The crazy things people say when you are losing weight...
karolineoberhaus
Posts: 10 Member
I am in the middle of losing a lot of weight that I have carried all my life. It's noticeable. Most people say something along the lines of, "Wow, you look great!" which is a wonderful boost for me. Plus it has the added benefit of allowing me to either say "thank you" and move on, or to open up a discussion about it if I so choose.
It's amazing to me what some people have said to me though! Many people will come up to me in the hall at work, and instead of saying "hi" will say, "So how much weight have you lost?" I am not comfortable giving my number out to everyone, because I still have a long way to go, and frankly, it's still embarrassing to me that I had so much to lose in the first place. I had one person who could not let it go (and this was someone I can NOT stand under the best of circumstances!). When he asked how much I had lost, I just replied "a lot." He kept on asking "so how much is a lot?" Seriously! Why does it matter!?
When I first started losing weight, people would ask me if I was losing weight. I learned to answer, "Yes, I am certainly trying to!" because if I just said "yes" it was following with something like "have you been sick?"
Many people want to know what I am doing. I have started making stuff up, because no one believes that I could just change my eating habits and exercise routine and have any success. I told someone once that I had been hypnotized. Haha!
My favorite is the woman who said "I didn't know you had weight loss surgery!" Yeah...I didn't. How uncomfortable.
What is the craziest thing that someone has said to you while you were losing weight?
It's amazing to me what some people have said to me though! Many people will come up to me in the hall at work, and instead of saying "hi" will say, "So how much weight have you lost?" I am not comfortable giving my number out to everyone, because I still have a long way to go, and frankly, it's still embarrassing to me that I had so much to lose in the first place. I had one person who could not let it go (and this was someone I can NOT stand under the best of circumstances!). When he asked how much I had lost, I just replied "a lot." He kept on asking "so how much is a lot?" Seriously! Why does it matter!?
When I first started losing weight, people would ask me if I was losing weight. I learned to answer, "Yes, I am certainly trying to!" because if I just said "yes" it was following with something like "have you been sick?"
Many people want to know what I am doing. I have started making stuff up, because no one believes that I could just change my eating habits and exercise routine and have any success. I told someone once that I had been hypnotized. Haha!
My favorite is the woman who said "I didn't know you had weight loss surgery!" Yeah...I didn't. How uncomfortable.
What is the craziest thing that someone has said to you while you were losing weight?
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Replies
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When I decided to finally stick to it and started dropping a lot of weight, my aunt who is also overweight would constantly ask me what kind of drugs I was taking to help me lose weight (and still asks me til this day). I can see her disbelief though up until 2 years ago I threw up at the thought of eating veggies (hated the taste and texture of almost all veggies), and fattening food was my life. After I dropped my first 30 - 40 lbs I woke up one day with a sudden craving for veggies and began eating all veggies in sight lol0
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The most frequent (and also the most frustrating) thing that people ask is, "What kind of diet are you on?" Well, umm, I'm not on a diet. I just started making better choices and getting some exercise. Apparently, that just doesn't compute for most people. Most will continue with, "Well, are you eating low carbs or low fat or what?" I eat what I was eating. I just eat less of it. And, I do sorta watch my sugar intake. Most folks don't want to hear that you're just eating less and exercising. They're looking for a magic bullet that doesn't involve much sacrifice.
The craziest thing said to me was, after I had lost 25 lbs, three people came up to me on the same day and said, "Did you get a haircut?"0 -
"When are you going to stop?"
Seriously...why would I stop?0 -
MIne too has been people asking me what pill I was on. For some reason they had a hard time accepting that I dropped 90 pounds by simple diet and exercise. I try to tell them all the time that I didn't start a diet I changed my life, but they still want to know what the magic pill was. Now I say water, veggies and lots of sunshine
The cutest for me was my grandma when she saw me last year she was impressed with my weight loss and then expressed concern over how skinny I looked. She gently tapped my leg and said Honey you look too thin, come with me I'm gonna make you a sandwich. LOL I laugh because I know that she is just being who she is and she is grandma and tends to worry a lot. So even though I would have declined that from someone else I allowed that to be my cheat for the week and let her 'tend' to her granddaughter LOL0 -
"Wow, how skinny are you trying to get??" I'm not trying to get skinny, I'm trying to get fit. Idiots.
"You need to go eat a burrito..No, go eat TWO burritos." Seriously? How about you STOP eating burritos? :grumble:0 -
My "favorite" was, omg you just look smaller and smaller every time I see you. But you still look good though.0
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when people say Whoa you look so effin s e x y now i say HMPFf...i was always S e x y.0
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I have lost more weight previously to what I have lost on here, so people always want to know how I do it. When I tell them I count calories, don't eat a lot of junk and exercise they are no longer interested, but if I told them I took pills and ate what ever I wanted, you know people would be all ears!0
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"When are you going to stop?"
