Things People Say When You've Lost Weight

Starrynightgrl45

It really bugs me when I am at work or with friends and I get comments like "You're wasting away!" and "You don't need to lose anymore weight, you look good". I know they are trying to be supportive, but it really irritates me. I am only half way to my goal, I am still considered obese, and telling me to stop is the opposite of being helpful.

*rantover*

Anyone else get stupid comments from people trying to "help"?

Chimis_Siq

It really bugs me when I am at work or with friends and I get comments like "You're wasting away!" and "You don't need to lose anymore weight, you look good". I know they are trying to be supportive, but it really irritates me. I am only half way to my goal, I am still considered obese, and telling me to stop is the opposite of being helpful.

*rantover*

Anyone else get stupid comments from people trying to "help"?

Just remember people don't like change. They see you changing...in a positive light and they are in the same spot-whatever that is. Humans are jealous by nature. Be flattered. Its all how you look at. When they say "you're wasting away!" ..say "aw-thank you! Smile" ...You will get a different reaction and even probably feel differently towards that comment.

ButterflyDame

Yeah I have to agree, usually, but not always they come from people who probably should be doing the same thing

phred_52

Just be goofy like me and say "thanks, i welcome any and all compliments" and smile. I'm not a sensitive person really. Though I do understand what you're saying. People will be people.

pinkncrazee

The first time I dropped a serious amount of weight, most people would give compliments. But the ones that stuck with me were the ones who asked if I had been sick! I guess they were just used to me being heavy through out my teen years. It effected me then, think I'm outta that stage though!

goldied01

Yes, I do know what you mean. I get WHAT DID YOU DO HAVE GASTRIC BYPASS?! or WHAT PILL DID YOU TAKE? How Rude!!!!!! But, there are the others that ask what I did. I'm happy to tell them, but, what worked for me, might not work for others. So, I give them my two cents and hope it helps.
Congratulations on your weight loss. You look Fantastic!!!

jipis

WHAT PILL DID YOU TAKE?

The reply to this is simple! "The pill called getoffmylazyassandworkforit!"

ppotoch

WHAT PILL DID YOU TAKE?

The reply to this is simple! "The pill called getoffmylazyassandworkforit!"

I wish there was a "Like" button like on Facebook!

I'm most irritated by people who tell me that I don't need to lose any more weight. Really? What exactly are your qualifications to make that determination for me? My doctor, my trainer, and the BMI charts beg to differ...

vanillacoffee

Ive gotten this exact thing. "You still want to lose HOW much?"

Keep on keeping on. You know whats best for you!

goalaska

[/quote]

Just remember people don't like change. They see you changing...in a positive light and they are in the same spot-whatever that is. Humans are jealous by nature...
[/quote]

Totally agree with this. After my first round of weight loss from 159lbs to 128lbs (21 pounds) an obese aunt of mine would hint to everyone that I had an eating disorder. Said aunt is now doing a liquid shake program to shift the pounds. So I guess people who have a problem with your weight loss success are insecure and need to address that rather than projecting their issues onto people who are making a real effort to better themselves.

Now that I'm doing MFP for the next 20 pounds, my whole family is freaking out that I'm going to die of starvation haha gotta love Europeans

kristen2713

WHAT PILL DID YOU TAKE?

The reply to this is simple! "The pill called getoffmylazyassandworkforit!"

I wish there was a "Like" button like on Facebook!

Agree! and love this!!

But seriously, I also completely understand what you're saying!! I keep hearing that now, and I'm just losing the last bit and toning...i also get a lot of, do you even eat anymore?? I'd like to tell them, ummmm..yeah, like wayyy more than most people!

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a better and fit you!! Keep up your hard work and don't let the jealousy stop you!!

sparklelioness

"Did you lose, like, a ton of weight?"

Lol. She meant well though, and honestly I thought it was funny. Besides, I DID lose, like, a ton of weight

jniels1975

People always stay stupid things. I was at my goal weight and some skinny snot told me to keep working because the last 10 pounds are the hardest. I was so offended, I guess I wasn't thin enough for her. BTW she was not all that.

