings if you prepared one of her favorite dishes, but she doesn&amp;#039;t want to be be pressured to eat. This comment can also make someone feel as if you&amp;#039;re trying to sabotage her hard work. &amp;quot;The danger with pushing food is that a temporary lapse can turn into a permanent lapse,&amp;quot; explains Brooke Bailer, PhD, clinical psychologist at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania. It&amp;#039;s fine to ask, &amp;quot;Is there anything else I can get for you instead?&amp;quot; but don&amp;#039;t insist that she indulge. 2. &amp;quot;Just have one bite!&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;One little piece won&amp;#039;t hurt!&amp;quot; As a person learns to make smarter food choices, it can be easy to derail her. &amp;quot;&amp;#039;One little piece&amp;#039; in the afternoon may lead to an evening of poor choices,&amp;quot; says Jen Emmert, who blogs about her nearly 100-pound weight loss at Prior Fat Girl. &amp;quot;People who are fighting to be healthier need to be vigilant all the time.&amp;quot; Like the first comment, this may seem innocuous, but it could push her into a lapse she&amp;#039;ll regret, which certainly doesn&amp;#039;t help her. Skip this kind of talk, and let her find her own balance. 3. &amp;quot;Let&amp;#039;s celebrate by going out to dinner!&amp;quot; Not all social events have to involve food. If you know someone is trying to lose weight, &amp;quot;offer an open-ended suggestion,&amp;quot; suggests Edward Abramson, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of It&amp;#039;s NOT Just Baby Fat: 10 Steps to Help Your Child to a Healthy Weight. &amp;quot;Ask &amp;#039;what should we do to celebrate?&amp;#039; and let her decide.&amp;quot; There are countless ways to spend time together without eating. Try a movie, play, museum visit, trip to the park or pedicure. 4. &amp;quot;Are you sure you should eat that?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;When the waitress brought a sundae for me to share with the table on my birthday, a family member suggested I wait for fruit at home instead,&amp;quot; says Sarah Krise of Anthem, AZ, who&amp;#039;s lost 50 pounds in the last six months. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s annoying to be told how to eat.&amp;quot; While reminders may be attempts to help, &amp;quot;they treat the person like a child, which no adult enjoys,&amp;quot; says Lowe. Just hold your tongue under these circumstances, even if you think your fellow diner is making a mistake. 5. &amp;quot;You don&amp;#039;t need to diet. You look fine the way you are.&amp;quot; Perhaps you&amp;#039;re trying to reassure your pal that she&amp;#039;s attractive at her current size. Just remember: &amp;quot;Weight-loss goals aren&amp;#039;t always about looks,&amp;quot; notes Jennifer Swafford, who blogs about her nearly 100-pound weight loss at It Sux to Be Fat. &amp;quot;Maybe she&amp;#039;s battling high blood pressure or diabetes. She needs encouragement, not your opinion.&amp;quot; While it&amp;#039;s true that a person who&amp;#039;s losing weight may be excited when she&amp;#039;s making progress, refrain from remarking on her appearance. Instead, focus on the change in her behavior, says Bailer. Ask something like, &amp;quot;How are you doing it?&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;What changes have you made?&amp;quot; 6. &amp;quot;Have you thought about trying the XYZ diet? Or supplements? Or surgery?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;There are many different ways to lose weight successfully; it&amp;#039;s about individual preferences,&amp;quot; says Bailer. &amp;quot;Questioning a person&amp;#039;s choice may make her second-guess herself, which isn&amp;#039;t helpful.&amp;quot; Plus, no matter how you word it, the implicit message is insulting, says Abramson. &amp;quot;These questions make it sound as if you know more than she does or that she isn&amp;#039;t capable of making her own decisions.&amp;quot; A better way to offer encouragement: Ask how you can support her. And be sure to let her make the suggestions; again, no one wants to be told when or what to eat. 7. &amp;quot;Dieters aren&amp;#039;t any fun&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Why can&amp;#039;t you live a little?&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;Being healthy is about living,&amp;quot; says Emmert. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s what might help a person live longer.&amp;quot; Besides, a person trying to lose weight probably doesn&amp;#039;t expect you to skip seconds or dessert every time you&amp;#039;re together, so her restraint shouldn&amp;#039;t ruin your good time. It&amp;#039;s still smart to consider food-free activities you can do together, whether it&amp;#039;s biking, scrapbooking or taking a day trip. 8. &amp;quot;I tried that diet and gained back all the weight.&amp;quot; You accomplish nothing with a gloomy comment like this. &amp;quot;Just because you couldn&amp;#039;t keep the weight off doesn&amp;#039;t mean your friend or family member can&amp;#039;t,&amp;quot; says Emmert. &amp;quot;Words are powerful. Build the person up; don&amp;#039;t break her down.&amp;quot; The bottom line: The old adage your mom told you holds true. &amp;quot;If you can&amp;#039;t say something nice, say nothing at all,&amp;quot; says Lowe. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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