For context, I’m super pregnant right now. My husband (29M) and I (26F) have another child who is almost 3. I didn’t have a positive breastfeeding experience with her, I’m determined to have a better experience with our 2nd. His brother, my bil (30M) is a chronic yo-yo dieter. I personally think it’s annoying because he tries to get everyone else around him to try it. I’ve always politely said no thanks. My husband has told him several times to stop bringing it up to me, but he’s sneaky, and will ask when my husband is not in the room. I’ve just brushed it off as he’s insecure.There was one day when he and their sister (34F) were at our house and my husband had to use the bathroom. Bil asked me if I had done any research on how to loose weight when I have the baby. I had to take a deep breath so I didn’t snap. I told him I had no plans for that. Then he proceeds to tell me about some kind of diet that requires cutting out all kinds of foods and apparently the baby weight will just fall right off. I told him no thank you, I’m not worried about my weight and neither are my doctors or my husband. Then he pressed even further, all while my husband is taking a shit. He asked me if I had any diets in mind and he would like to research them for me to see if they were good for me. I laughed and said that I would be on the see food diet. I’ll see food and I’ll eat it, because with breastfeeding, you burn lots of calories, so I’ll probably be hungry all the time. He was visibly uncomfortable, but my sil was giggling. After my poor husband came out, bil suddenly decided he needed to take his dog for a walk. My husband asked if anything happened and I told him. He thought it was funny too and he was going to talk to his brother. I know I’m not the asshole, but part of me feels bad for the guy. If he’s this insecure, could I be the asshole by being as sarcastic as I was?
Was I Wrong for Snapping at My Brother-in-Law About My Post-Baby Diet?
This AITA story explores whether a pregnant woman was wrong for shutting down her brother-in-law’s persistent diet advice with a sarcastic joke.
A pregnant woman finally snapped after her brother-in-law repeatedly pushed unwanted dieting advice — and now she’s wondering if her sarcastic clap-back went too far.
The Backstory and Early Dynamics
The original poster (26F) is in the late stages of her second pregnancy. She and her husband (29M) already have a toddler nearing age three.
Her first breastfeeding experience was difficult, so this time she wants to focus on feeding, healing, and adjusting — not dieting.
Enter her brother-in-law (30M): a chronic yo-yo dieter.
He’s obsessed with whatever diet trend he’s currently following, and worse — he tries to recruit everyone around him to join. Despite her polite refusals and her husband repeatedly asking him to stop, he continued bringing it up when her husband wasn’t around.
She assumed it came from insecurity and brushed it off — until the day she couldn’t anymore.
The Moment Things Shifted
During a family visit, her husband stepped away for a minute — and her brother-in-law immediately went in.
He asked if she had researched ways to lose weight after the baby. She calmly told him she had no plans to diet and wasn’t worried about postpartum weight.
Instead of backing off, he doubled down — recommending restrictive dieting tips and claiming the weight would “fall right off” if she followed his rules. He even offered to “research” diets for her.
At this point, she was fighting the urge to snap.
The Final Confrontation
Finally done with the pressure, she delivered the line:
“I’ll be on the see food diet — I see food, and I eat it. I’ll be breastfeeding and starving, so I’ll eat whatever I want.”
Her sister-in-law giggled.
Her brother-in-law froze, visibly uncomfortable.
And the moment her husband returned, he got up and left abruptly to “walk the dog.”
The Fallout
She told her husband what happened. He laughed and said he’d talk to his brother (again).
She still feels a tiny bit guilty — not because he didn’t deserve the boundary, but because she knows his dieting obsession likely comes from insecurity.
Now she’s wondering: Was the sarcasm too much, or finally the boundary he needed?
What Reddit Thinks
Most commenters agree: She’s NOT the ahole.**
Likely vote: NTA
Example responses:
“He crossed the line the moment he ignored ‘no.’ Sarcasm was earned.”
“Pregnant or not — your body, your decision. He needs to mind his business.”
“You set the boundary politely multiple times. This was the funny version.”
Some softer voices added:
“He clearly struggles with body image. Still — that is NOT your burden.”
A Final Thought
A boundary isn’t rude just because someone didn’t like hearing it.
Sometimes the only way to make someone stop is to make the conversation uncomfortable — especially when they refuse to respect a polite “no.”
So what do YOU think:
Was the joke fair… or too harsh?