GatorLex82

That happened to me the last time I lost a decent amount of weight. I lost 30 lbs but was still pretty far above my goal (healthy) weight and a friend kept asking me if I was sick and saying "what do you weigh? like 100 lbs?!!" HELL NO, if I was that skinny I wouldn't have had to lose 30 lbs!! It was ridiculous because it was just a comparison with how I looked before the weight loss. Turned out I really was sick so who knows if the illness (cancer) helped/caused the weight loss or just coincidence, but why can't people just say "you look great!!"?? No comparison needed. I mean, does anyone think that saying you look sickly or wasted away is a compliment??

seltzermint555

Yeah people just don't think! I would rather hear annoying comments like these, though, than comments about what I eat specifically like people who preach Paleo to me.

I get a lot of "you're wasting away" and for me that's got a very negative connotation...definitely doesn't seem like a compliment and I know they probably just mean I've lost weight but I tend to imagine that I look all drawn and unhealthy when people say that!

I've also got a few "Where is the REST OF YOU!?" and I think that's just sorta weird and rude to say to someone.

(edited to add that while I'm down 38 lb from March, I have lost around 80 lb in the past 4-5 years)

TheFatGoesInRoom101

I am about half way through my weight loss goal so far and am already getting the "you're wasting away" crap from people (and the usual feeling of shoulders and elbows from mum trying to find some "bones" (way to go before that happens yet!) The worst is some of the girls at work who have been talking about losing weight for ages but undo everything good by going on a pie and chips binge at the weekend and they can't seem to help looking me up and down whenever I have to talk to them about something....and not with a smile on their faces either! I think the comments here about people not liking change, being jealous etc are all valid and you just have to do what's right for you. It can be very hurtful sometimes (one which really got me was "you'd better not throw away your big clothes because you might need them again"....i.e. "this is just a phase you're going through"), but you have to develop a sort of bloody-minded attitude to it all and keep up that regular exercise and stick to your food diary. If people ask how you do it, give them the basics but don't go into too much detail as you'll either find people challenging something which clearly works for you or saying "yeah I'll do that" but then completely ignoring half the advice and telling you a couple of weeks later that (surprise surprise) it didn't work for them......keep going everyone and don't be put off by negative nellies!

glenelliott5872

I suggest that most comments should be taken as compliments and if they are not then a thick skin may still be required

Lyerin

I hate it when people say things about me being "skinny." Um, I'm still "obese" according to the BMI scale and am still 30+ pounds from a "healthy" weight for my height. I'm definitely not skinny. Have I lost a lot of weight? Do I look a lot better than I did before? Am I healthier and happier now? All yes, but I'm not skinny by any stretch of the imagination.

I usually just respond with thanks, but I still have a long way to go. I don't want anyone to think that I'm perceiving myself as "done." I won't be "done" ever. This is just how I live now.

imeldita15

I agree with Glenelliot. Take these as compliments. I get some comments too, but they are not killing me. There are worse things to get annoyed over. Get over it.

Chimis_Siq

Just remember people don't like change. They see you changing...in a positive light and they are in the same spot-whatever that is. Humans are jealous by nature...
[/quote]

Totally agree with this. After my first round of weight loss from 159lbs to 128lbs (21 pounds) an obese aunt of mine would hint to everyone that I had an eating disorder. Said aunt is now doing a liquid shake program to shift the pounds. So I guess people who have a problem with your weight loss success are insecure and need to address that rather than projecting their issues onto people who are making a real effort to better themselves.

Now that I'm doing MFP for the next 20 pounds, my whole family is freaking out that I'm going to die of starvation haha gotta love Europeans
[/quote]

Im glad you agree. Isnt it funny the same ones that ask you questions negatively or talk bad are the ones that "secretly" try to then lose weight and want you to be happy for them? LOL..people are funny creatures!

mazmataz

Totally agree with the above - it's a strange phenomenon! I think it can come from not only a place of jealousy, but also friends and family worry that if you change so dramatically on the outside, you won't be the same person on the inside.