Seriously...why would I stop?
Yes!! I get this a lot.
And the best was "How long ago did you have the surgery?"
Well.....not gonna stop at all and, um....no surgery.
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I've lost alot of weight and the one thing that bugs me that alot of people say is "wow you look like a new person" or " I don't even recognize you".
This bugs me because I am still the SAME person I was....just smaller. I fight all the time to defend the girl I was before because people now think they can say things like "you were so unhealthy I was worried about you". Now they can say it to my face but couldn't before?
But you wouldn't believe what I have heard from people...it's so bizzare. Oh well it's not about them is it.0 -
MIne too has been people asking me what pill I was on. For some reason they had a hard time accepting that I dropped 90 pounds by simple diet and exercise. I try to tell them all the time that I didn't start a diet I changed my life, but they still want to know what the magic pill was. Now I say water, veggies and lots of sunshine
The cutest for me was my grandma when she saw me last year she was impressed with my weight loss and then expressed concern over how skinny I looked. She gently tapped my leg and said Honey you look too thin, come with me I'm gonna make you a sandwich. LOL I laugh because I know that she is just being who she is and she is grandma and tends to worry a lot. So even though I would have declined that from someone else I allowed that to be my cheat for the week and let her 'tend' to her granddaughter LOL
Adorable really! And to be so loved by your grandmother! I would have eaten the sandwich too!0 -
"What's your secret????"
Like losing weight is a secret club that not everyone has the privilege of qualifying for! 0 -
I bumped into a lady I have not seen for nearly a year a couple of days ago. She said OMG you have lost so much weight, have you been ill, you look poorly. she touched my arm really gently, like I would break. I said no, I meant to lose weight. so she said tell me how you did it cos I need to lose weight. Hmmm I think to myself, so you want to look poorly too, it must be a good look!
I mean I am 5`4" 140lbs I am hardly a stick insect...some people pff!0 -
Mine was 'I didn't know you had that much to loose'. Umm, yeah0
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One thing that has been weird for me, and particularly there is one individual that does it, is someone who is bigger than I am making such a fuss about how "skinny" I am and "just look at you, you're so skinny now" and "how much more your you going to lose cause you're so skinny, you are going to fly away". I'm not skinny, medically speaking I'm still overwieght, so I don't know what to say and it makes me uncomfortable when I know it comes from someone who is "trying" to lose weight but has all sorts of excuses why it isn't working or they can't. I just try to find a way to politely say thanks and get away as fast as I can.0
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I think one of the things I'm not prepared for is getting attention from people who would never have looked twice at my heavy self.0
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MIne too has been people asking me what pill I was on. For some reason they had a hard time accepting that I dropped 90 pounds by simple diet and exercise. I try to tell them all the time that I didn't start a diet I changed my life, but they still want to know what the magic pill was. Now I say water, veggies and lots of sunshine
The cutest for me was my grandma when she saw me last year she was impressed with my weight loss and then expressed concern over how skinny I looked. She gently tapped my leg and said Honey you look too thin, come with me I'm gonna make you a sandwich. LOL I laugh because I know that she is just being who she is and she is grandma and tends to worry a lot. So even though I would have declined that from someone else I allowed that to be my cheat for the week and let her 'tend' to her granddaughter LOL
This is great! Very cute.0 -
"When are you going to stop?"
Seriously...why would I stop?
If i hear this one more time i might burst!0 -
Now that I've dropped 52 pounds in the past 9 months, I get comments such as "you've lost too much, you need to stop". I know what my goal is, and I know, after discussion with my physician, what my "healthy" weight range is. I'm about 15 pounds away from that, so I'm going to keep going.
When I'm asked why I've decided to lose the weight, I am always happy to share my story. I figure if I can motivate or inspire at least one person to make the changes they need to, then it's worth it!
I do have to say that the ABSOLUTE CRAZIEST thing someone said to me, was after I had lost about 25 lbs and moved down from size 16/18 clothes to size 10. I was told "I'll hold onto my 16/18s for you for when you need them again". SERIOUSLY? It was rude and disheartening, but I sure didn't let it get me down. See, this was said to me by someone who did the surgical option while I started exercising and modifying my food consumption. Now, I use it DAILY as my inspiration to keep going strong...I've worked hard to get this far, and I'm not going to let it hinder me from reaching my goal!0 -
I'm not losing weight anymore because I am pregnant but while I was losing weight I would always get the "don't get too skinny" comments by people I didn't really know, or once when I was at church this lady walked by me while I was talking to my 8month preggo sister in law and she looked at her and said' "you look really good!" and then turned to me and said "and you, you are too skinny" Its like ok?! really?! Funny thing is this lady was skinner than me. It just makes me upset that people don't have a guard on their mouth.
