When someone points out the fact that you are overweight, just agree with them - "I know, I know - fortunately its just temporary, unlike being ugly or stupid, which are permanent!"

Besides being a good comeback line, it also happens to be TRUE.

Liz

I'm totally with Hilary here - 184 pounds isn't really that big at all.

I'm rather shocked that rude comments like that might slip from the lips of family and friends at all. Good grief, you've lost 66 pounds already, that's incredible! You should be nothing if not proud of yourself. Loved ones surely must see this - perhaps they are a tiny bit uncomfortable with all of these rapid changes you're making?

Dear Heart, smile through clinched teeth and continue on your journey. Soon you will hear these wonderful words " Did you lose weight?" and it will make your journey all the more worthwhile. It w'ont be long now.

hey sinbad, I was checking out your progress pics and wow they are amazing! I just wanted to interject and say, I really liked the facial hair, I think it makes you look younger. JMHO

you are not oversensitive. i can't imagine how it must feel to have someone call you 'fat'. i worked with three year olds, and bless their little hearts, when they saw me wearing a big bulky sweatshirt that fit me perfectly at 200lbs but now huge at 160, the little girl said 'you look fat.' it took me awhile to realize that when three year olds say that, it's not an insult, it's just how they see things -- like the other three year old who said he liked my boobs. they're just body parts and that's how they see it.

but i have never had an adult call me fat to my face, and it just shows immaturity on their part that they cannot accept other people. darling, you are doing just fine. just stick with it and feel sorry for the people who can't love others for just being who they are. i would wager to bet that you already have a one up on them in that department. best of luck dear! stop by my journal if you need to vent.

Yeah, what she said! Regardless of how commonplace it is, it is RUDE to negatively comment on another person's physical appearance. (Unless, of course, you are trying to discreetly let that person know that she has a chunk of spinach in her teeth. ) I think the proper response to a comment like that is, "Why would you say something like that?"

And it hurts you because you're human and you know what's intended. Unlike flynnlee's three-year-olds, who are simply describing the world as they see it, adults who make comments about weight are attaching a negative value to you by putting you in a category.

Your doctor's another matter. I would try to let that one go, because when doctors say "obese," they don't mean you're so fat you can't fit through a doorway, they are just thinking of the clinical definition of obesity and what that means for your health. To a doctor, they're just saying that you have a BMI over 30, which puts you at risk for lots of health problems. If it makes you feel any better, according to the online BMI calculators, you are just overweight. (I checked your BMI using a calculator; it was something like 29.7.) For me, moving from obese (BMI of 33 or 34) to just plain overweight was a relief simply because I know the health dangers of obesity.

MJ,

This is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it is the people who gave us that phony food pyramid and told us that bread was a "healthy part of a balanced diet"(I have come to despise that phrase).

Low carbing does work. You are making wonderful progress. Just think of how far you have come. And once you have reached your goal, you will be able to stay there.

For me personally, I took about 6 or 7 weeks off of atkins, just to see what it would be like. The first few weeks, I added back in everything except for processed sugar, potatoes and high carb bread. I allowed myself to have bannanas, apples, Kool Aid(w/ splenda), diet sodas galore, milk, LC sliced wheat bread, corn, and a ton of other things. There was no part of me that felt like I was on a diet, and essentially I did not gain any weight whatsoever. You can do it too.

Stay strong. You were not the cause of what is bothering you, but you are definitely a part of the solution. You should be so proud of yourself. A lot of people in the world wish they could do what you have done. And the more you go, the better it will be.

TC

Yes, it's normal to get hurt when others reference your weight. Before I started Atkins, a family friend calmly mentioned in the context of a group conversation "you look like you've put on some weight" . What was I going to do? Yes, I had put on weight but did he need to be so blunt about it? I guess that's life. I just try and use these comments as motivation when I'm working out or resisting temptation from sugary foods. People can be unintentionally cruel- I see no point giving them ammunition.

Perhaps it's bothering you now because it's as though they are not acknowledging your efforts?
I know you have been working hard, not only on losing the weight, but getting rid of the mental baggage that goes along with it. Perhaps it bothers you particularly now because you want to be seen as a "future slim person" and these comments make it seem like you are not regarded that way.
However, if that's what they are thinking, they are wrong. I don't think you are wrong to feel that way.

The only wrong thing is if you spend any time proving them right.

Thanks for all the support, I appreciate it!

Recently it feels like everyone and their mother has decided to pipe in and make comments to me about my weight and it has been getting to me.


I have decided to just push it aside and not let it get to me and start a full clean induction again and just push ahead. Its true, people can only hurt me if I allow them to hurt me and I need to stop giving others that power and just push on with what I know is best for me.

Fat or not, I need to take it one day at a time and do the best I can.

Thanks,

MJ