Reaction of Strangers

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cmayoung
cmayoung Posts: 38 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have noticed recently that since I have lost a considerable amount of weight, people I don't know are so friendly towards me. I have always been very outgoing, friendly, and smile a lot! It just seems like now, out of nowhere, women will compliment an outfit or a piece of jewelry that I am wearing. I rarely had that happen before I lost the weight. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar reactions?

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  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    So true!

    Unfortunately we (everyone) is nicer to people who fit our norms of beauty. To be thin is to be pretty in today's modern society. Also, I am not up on the research but if you look around for fatness/obesity and invisibility you'll see this is very common. It's actually a mechanism that causes some people to gain the weight back because they are so uncomfortable with the increased attention. Not sure why humans tend to block out/ignore overweight folks, but it is what it is...
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    I have noticed recently that since I have lost a considerable amount of weight, people I don't know are so friendly towards me. I have always been very outgoing, friendly, and smile a lot! It just seems like now, out of nowhere, women will compliment an outfit or a piece of jewelry that I am wearing. I rarely had that happen before I lost the weight. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar reactions?

    Absolutely! It is not fair but it just is how it is. My husband laughs at the respect I command just walking into a room, he says I'm extended lots of capabilities that I have not yet earned, people want my opinion, and they want success to rub off on them. It's human nature 101. And like the previous commenter said, when you are over weight you are ignored. My husband says I went from being an ink blot to commanding respect.

    But also when you feel better about yourself and you are fit, you exert a certain confidence that people notice.
  • cmayoung
    cmayoung Posts: 38 Member
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    But also when you feel better about yourself and you are fit, you exert a certain confidence that people notice.

    This is so true!
  • Carrievaught
    Carrievaught Posts: 25
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    That is so sad. I'm not overweight, but I am gaining weight. I am they type of person people tend to ignore anyway unless I'm doing something for them. I understand how you feel, and I'm really sorry that people wanna ignore you because you're overweight. I'm just happy you're getting healthy.
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
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    Oh yes. When I was at my heaviest, I often thought about how weird it felt to be so conspicuous and so very invisible at the same time. I think I'm a very smiley, approachable person and always have been, but people see me and acknowledge me as a human being more now, where before I felt they looked right through me as if I wasn't there.
  • Simone_King
    Simone_King Posts: 467 Member
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    Yes, I have been having people give me more attention too. Why does 32 pounds matter? (I know it matters but still.)

    I even had a co worker try and ask me out...Now, he saw me before I lost weight. Now, suddenly he thinks I am...nice enough to ask out?

    Is there something wrong with this picture. (I turned him flat down anyway. He's not my type.)

    However, I am now getting people who also realized I lost weight and tell me how good I look. I had one woman at the gym tell me that this morning. It was so good that my confidence is now up too.

    I just don't get as to why people treat you different when you suddenly become more heathly.

    However, I have two coworkers that have become rather..Cold to me.

    o_o;

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