I remember when I was a kid my mum lost a tonne of weight. Everyone was complimenting her and congratulating her...but I hated it, I felt like she wasn't the same mum I had known my whole life! She looked different, dressed differently and had a new air of confidence which meant she acted a little differently too. I was only 9 or so, so didn't really "get it", but it makes me see where that kind of behaviour comes from.

brendacs21

Back in 2007 i was about 140, still considered overweight for my height and i was still working on losing about another 15 lbs.... anyway i bumped into people i hadnt seen in years and the last time they saw me i was about 180 or so. i kept getting asked if i was ok, if i was sick etc. i felt i looked the best i had in years,, but to them i looked sick because i wasnt as big as i used to be!

LorinaLynn

They mean it as a compliment.

Would you prefer to say, "I'm about halfway to my goal..." and have some respond, "You sure that's going to be enough?"

bridgie101

It really bugs me when I am at work or with friends and I get comments like "You're wasting away!" and "You don't need to lose anymore weight, you look good". I know they are trying to be supportive, but it really irritates me. I am only half way to my goal, I am still considered obese, and telling me to stop is the opposite of being helpful.

*rantover*

Anyone else get stupid comments from people trying to "help"?

I find that stuff totally dishonest and manipulative. They think they mean well but they actually don't. Because the reality is that it undermines your will to continue.

bridgie101

They mean it as a compliment.

Would you prefer to say, "I'm about halfway to my goal..." and have some respond, "You sure that's going to be enough?"

They're always welcome to keep their personal comments to themselves. How does that saying go? "Your opinion of me is none of my business." and to hear the lies. You know it's lies, you see. It's just lies and you have to pretend to be thick enough to believe them, and that's an insult to your intelligence.

If they want to be nice they could say 'wow, you're looking better!' Which might even be TRUE.

manda1978

My MIL tells me I lost weight so othe rmen would perve on me... I've been with my husband (ie her son) for 18yrs She fails to understand that I did it for me, my health and to ensure I'm here fo rmy family. Oh and she's just been diagnosed with diabetes.. on top of her crazy high cholesterol, and had her gastric band removed as 'it doesn't work'.

miadhail

"What's your secret?!"

Urgh. And after telling them that it is all dedication, healthy eating and exercise, they just raise their brows in disbelief.

aszwarc

I get the old, "You've lost weight! How much have you lost?"

And most of those people don't take "a lot" or some other vague response for an answer. I'm usually so shocked by the question that I don't remember my planned canned response, which is, "I can't believe you would ask me that question." Because it really is nobody's business exactly how much I've lost.

Another one that's popped up fairly frequently is, "Did you lose it on purpose?" or "Have you been sick?" Which, as a friend pointed out, is also incredibly rude.

Then there's "You can stop now" or "You're starting to look gaunt" or "You're wasting away." And the one my boss uses, which I also hate, is, "She's half the Ann she was." No, I'm 65% of the Ann I was, not that it's any of your, or our customers', business.

RepsnSets

I get embarrassed when people comment on my weight loss. Makes me want to hide somewhere.

When people want to know how I have done it I just say Im eating less and exercising more. I dont go into the nitty gitty, cause I find they lose interest if I bark on about heavy liftiing lol

aszwarc

"What's your secret?!"

Urgh. And after telling them that it is all dedication, healthy eating and exercise, they just raise their brows in disbelief.

SO MUCH THIS.

Also related: How did you do it? What plan are you following? and What did you do? But nobody ever believes me when I say "counting calories and watching portion sizes." They all want some magic formula or miracle pill

And sub-related to that are the people who then see me eating things like ice cream or bread and say, "I thought you couldn't eat that on a diet." To which I respond, "I'm not on a diet."

Ed98043

What people have said to me so far:


NOTHING! :sad:

I'll take a "What's your secret" any time...