Oh wow, I thought I was the only one! I started noticing a difference after losing 10lbs but apparently nobody else did. Later I remember being at a bridal shower wearing a new outfit 2 sizes smaller and still nobody noticed, except a few people asked why I wasn't eating much at the buffet table. It wasn't until my daughter's wedding, after I'd lost 50lbs., that people started noticing and after that, it seemed that with each pound I lost people were saying, "Wow, you've really lost a lot of weight!". I had to laugh at your response SAPF, I felt the very same...going from being resentful of what I thought was indifference from those around me, to being resentful when they told me I looked sooooooo much better. I almost wanted to respond "However did you even manage to be near me if I was so revolting?" There's no pleasing some people, is there?
Oh Jiff, I'm with you too! When I couldn't rely on comfort food anymore I relied on my comfort clothes, no matter how big they became. I almost felt disappointed when I couldn't keep my favourite drawstring pants up anymore even when I pulled the strings to the breaking point. It took me so long to adjust to the fact I was swimming in my old clothes and even longer for me to go from the plus size stores to the "regular" ones. I guess getting rid of the old clothes in a sense is like giving up your security blanket. As unhappy as we may have been while obese, in a way it was what we were accustomed to, so in that respect it felt "normal", and moving into a new phase in life was scary, even though we'd worked so hard and wanted it so badly.
Anyway Gina, you're doing great and you've proven that you can keep focussed even when your mind is elsewhere and you're in stressful situations. Try to remember that you're going to have slips now and then because nothing in life stays on an even keel, does it? When I started this journey, I stayed religiously on plan for about 6 months and yes, I lost a lot of weight and I lost it quickly. But real life caught up to me and I started having my off days (sometimes a day would string into several days), but you just have to put those days behind you and move forward. Now my weight loss has slowed down dramatically, but I feel I'm living more realistically than I was when my every thought revolved around my "diet". So think of those "off" days as a slice of life and don't overreact or feel like a failure. And Gina, people will say something soon - perhaps at 15lbs. they're thinking you look different somehow but aren't sure what it is, but at 25lbs. it'll dawn on them
Oh yes, and believe me, I know all about the wild mood swings (unrelated to menopause!). I'd have those days where I'd look in the mirror at home and feel really proud and confident about all my hard work and then go try something on at the mall and look at that dressing room mirror and want to cry because I had so much further to go
Half an hour later I'd be mentally patting myself on the back again because I knew how far I'd come even if I wasn't there yet. It's that old "glass half empty, half full" thing I guess.
At least, w/me, I think that's what they're afraid of.