How to handle weight loss compliments

czechwolf52
czechwolf52 Posts: 194 Member
in Success Stories
I've lost 10 lb so far and I'm about 15 lb away from my goal. It's been a hard 6 weeks but I'm loving the way that I'm changing and feeling and people are starting to notice. After being at school for 2 months I was just home for break and people started asking me if I've lost weight. Today when I went to my aunt's house for Easter, I wasn't even in the door 10 seconds and the first thing she said to me was "Wow, have you lost weight?" Inwardly I love the compliments, they encourage really me but, I'm rather shy, even around my family. My weight loss was mentioned a few other times and I love how my family is happy for me, but how do I take the compliment and then try to politely talk about something else? There are several major family events this summer so I know it's going to come up again and I want to be better prepared for next time.
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Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Try this:

    "Thank you".
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Smile and say 'Thank you.'

    Don't give in to the temptation to deny that you look good. Don't give in to the temptation to go into a long explanation of what you've been doing. If they want to know they'll ask, and you'll tell it briefly.

    But mostly, just 'Thank you.' Maybe 'Thanks, I feel good, too.' With a big smile.

    Then go into the bathroom, shut the door, and do a little happy dance.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    Yep. "Thank you" sums it up pretty well. I usually add "I've worked really hard" on to my thank you but then again no one has ever accused me of being shy!
  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
    Also, be prepared to answer to comments like "you lost weight. you look sick. how do you feel?". My aunt, bless her heart. She is wider than she is taller and somewhere between 350 and 400 lbs. Tells me that I look awful every time she sees me. And I am having to answer that I am on a managed weight loss program with total cholesterol at 138. This is about the only thing that shuts people up.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    I don't see the problem, if I had that success I'd be talking about it non stop, but thats just me :)
  • NikinCilla
    NikinCilla Posts: 129 Member
    Id :smile: & say thank you! Got to be better then "you have put on" or "you look sick".....embrace it be proud. I would too do the little dance in the bathroom hehe
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
    People keep asking me how I did it - like what "diet" I'm on?

    Discipline and exercise *****es!!
  • bnorris2013
    bnorris2013 Posts: 256 Member
    What stinks for me is my hubby has lost 32 lbs and you can really tell on him that he lost 32 lbs I mean you can see it no doubt
    I have lost 26.6 lbs and you cant see it on me so it stinks watching people gush over wow you look great to my hubby and then oh yah you lost weight to as like a pitty sorry you dont look like you lost weight LOL

    I carry my weight differently then my husband I know this and I am way shorter and I don't have the muscle mass he does so the time will come eventually probally another 10-20 lbs and people will be able to see the difference
  • icmuse
    icmuse Posts: 263 Member
    Try this:

    "Thank you".

    ^ You took it out of my mouth!
  • JosieJo2000
    JosieJo2000 Posts: 162 Member
    I get really embarrassed too. Sometimes I even where bigger clothes because I can't handle it! I even had the lady in the bakery making a big fuss and asking how I did it.

    As the others have said, a smile and "thank you" works wonders. Sometimes I just say I've been training for triathlons (which is true) and the weight just fell off (stupid lie!).

    It's been hard for me to accept I am thinner, I still feel like the fat girl. I think that's why I find it hard to hear the compliments, they don't seem real. Also, when people say "Wow, you've lost a huge amount of weight" it makes me think what they must have thought of me before and how big I really was.
  • AZ_Gato
    AZ_Gato Posts: 1,270 Member
    Just say Thank you. If you're shy, I'm sure they're well aware of how you are. Otherwise, I recommend you print out copies of this thread and hand them out to them. Laminate them so that they don't get food all over them and then you can reuse them

    ; )
  • Sarah_L_S
    Sarah_L_S Posts: 121
    Try 'thank you, it's kind of you to say so'. It returns the compliment :-)
  • mackemom
    mackemom Posts: 277 Member
    Thanks! I feel great!
  • flower_chops
    flower_chops Posts: 59 Member
    People keep asking me how I did it - like what "diet" I'm on?

    Discipline and exercise *****es!!

    This is the one that gets me the most. As if I'm going to suddenly announce this new way of losing weight that involves absolutely no effort and works for anyone no matter their lifestyle. Ihaven't lost nearly as much as some of the super inspiring people on here but, like them, every lb lost was hard earned and I am PROUD of that. So should you be :)
  • ehsan517
    ehsan517 Posts: 114
    Try this:

    "Thank you".

    this.
  • GingerBiscuit_19
    GingerBiscuit_19 Posts: 75 Member
    Well I'd rather be told ive lost weight rather than being asked if I was pregnant, as I was asked on saturday! Cheeky bugger....
  • missprincessgina
    missprincessgina Posts: 446 Member
    Accept the compliments ... say thank you! You'll be an inspiration for others :smile:
  • cjransom
    cjransom Posts: 42
    The biggest issue I have had really is them asking me how. I've lost 67 pounds and it took me over a year to get this far. I've had a LOT of compliments and a lot of "How did you do it...". When I tell a lot of them they act like it's too hard or that they can't do it. That's been the weirdest thing for me.

