How to deal with weight loss comments

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jbuzzed
jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
in Motivation and Support
Does anyone else feel uncomfortable when people comment on your weight loss? I've lost 25lbs so far so I know I look different but I'm still uncomfortable with comments about it. I'm not having negative comments I just feel really embarrassed when people notice.

Or is this just me? Lol!
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Replies

  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Its a commonish topic. Wear baggy clothes or just smile and say thanks, but really its more about you than them. Some people get mad because people dont notice. In general people are complimentary and admiring of anyone who loses weight. Its not as though they didnt realise before that you weighed more, so enjoy it, but certainly dont worry about it.
  • melduf
    melduf Posts: 468 Member
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    I like when people comment. Makes it feel worth it! People are just trying to celebrate the fact that you had the willpower to change.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Awesome weight loss!! Get used to it and embrace it because losing weight is hard work. Lots of determination is needed :) Congrats!!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,123 Member
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    I have never been self-conscious about positive comments about my weight loss. What does bug me are those who started to say I should stop losing weight even while I had not yet gotten out of the obese category. For them, I simply smile, say thank-you and go on with things making a note not to tell them I am still working at losing weight. I would say that a similar strategy might be good here. Don't make a big deal about it, simply say thank-you and go on.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    Most of the time I don't feel uncomfortable but Monday night I met up with a group of people I had not seen in six months and the onslaught of (positive) comments from multiple directions caught me off guard. Most people I run across I see all the time so the changes while very obvious (I've lost 78 pounds) were gradual over the course of 10 months. This group saw a 35 pound change.

    Any way you look at it, this is a good problem to have.

    Just say thanks!
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    You committed and lost the weight. Congrats. Enjoy it! Flames or Oilers? lol
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
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    Yes yes and more yes! For a long long time part of my fear of losing was to avoid those comments. Nobody would ever tell me I was getting fatter, but the thought of them noticing I had lost was just a reverse observation of how fat I had gotten and it scared the heck out of me.

    The reality turned out to be if I wanted to get more healthy I was going to have to deal with it. Once it actually started happening I somehow learned to politely say thank you and had to deal with it internally feeling like a "oh thank goodness! You had gotten so fat we are glad you are doing better!"

    Can't say it ever felt good to hear the comments but it's just a cost of getting to where I want to be. Know you are not alone, not everyone likes to be acknowledged in that way but eventually your new weight will be normal to observers and the comments will go away.

    Keep up the good work!
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,709 Member
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    Congrats! Learning to accept compliments gracefully and genuinely is very important. Not only when applied to weight loss but to any aspect of our lives. Don't diminish your own accomplishments by reacting embarrassed or otherwise indicating that you don't think you deserve the compliments. You do! So accept them, appreciate them, and return them if warranted.
  • Redbeard333
    Redbeard333 Posts: 381 Member
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    I take it as a HUGE compliment! When you wear the right clothes people notice, too. I wore my usual clothes (that had become quite baggy) until the end of the school year in June, despite having lost 50 pounds. The day before school started up again, I bought new khaki's and dress shirts that fit me much better. First day of school, tons of people were commenting, despite the face that I only lost 15 pounds over the summer. Enjoy the round-about compliments :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,529 Member
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    Not uncommon.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    I think it made me uncomfortable because I never knew if it was meant to be a compliment. " Wow, you really look like you lost weight!" Ummmm "thank you?????"
    If someone said "you look great!" I never knew what to say either because I cannot seem to take a compliment.

    The worst is when people ask how I did it and I say "MFP, tracking my calories" and they look at me like I have lost my mind. They usually stop there. :#
  • jbuzzed
    jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
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    Debmal77 wrote: »
    You committed and lost the weight. Congrats. Enjoy it! Flames or Oilers? lol

    Oilers!
  • kaylajane11
    kaylajane11 Posts: 313 Member
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    farfromthetree wrote: »
    I think it made me uncomfortable because I never knew if it was meant to be a compliment. " Wow, you really look like you lost weight!" Ummmm "thank you?????"

    This is what I have found awkward too... "You've lost a lot of weight!" It's more of an observation than a compliment, so I never really knew if I should say thank you or not. Now I just respond with something like "Thanks for noticing, I've really been trying!"

  • jbuzzed
    jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
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    hortensehildegarde wrote: »
    Yes yes and more yes! For a long long time part of my fear of losing was to avoid those comments. Nobody would ever tell me I was getting fatter, but the thought of them noticing I had lost was just a reverse observation of how fat I had gotten and it scared the heck out of me.

    The reality turned out to be if I wanted to get more healthy I was going to have to deal with it. Once it actually started happening I somehow learned to politely say thank you and had to deal with it internally feeling like a "oh thank goodness! You had gotten so fat we are glad you are doing better!"

    Can't say it ever felt good to hear the comments but it's just a cost of getting to where I want to be. Know you are not alone, not everyone likes to be acknowledged in that way but eventually your new weight will be normal to observers and the comments will go away.

    Keep up the good work!

    Yes! This is why I feel uncomfortable because it acknowledges how heavy I was. Glad someone else understands! :)
  • kaylajane11
    kaylajane11 Posts: 313 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Also, this summer my friend's dad said to me, "Gee, you're really keeping trim. You're not getting fat anymore!" Not exactly a compliment, haha.

    Luckily he's known to be pretty eccentric, so I just laughed.
  • jbuzzed
    jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
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    kaylajane11 wrote: »
    farfromthetree wrote: »
    I think it made me uncomfortable because I never knew if it was meant to be a compliment. " Wow, you really look like you lost weight!" Ummmm "thank you?????"

    This is what I have found awkward too... "You've lost a lot of weight!" It's more of an observation than a compliment, so I never really knew if I should say thank you or not. Now I just respond with something like "Thanks for noticing, I've really been trying!"

    Great advice!
  • jbuzzed
    jbuzzed Posts: 10,173 Member
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    @kaylajane11 that would be awkward!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    all that is needed is thank you and then move the conversation on to something you are comfortable with
  • patesq
    patesq Posts: 111 Member
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    I've lost 24.5 lbs and not one person has noticed. I wish they would because it would help me believe it's making a difference. I don't see any difference other than the number on the scale.
  • DawnUrbanski
    DawnUrbanski Posts: 39 Member
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    patesq wrote: »
    I've lost 24.5 lbs and not one person has noticed. I wish they would because it would help me believe it's making a difference. I don't see any difference other than the number on the scale.

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