Weird situation, would you have handled it any different?

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500lbs2marathon
500lbs2marathon Posts: 542 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Interesting story from yesterday... I was at Marshalls looking thru the clothes, and there were 2 young guys looking at the same rack too. They took this shirt off the rack and held it up, it was a size 6x shirt, and they started joking about how big it was. they turned to me and saw me looking at them, I said yeah, thats a big shirt, just kinda hard for me to joke about it seeing I used to wear that size. One guy said to me, seriously?

I explained to him how I used to be almost 500lbs, and I showed them my before pic on my phone. Their mouths both literally dropped and were in total disbelief! They at first apologized, and I said it was fine, Im just glad that Im no longer needing that size, but still hard to joke about it since I was once there.

My question to the MFP forums, if this had happened to you, would you have handled it differently? How and why? Just curious, cause this was the first time something like this has happened to me.
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Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Hard to put into context since I don't share your experience or accomplishments. I probably wouldn't have said anything, however in this case it looks like it worked out well and I bet those guys will probably be a bit more considerate in the future.

    EDIT: And congrats!
  • bklyngirl71
    bklyngirl71 Posts: 381 Member
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    maybe they learned their leasson about commenting on sizes of clothing. you never know who would be around when they would be joking. i think you handled with grace!
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
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    I think you handled it quite well. I might have added that while some people become overweight through carelessness, others may have been sick and had no choice.
  • BeeElMarvin
    BeeElMarvin Posts: 2,086 Member
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    I think you handled it well. I probably would have just ignored them and gone off angry - not as healthy as the way you handled it, sorry to say.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Well, you could have kept silent or you could have shared.

    I know you felt slightly embarassed sharing your story with strangers, but I think you should feel really proud of yourself and how much you've accomplished.

    Who knows, maybe those young men have some sort of issue that they're dealing with and success with your weight loss journey may have been just what they needed to hear.

    *pat on the back*

    Shannon
  • allierae14
    allierae14 Posts: 167
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    I think you handled it well. You taught them a life lesson, which is something I am sure they will never forget.
  • noneya2010
    noneya2010 Posts: 446 Member
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    Interesting story from today... I was at Marshalls looking thru the clothes, and there were 2 young guys looking at the same rack too. They took this shirt off the rack and held it up, it was a size 6x shirt, and they started joking about how big it was. they turned to me and saw me looking at them, I said yeah, thats a big shirt, just kinda hard for me to joke about it seeing I used to wear that size. One guy said to me, seriously?

    I explained to him how I used to be almost 500lbs, and I showed them my before pic on my phone. Their mouths both literally dropped and were in total disbelief! They at first apologized, and I said it was fine, Im just glad that Im no longer needing that size, but still hard to joke about it since I was once there.

    My question to the MFP forums, if this had happened to you, would you have handled it differently? How and why? Just curious, cause this was the first time something like this has happened to me.

    I think you handled it fabulously. I hate, hate HATE to hear how people are mocked and put down for their size and even in a situation like that where it is an article of clothing they were making fun of, I think it made a good point to them in a way in which they could relate to without putting them down. By sharing your story with them, you made it "real" to them and I bet they will think twice before they say something like that again.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    Sounds like you took it as an opportunity to educate them. Also, you didn't get all offended and cop an attitude. Sounds like it went well.
  • mleoni092708
    mleoni092708 Posts: 629 Member
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    Good for you! I think what you said humbled them and they will be more thoughtful next time when "judging" people for being overweight.
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,208 Member
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    I think the way you handled it was perfectly done. If I were in your situation, I don't know what I would have said or done.

    Congrats on your loss!
  • kidtechnical
    kidtechnical Posts: 146
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    I think you dealt with it really well :-) It doesn't sound like you pushed your story on them, it just came up and they've learned from it (hopefully).
  • ritaadkins2002
    ritaadkins2002 Posts: 371 Member
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    i think u handled it the right way....and it is hard ...some people doesn;t understand ...if they were in our shoes, they would see how hard it could be being this big. But there are alot of people who still from this day make fun of big people, and they shouldn't .u done the right thing.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    I tend to have a sense of humor about anything. I've pulled clothes out of my own closet and compared them to camping gear so I can't say I would have been offended. I think you did handle it well and showing them your own success story probably gave them a little life lesson.

    :happy:
  • iAMaPhoenix
    iAMaPhoenix Posts: 1,038 Member
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    Perfect solution...I do the same thing when I am around people who speak Creole which is the language of my mother's homeland, Haiti. I once had a lady who was blasting my son about how he was acting like a spoiled brat, which he was at the time. You should see the look of shame and surprise on her face when I responded to her in Creole. Goes to show, not everything is as it appears at face value...
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    I love that you shared with them. I think you handled it with finesse that only you could. Now, they may actually THINK before poking fun at others.
  • Bronx_Montgomery
    Bronx_Montgomery Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I think you handled it perfectly. Most people would have stayed quiet or went off the handle but you stayed calmed. Explained your story and how you use to be there and maybe inspired them in a way. You showed them that they shouldn't make fun of those who are overweight but possibly help them. You showed them that it can be done with support and motivation. If anything they will look at the world differently then they did.

    I applaud you Gary!!
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
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    I think you handled it wonderfully!!! Kudos to you for making them think about their actions without condemnation.
  • Caperfae
    Caperfae Posts: 433
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    How you handled it was perfect, in my opinion.
    I'm shy and probably wouldn't have said anything but I live how you went about it and showed a before picture.

    Served them up some humble pie. Maybe they will think twice before making comments like that in the future.

    Congratulations on your accomplishment!!
  • unmitigatedbadassery
    unmitigatedbadassery Posts: 653 Member
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    I think you handled it just fine. It's always better to educate than to beat the s*** out them.
  • benodie
    benodie Posts: 231 Member
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    you handled it perfectly in my opinion! I would probably have lost my temper or thrown a sarky comment their way . .which would be completely wrong :embarassed: . . well done you probably educated them!

    HUGE congrats on your acheivements by the way! :bigsmile:

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