    For compliments I always say thank you. Just easier.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Yeah, I would just say thank you.. unless people ask what you are doing, there isn't much to say.
  • ericnealdavis
    ericnealdavis Posts: 66 Member
    What stinks for me is my hubby has lost 32 lbs and you can really tell on him that he lost 32 lbs I mean you can see it no doubt
    I have lost 26.6 lbs and you cant see it on me so it stinks watching people gush over wow you look great to my hubby and then oh yah you lost weight to as like a pitty sorry you dont look like you lost weight LOL

    I carry my weight differently then my husband I know this and I am way shorter and I don't have the muscle mass he does so the time will come eventually probally another 10-20 lbs and people will be able to see the difference

    My wife is in the same boat. Just keep at it. She has been frustrated with the lack of pounds lost, but she just bought new jeans a size smaller than she used to wear!
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I say, "Aww, Thank you." And hug them. But that's just me.
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    Well, I don't weigh, so I technically don't know if I've lost weight, but my body has definitely changed, so when people ASK if I've lost weight, I usually say smthg like, "I dunno, I hope so, I've been working out like crazy." haha If people just comment on my changes and give me a compliment, I usually just say, "Thank you".

    I think it's good to acknowledge your hard work when possible. If it were easy, everyone would do it--you should be proud. :)
  • needsalife3
    needsalife3 Posts: 56 Member
    Your post immediately caught my eye because it is one of my biggest fears in this whole thing. It sounds like you are way healthier in the way you think of it than me and I have lots more to lose than you do so it will be a long time till someone notices. I'm not shy, but I just don't want to talk about it. The only way I've finally come to the point that I was willing to lose weight (I keep the weight on to hold people at arms lenghth) is that I'm doing it totally for me. I really don't need the praise or notice. I do think "thank you" is the way to go. But every time I say that "thank you" will be difficult and I'll be internally wanting to flee the room. Good luck.
  • randee95
    randee95 Posts: 13 Member
    I went shopping this weekend with one of my friends who kept telling me how great I looked and how much weight I've lost. I just said "thank you" and changed the subject. She was mentioning how she wasn't eating the healthiest lunches so I gave her some recipe ideas :). I think spreading healthy knowledge on food and exercise is a great thank you too :)
  • brendadale1
    brendadale1 Posts: 90 Member
    Your post immediately caught my eye because it is one of my biggest fears in this whole thing. It sounds like you are way healthier in the way you think of it than me and I have lots more to lose than you do so it will be a long time till someone notices. I'm not shy, but I just don't want to talk about it. The only way I've finally come to the point that I was willing to lose weight (I keep the weight on to hold people at arms lenghth) is that I'm doing it totally for me. I really don't need the praise or notice. I do think "thank you" is the way to go. But every time I say that "thank you" will be difficult and I'll be internally wanting to flee the room. Good luck.

    Saying Thank You, its ok...to accept a compliment..if any further questions are ask as HOW you are losing tell them about MYFITNESSPAL and include its a free program:)
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    Try this:

    "Thank you".

    so punching someone in the face who said I was about to "shrivel up and blow away" was a bad response?
  • nomayo
    nomayo Posts: 228


    Then go into the bathroom, shut the door, and do a little happy dance.


    ^^ I thought I was the only one doing this hehe.
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I just thank people and sometimes mention I go running, other than that I just smile and move on!
  • CBell223
    CBell223 Posts: 36 Member
    This is a big issue for me. As a yo-yo dieter, with 200 lbs to lose, I've noticed that it is usually "the end" for me when I start getting compliments. Trying to understand why that is, I've only been able to come up with a few ideas. 1) I would rather pretend that people just don't notice my weight, but when comments start coming, I know that they are. 2) I take the compliment on as pressure or an obligation I now have, to that person, to continue losing, and not gain it back. 3) I feel shame about what they must have thought about me before I lost any weight, and what they will be silently thinking if I gain it back.
    So, I don't know what my answer will be. "Thank you" is a fine idea, but only if I can stop abusing myself with the above. For now, I'm at the beginning of my journey, at it will be a long one, so I'm hoping I've got a little time to figure this out. My main goal at this point is to just eat in a less extreme way, so it can become a "life style change" rather than a "diet".
    Great topic. I'm glad I'm not the only one that struggles with it.
  • ForABetterMe89
    ForABetterMe89 Posts: 196
    I just say thank you, I feel great and move on. Although I secretly love talking about my weight loss because it keeps me motivated.

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