the criticism... AH!

I am in the same boat! I wear a size 14 and when people ask me what size I wear they say "No way! You don't look bigger than a 10!". UUUUMMMM yes, I do. I definitely do. They are obviously not familiar with female sizing or sizing charts.

Don't let other people get you down, though. You are doing this for YOU. YOU are the one that is unhappy about YOUR weight so YOU should be proud of YOURSELF for trying. YOU can do this!

I try to think about all the invasive questions as misguided compliments and odd encouragement.

What really bugs me is loved ones who try to feed me "treats" because I'm doing so well and deserve it lol, cookies / cake / ice cream / ect got me this fat *kitten*, I'm to going to reward myself with them thankyouverymuch

People are so rude sometimes. I don't see why they think they have the right to interrogate you about your weight/diet. I've had something similar happen to me. I started out at 240 and I am only 5'2"...I'm now 197.4, and people are noticing, mostly in a good way. But then I tell them I still have almost 70 pounds to lose and most people freak out. "You don't need to lose that much! You'll make yourself sick! You'll look anorexic! You should only go down to about 150." Um....excuse me? Was there a point where I asked you for your input on the matter??? 130 is in the "normal" weight range for my height and age. Both of my sisters are around that weight and the same height as I am, and they are both healthy...not to mention the fact that my "ideal weight" is 95-115 (which I think is absolutely ridiculous! I'm a grown woman, not a 14 year old.) Anyway, I say you should just tell them to butt out. YOU know your body and what you need to do for your well-being.

Hehe, sorry for the venting...

**gasp**

In some way, they feel they're giving you a compliment. Instead, they should just say "Great!" or "Good luck to you".

I don't mind people telling me I look smaller than I really am....but it annoys me when people say "you should lose..." or "you can't hide that gut"

I COMPLETELY get what you're saying! I've had that problem too.

I have lost 64 pounds so people are asking ALL kinds of questions. When they ask me how much I have lost I just smile and say
" a lot" they usually don't know what to say and just agree that it looks like I have lost a lot, some people then tell me I look great.
I don't bother the tell anyone that I would like to drop 30 to 40 more pounds. They really don't need to know.

I completely understand and agree with you. Other people have no right to tell you that you don't need to lose weight and that you can't possibly weigh as much as you told them. Only you are the judge of your body and you are the one to make the decisions about how to treat your body. Do it for YOU

Yeah. At my heaviest I was 220. I'm 5'9" and most everyone was all, "You don't weigh that much!" or "You really don't look it", I see those pictures of me then and there's no way in heck that people "didn't see it". I was overweight. I was round. I know because of my height, I did carry it a little better... until I hit 200. I think then it was a little more obvious. Now, I'm back down to 165 and only 5 lbs from my goal weight. I look like a completely different person, but I look like I had always looked before I gained all that weight. So I'm happy and I think that other people will stop asking questions like that when they see how happy you are.

I think that being overweight has become more acceptable in the past few years because so many people are overweight and they feel like it's easier to accept it than to change it. Now, being "skinny" is not normal. If you want to look think and healthy, people get threatened and say things like, "You'll look sick". What they really are thinking is, "You'll be thinner than me and I'll feel insecure around you". Don't let it keep you from achieving your goals.

I have the same problem. I'm your height and about 160 and I wear a 11/12. But people never believe me, they think I'm like 125 and wear a 5/7. You never know if they are truly complimenting you or if they don't want to agree that you look the weight you do. I think the public in general in America has gotten so big that its normal and we think big is skinny sometimes, but I want to be healthy! My family are the only people who will honestly tell me it's noticable I've gained weight. I also hate it when they try to bring you down and make you feel bad about wanting to lose weight. I'm going to follow the BMI chart the doctor gave me which says to be healthy I need to lose weight! I've decided not to tell anyone except my family, because people won't support you on it unless you are really overweight. haha, you just keep doing what your doing, good job on what you have lost so far =D

Sometimes people want to be helpful, but they just don't know how to say the right thing. It can be annoying for people like us trying to lose weight, but I don't think they really intend to be jerks. They're trying to sympathize, but doing a poor job at it. If it really bothers you, then I'd keep mum about your weight loss goal, or only share it with people that will truly be supportive of you. I announce my weight loss goals because I think it helps to keep me accountable. I figure, people will be watching and waiting for a slip up, and are hopefully supportive of my goals.... so if I mess up, my friends will point it out (I don't mind), but they'll also give me a pat on the back when I succeed. It's all what you feel comfortable with though...

Shannon