The greatest compliment

A recent one that I really liked happened when I went for a quick visit to my hometown. A friend of mine is teaching Zumba there at a new studio. The owner (very fit yogi) was helping me to fill out the release forms. There was a question asking participants to rate their general fitness level from 1 to 5, with 5 being VERY fit. He said, "Well, you definitely look like a 5."

I do? OK!

I get told two or three times a year that I swim like a Flamenco dancer. I don't really do Flamenco, but my grandmother did, and she taught me how to swim. Huge compliment for me. I've also had people tell me they want to film me swimming because I have a beautiful stroke...also very nice.

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

Alidecker wrote: »

My favorite compliment is "You are such an inspiration" After I lost a lot of weight, I got this from people who were not overweight...I inspired them to get fit. That felt awesome

ETA The "Have you lost weight" compliment is also wonderful though

That's so funny, because this one makes me SO uncomfortable. I have no idea why, either!

Ditto.

I don't want to be someone else's inspiration. I don't want people to be depending on me to lose weight. What happens if I fail and gain it all back?

I know I'm probably reading too much into it, but that's what goes through my head. It's just a lot of pressure that I really don't need.

A friend half my size said she wished she had an *kitten* as good as mine. That was pretty nice.

I've been getting comments everyday at work for the past couple of weeks, from different people. I personally love hearing it. My favourite one was one of the guys here, he's super fit and always at the gym when I am (we have a gym at work). He is a quiet, more serious kind of guy. He came up to me and said "I've been wanting to ask you, but didn't want to sound like a dick...have you lost a lot of weight??" It totally made my day.

I went on vacation for a week and when I got back my mom made the comment that I am really losing weight and it looked like I have lost more. LOL She hadn't seen me in a week so I think she finally noticed how much I had lost.

"You look like you've lost weight."

Instant good mood. Haha.

gpstreet wrote: »

I did say to a girl today, it looks like she had lost weight. It occured to me she could of taken it as I thought she had been fat before. You cannot win sometimes.

You're right...you can't win.

As someone who is uncomfortable with compliments (or really any reference to my appearance) I way overthink the consequences of comments I may consider making.

If I want to comment on someone's apparent loss of weight, I wonder if she'll think I've thought she was fat before, or that I've been observing her in a creepy way. Or I wonder if maybe she appeared to have lost weight only because she'd been ill. Or maybe she was pregnant before and I never noticed?

If I want to comment on someone's hair, I'll wonder if maybe she'd had her hair cut days ago and I never noticed. Or I'll wonder if she's unhappy with her hair cut and is therefore self concious about it and now I will have drawn more attention to it.

If I want to comment to my host on their lovely home, maybe they'll think I think it somehow remarkable that they would have a lovely home. "What, did you expect I lived in a barn?"

I've probably verbally paralyzed myself more often than not.

I don't care for people to make comments or ask questions about anything related to my weight/physical appearance... Positive or negative. But I'm not offended if someone does.

These comments/questions just annoy me.

You wouldn't want them to ask you if you've gained weight.

Well, on Saturday I came into the room in a baseball jersey (my son had a game) and some nice-fitting jeans and my husband looked at me and said, "You know, I've gotta be honest with you, my (starts with a D) is getting pretty hard right now."

I have decided it must have been a compliment. Probably not one I can expect to hear from my kid's teacher or the bag girl at Ralph's or the local crossing guard or anything, though. At least not without the police being called in.

I understand why most people enjoy hearing compliments on their weight loss and understandably so as it takes work and dedication to achieve it.

For me, only because I have lost and regained weight multiple times, I'm more comfortable not receiving compliments, or comments, because I don't want my weight to be an issue any longer. And, I feel like if someone notices a weight loss, then they are also noticing weight gains.

I know the intent is good and I appreciate that they care and that is really what matters. Maybe when the day comes once I have maintained a healthy weight for several years, I'll feel differently.

My favourite compliment came from someone I work with who I only see every six months or so. They told me that I looked happy and that I was glowing. That was the nicest compliment I've received.

I also really like the people who I haven't seen me in awhile who are clearly bit shocked and tell me I look amazing. Those reactions are lovely because I know it's not just lip service. Especially, as those compliments aren't just about the weight loss, they are also about my attitude and how I carry myself. Plus, it helps that I feel awesome so why wouldn't I also look awesome!

The BEST was while at my trainer's. A gritty ol school type gym. During the end of my session my hands were a lil tender (forgot my gloves) and I jokingly referred to myself as a "delicate lil flower. This big ol guy pipes up "honey I just saw you train! nuthin delicate lil flower about cha!"
That meant more than a thousand "you're hot" s

I never really learned to take a compliment. I tried to train myself to just accept it and say thank you but even now, when someone comments on how tiny I am now, I still say, "You haven't seen my stomach and thighs!"

My favorite compliment, tho, came from this woman I would pass every once in a while on the bike trail I walk on. She didn't speak much english but stopped me and put her hands out apart with her palms facing inwards and moved them up and down which is apparently sign language for, "You lost weight." She could have given me some hips but I'll take what I can get.