"you look sick"

Yep I get that.. And what makes it worse is that it's the people that told me I need to lose weight in the first place. They now say don't lose anymore you look sick... What is wrong with People ??

It is just something you're going to have to deal with. People associate drastic weight loss with medical issues like cancer, HIV, etc, so seeing someone they know lose a great deal of weight makes them concerned. It is just their way of letting you know that they care about you.

Just smile, laugh it off, and assure them that you're fine.

Maybe they meant you look sick in a good way, kinda like "That car looks sick!!!!"

I hear it almost every day by my nice old lady neighbor. Apparently thick men was a good quality back in her day.

Yep, never had a lean person tell me that. Most of them were at least 30 lbs overweight.

Do you often hear this from people who are themselves thin? Or is it more from people who could stand to lose a few pounds? :huh:

Both, mainly from people who are overweight, but sometimes from people who are not overweight but don't work out.

Ah. Sounds like a case of "you're making me look fatter by comparison, stop that." :huh:

Yep.
Coworker: You should stop losing weight, you're starting to look sick!
Me: You should start losing weight, you've always looked fat!
<wait for reaction>

Losing 80 pounds and moving from obese to normal size is a dramatic physical change. Face, neck, shoulders, etc - entire body has shrunk. You don't look like you.

If you've been fat your entire adult life, nobody has seen the real you before. Shocking change = "maybe he's sick".

Anyway, see what people who meet you (i.e. never knew the fat you) think. They probably won't think "sick", because they don't have that previous frame of reference, and you just look normal to them.

There are people who look terrible after big weight losses. Look at Al Sharpton these days, or even Al Roker right after he lost his weight. Al Sharpton looks sick and Al Roker does not look good.

I think sometimes these comments are made from jealousy or a warped sense of correct body weight. Sometimes, though, people do go too far with their weight loss and they do look sick. If you don't, ignore the comments. If you think you might, be introspective.

Someone asked me if I was on drugs. That was nice.

Yes! & it's comments like that that made me so self conscious of my new body. If anything I was more self conscious when I was thinner than when I was overweight. But without people telling me this, I wouldn't have turned to heavy lifting. So in a way I'm kind of thankful.

In my 20s, I once went from 299 to 227 less than a year, not even really on purpose, by drinking tons of Diet Coke and eating just eggs, mushrooms, shredded cheese, steamed rice with pepper and butter on it, and spring rolls. Very few calories and no exercise at all. EVERYONE thought I looked sick. I even thought I looked sick. My eyes were bugging out like Christina Ricci's but that isn't what I normally look like.

I've now gone from 307 to 262 over the course of about 3 years, and then 262 to 209 in the past 8 months. Counting calories, eating a huge range of food (mostly healthy but lots of treats too) and exercising. No one has said I look sick this time at all, and I don't think I look it either.

However, my husband went from about 400 lb to 220 lb when he was younger (and has kept it off for a decade) and people STILL tell him he looks sick. He is a pale, redhead guy and when he was 300+ lb he always had a very red, ruddy complexion and people aren't used to his nice creamy, barely rosy complexion when he is thinner. Also he's smaller, of course. :-)

I wouldn't worry about it if you are healthy!

Yes, indeed. Got called in to my dean's office after loosing 30 pounds: to make sure I didn't have cancer or something :embarassed: . Now, I hear 'you are too thin', 'don't loose any more weight'- and yes at my age (56) certain skin is now kind of wrinkly where it used to be smooth:sad: . I have decided I am ok :indifferent: with smaller, more wrinkled arms, ab and neck if I am healthier and feel good; even if it is a bit aging.

I've been told that I look sick and a few family members have made wise-*kitten* remarks about me having an ED, which I don't find particularly funny. They'd throw a damn hissy fat if I said something like "You look like you should have your own gravitational pull," so I don't think it's very respectful or considerate of them to make comments about me being thinner.

The reality is-how you look, how much you eat and how much you weigh is really none of their business. As long as it's healthy, I say screw 'em. Chances are, the people making such comments would probably benefit from looking at themselves in the mirror before passing judgment on others.

Just tell them "Nah, I'm not sick, it's just a normal side effect of all the crack and meth". Bet they don't comment again.