Stop calling me thin

[Goji]

Okay, so I have (once again) lost a sizable amount of weight in recent years, and it's starting to get to the point where everyone I know can't help but point it out in daily conversation. It does kind of make me feel uncomfortable, but I know they are only being nice by doing so. It is, however, having an unintended side effect.

See, I don't think I'm done losing weight. Not at all, really. But I've been on this particular diet for a while now and I'm frankly sick of it. It's gotten to the point where I really have to work to keep myself motivated to continue. And that motivation goes straight out the window when everyone I know is constantly telling me that I am really thin. I mean, yes, my own desires ought to be enough to keep me going in spite of what anyone else says. But it's really tempting to just say screw it, everyone apparently thinks I'm thin enough already, why torture myself more?

For the first time there's no one around to make fun of how I look, and for the first time it would kinda help me out if there were. Maybe it's time to friend everyone I knew in high school on Facebook. I'm sure they'd be up to the challenge.

 

[JoeZhang]

If you are on a diet, you need to think about how you are going to transition into healthy eating habits. All the research indicates that people who follow diets rather than change their underlying habits end up putting back on most of the weight or more. The fact that you are "frankly sick of it" indicates that it's not sustainable for much longer.

 

[Goji]

I'll be going through a transition in a month and the food I'm eating now won't be available to me anymore anyway. I'll return to the same lifestyle I had before, which allowed me to maintain my weight at a constant level, neither gaining nor losing weight. Assuming I can get myself through this last month, I should be at the weight I want to maintain when it does come time for me to move.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Remember not to overdo it. Losing to much or losing it too fast can cause health issues.

 

[Goji]

Thank you for your concern. I have been losing weight steadily over a period of two years. I've been told that 1-2 pounds a week is considered a healthy amount of weight to lose and I am nowhere near exceeding that. I have asked my doctor about it and he indicated that I am doing fairly well from a health standpoint.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Whatever, Twiggy.


Really, whatever works for you. But don't get to the point where are bulimic. If necessary, eat the chop sticks. ;-)

 

[Witterquick]

II'm sure it's well-intentioned. For most people, positive comments actually motivates people to keep things up. Negative comments usually make people feel so bad and have the opposite effect. Look at it this way, now that you're apparently thin, you're under less stress and urgency to lose weight. Less stress is always good for weight loss.

 

[An Officer]

A complete lifestyle change like yours would naturally have some drastic effects. I would start thinking about what you'll do to change your previous lifestyle when you get home. You may have been at an even weight before you left, but if that was a heavier weight, and you go back to your old habits - it seems to me you will slowly go back up to where you were, before evening out and remaining steady like you used to. Just because you dropped it, doesn't mean it will stay off once you change habits again!

I'd imagine at the pace you've mentioned, you've dropped about 2-3 stone. If you are returning to the states, I assume that will mean jumping from a Japanese diet back to an American diet, an American diet of a man 2-3 stone heavier. If you return to the same type of eating and activity as before, I see nothing to stop you returning to your original weight. The only way it will stay off (without you suffering too much) is a complete permanent lifestyle change, no way around that.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

Diets, which often rely on completely excluding certain things (fat, calories, carbohydrates, etc.) are about as effective as beating yourself on the head with a book to try and learn to read better, in the long-term. Assuming you're eating healthy balanced meals and doing your exercise you should be a healthy weight for your height & age without any bizarre meal schedules or outlandish weight-and-pulley machines.

This doesn't mean excluding the bad things all together, just eat them sparingly. A twinkie a day keeps madness at bay... for now...

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Sometimes people declare "oh you don't need to lose any more! you're so thin already!" because they feel overweight themselves. It's like they are saying they are okay where they are at only they say it through you. Every time I've lost any weight I've heard this, even if it's only 5kg. Many people have weight issues (in their head if not on their body) so just smile and nod and think about what your doctor says and what your goals are. One month, YOU CAN DO IT.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

But it's really tempting to just say screw it, everyone apparently thinks I'm thin enough already, why torture myself more?

The only people whose opinions about your weight really matter are yours and your doctor's. Try to concentrate on that.

 

[RAMA]

Its healthy to lose 1-2 pounds a week but not if you've hit the bottom range of your bodyweight to height ratio.

RAMA

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Can i call you sexy instead of thin?

 

[Sephiroth]

well, what do YOU want to do with your body? you have a goal weight?

 

[Nick086]

I think a lot of folks in America should lose alot of weight. I guess they fear if they lose the weight they will get smaller in width and length. If anyone want to get big they should do weight lifting to gain muscle and not fat. I believe most people shouldn't be over weight when they are in their twenties and thirties a lot people weren't forty or thirty years ago.

 

[donners22]

I try to avoid commenting on people's weight.

I was anorexic for a time, and very thin. When that got so out of control that it transitioned to bulimia, I put on a bit of weight, and everyone around me commented on how much better I looked.

The problem was that I felt a lot worse already, and having it highlighted to me that I'd put on weight only exacerbated the problem.


I never know the story behind someone's visible changes in weight - for all I know, they could be really sick, or depressed or something - so it's best to avoid it altogether IMO.

 

[Yoda]

But it's really tempting to just say screw it, everyone apparently thinks I'm thin enough already, why torture myself more?

The only people whose opinions about your weight really matter are yours and your doctor's. Try to concentrate on that.

That's the heart of the matter right there. I lost a lot of weight, and ended up hearing the 'oh you're too skinny now' crap, and it really can kill your motivation if you let it. It did for me, you go through all that effort and then you get negative comments in return? No thanks.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Do people really comment on other people's weight or body shape in casual conversation? (Excluding conversations specifically about that, of course.)

I can see something like "You look good today", but anything more than that is intrusive and frankly rather impolite. It's none of their business. Do they make bad comment on hairdo and ties too? I'm aghast at their manners.

 

[Yoda]

In my experience close friends and family will comment about just about everything!

 

[The Sneeze Police]

I lost a considerable amount of weight two years ago, and I was amazed how free many people felt on commenting about my weight loss. Mostly I just thanked them for noticing, because I think most people were truly happy for me...but some were outright rude & persistent in wishing to talk about something which I made clear I had no wish to discuss further.

It sucks that people are telling you that you are too thin (happened to me when I was still about 20 pounds from the weight that my doctor thought was a good weight for me to maintain given my age, activity & body frame)...but get to the weight range that your doctor suggests and leave it at that. Transition & maintenance are key. Maintaining at a lower weight is more difficult than maintaining at a higher weight. Good luck!!