At times during weight loss programmes, you are likely to receive odd or strange comments from others. Some can upset you. Some may even put you off carrying on. Once you understand where these people are coming from and why they comment as they do, you become much more comfortable.
There are a variety of different reasons people comment on your weight loss. Lets look at some of the most obvious ones.
When you put on weight, it tends to first sit around your hips. As you gain further weight, the tendency is for the weight to go on in an ascending direction on your body. In other words, the weight will then go on around your middle, then upper chest, then neck and lastly the face.
If you are losing weight the healthy way, ie focussing on your health rather than your weight, then your body will lose weight in the reverse order it was stacked on. So the weight on your face is likely to be the first place you will visibly see weight loss.
This can be disarming for some people, especially if they haven't seen you for some time. They may think you look too gaunt, too thin, anorexic even. They can now see your cheek bones, which were previously hidden. This totally changes the way you look.
Don't be phased by this. You are undergoing a deep change. You body is adapting. This is simply the start of the process. Once you are at your ideal body weight, all the changes will be in balance.
Then, expect the weight loss to descend through your body.
The processes that happen during weight loss in others can make many people feel uncomfortable, because it is showing them up. They are now confronted with the inescapable truth - others are making the effort. Which logically means that they can too.
However, if they don't want to, then if they can discourage you, it makes them feel better. This logic is unlikely to be at a conscious level. Most people would be devastated to think they were manipulating others to serve their own ends. But, they do.
At times, the comments can be relentless. They can also be painful. Some people aren't very diplomatic and fail to realise that their comments can be hurtful or discouraging to sensitive people.
By understanding that this is their 'stuff', their agenda, their journey, it releases you from being affected. Your journey is to regain health and strength by shedding that excess weight, in a healthy way, regardless of how it affects others.
Expect silly comments during weight loss. Without them, you may not be doing it the right way. During healthy weight loss your body is rebuilding a healthier you, one you may have coveted for many years. Be OK with the change over period. It's a time of adjustment. You will come out of it the other end, unscathed, but looking and feeling vastly better.