Now that I am pregnant, whenever I go out to eat with friends, if i refuse cakes or second helpings, they are like, its okay to eat them, your pregnant, you need to gain weight. I'm like ya I need to gain weight, but i don't need to sabotage myself and gain 80lbs! whenever they ask me, well how much weight have you gained, and then I tell them, they are like well thats nothing! I'm like yes its plenty. LOL. I have gained 3lbs MORE than the recommended at my stage (3.5months pregnant and I gained 8lbs)0 -
I did plan to have surgery, and I'm on a pre-op diet that's going so well that I may not qualify by the time my surgery date rolls around. I'm usually a super open person who doesn't mind answering questions honestly, as long as the person asking doesn't make me feel like a freak show.
I'll tell you the ones that get to me, though:
(Not a question, but a comment) "I don't see why you think you need to lose so much. You're not fat." Bless your heart...I DO own a mirror. I'm just fat, not blind or stupid.
"How much weight do you want to lose?" and when I tell them "oh...are you sure? That's going to be way too much. I think you should aim for (insert arbitrary number here)." Yeah, I don't remember your occupying a seat in the surgeon's office when we set my weight goals. Trust me, I've done my research. I know what a healthy weight is for me.
"Oh, that surgery will never work. My hamster's cousin's uncle's best friend's neighbor had that, and now she weighs 8 million pounds and needs a crane to use the bathroom. Have you tried (insert fad diet of the moment here)?" Why yes...yes I have. A few times. And guess what? It didn't work for me.
"Aren't you afraid you're going to die?" Well yes, as a matter of fact I am. That's why I'm doing something about my weight. I'd rather die knowing I made an attempt than die even more quickly from a preventable illness. P.S. We all die from SOMETHING...I just prefer that my weight not be that something.
And my favorite:
"Isn't it haaaaaaard (they always draw it out like that) switching your diet all up like that?" Yup, you bet it is. It's even harder lugging my extra-wide butt around, and watching my loved ones enjoy things I know I can't do. I promise you, I'm not likely to expire from the effort of eating better. Maybe you should try it, too.
Oh wait...one more...
"Don't you miss chocolate cake/ice cream/double cheeseburgers with extra lard and mayo?" Well, not until you said THAT! (except the double cheeseburger...I hate cheeseburgers and always have) But I'd rather experience a full, active life than repeat the feel of biting into a chocolate cake. I KNOW what that's like...I want new experiences!0 -
When people tell me, "You don't look like yourself." Just because I've been heavy my whole life. -.-0
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Oh my gosh - what great feedback! I am so glad to know that I am not the only one who hears unbelievable things come out of other people's mouths! I can relate to every single one of these replies because I have heard them all myself! Thank you all so much for sharing!
I will continue to let you know if I hear another dinger! 0 -
"I liked you better when you were fatter than me." -very good friend
Um... Thanks? If our friendship hinges on that, I think we should see other people.0 -
So instead of being condescending or taking it as an insult, as it seems many people do, why not let these people know what changes you have made to get where you are, so they can too. Because that's usually the reason people ask. This whole site is about everyone helping everyone get more fit, so why is everyone so against that same camaraderie in the real world?0
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me too!0
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Thanks to the OP and moxiecowgirl, heck all the posters on this thread. Moxie, I got a few chuckles out of yours, love your dry humor, got a few chuckles out of it. Not because being overweight is funny, but your responses were so right-on and they are things I would LOVE to say to those who are rude in their comments to me about my weight.
I do try to remember that MOST people have good intentions and just want to acknowledge my efforts, but sometimes what comes out of their mouths is blatantly rude. Sounds like lots of people in our shoes (losing weight) get these comments and it is interesting to see the ones that are flying around out there--those I've heard and those I may need to prepare a response for...0 -
There's a couple questions I avoid like the plague - this one, and "when are you expecting." Years ago I told a friend he looked great after he had dropped several pounds. Unfortunately, it wasn't intentional. I've avoided discussing weight ever since - unless somebody brings it up to me.0
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While pregnant, I would gain almost all the recommended weight in the first trimester. (my mother did the same thing). And then I stayed the same pretty much the rest of the pregnancy. This happened three times. Also it all came off in two months more or less and I did breast feed. I would caution against restrictive weight gain or focusing on numbers while pregnant because every body is different. The result you want is a healthy mother and healthy baby before, during and after pregnancy. Sometimes current medical research doesn't take all body types into account. Nothing makes me more mad than people trying to only gain just a little for pregnancies or not breast feeding because they don't want to eat what nursing requires, which by the way is more than when a mother is pregnant. I applaud everyone in this blog for doing so well and being realistic. This has been the best community of support I have seen yet.0
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Have you gained weight???? Yes, because some people are very jealous, how sad!!! So I answered: No, actually I lost weight, and I feel great!!! You seem to be the only one who has not noticed it!! hahahaha0
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