No, I'm just wearing human clothes, the same kind as before but in a smaller size. I've done away with the now ludicrously baggy trousers and blouses.
I just keep kind of laughing at myself because every place I go I think, This will be the time when they notice, and it isn't yet. Vanity, thy name is Ailidh!
Have you been measured for a new bra lately? To me, that was when people started noticing/saying stuff ~ once I finally went out and got a bra that fit. (It took 60 lbs though.)
I really do think people are less likely to just go up and tell someone they've lost weight, than they once were. I know I rarely do, because of the chance of a backhanded compliment (they haven't lost any weight, and now I've embarassed them, or they think I'm hinting that they need to - or the weight loss may not be voluntary and they have a horrible wasting disease, thus rubbing their nose in it, or they're just shy and/or won't want to talk about it).
I'll admit that I'm a bit of an attention-whore, so when I want compliments, I often do fish for them (however, I'm also prepared to let the random insult or other unsatisfactory response slide off my back).
People who see you often are not as aware of your loss as someone who hasn't seen you in awhile. I also agree that sometimes people are hesitant to say something. I had one comment how quickly I had lost weight, I hadn't lost quickly, it was that she had just noticed.
I have noticed lately that people bring up diets, and their exercise routines, etc around me lately. Then when I say "I've been following weight watchers" they say "I knew you'd lost weight". I think people are too afraid to just come out and say "hey, you look great, you've lost weight" so instead they'll tell you what they've lost or been doing for workouts. They want you to bring it up. I'm sure that's what the lady was doing to you.
I thought the same thing - to have several people talk about it around you makes me think they were waiting for you to fess up. I have to lose about 40 pounds before people notice (or say) anything. But from then on, hold on to your hat! It will be all anyone talks about!
Oh man, I know how you feel. It's so frustrating. Honestly, it took 50-60 pounds for people to start noticing on me. We must gain out weight evenly or something, because my best friend, who is big and has huge hips, if she loses 5 pounds, everyone notices. We are losing weight together, and it really upset me/discouraged me when I had lost 50 lbs, and she had lost 10 and everyone was like "Wow Sara(my friend), Have you lost weight!?" And no one said anything to me, yet I had lost 40 lbs more than her!
Yes, but there is a down side of people noticing, at least for me. People feeling free to let you know what you should/shouldn't eat, how their cousin lost 50lbs and what she did. People prying about how much you weigh, how much you've lost, and how much more you want to lose. People telling you to stop losing that you're losing too much. So since no one's noticed, you've avoided all those pit falls.
I'm sure you look great, and people will notice eventually.
Alidh, I went to visit relatives for Christmas after having lost 36 lbs (and officially hit 40 lbs down while visiting). These were close relatives (parents, siblings, grandma, mother-in-law, sister-in-law ...) who hadn't seen me in 4 months. Only one person noticed, and mentioned it in a quizzical tone after a few days. And these are people who would've said so if they noticed.
When I had lost exactly 50 lbs, different (further extended) relatives came to my house for a short visit. They hadn't seen me in a few years. They didn't say anything (and they would've if they'd noticed). They did talk about the 10 lb weightloss of another relative, a relative whose height/weight is similar, both slightly higher than my own stats -- but the difference is that this relative had announced her 10 lb weightloss.**
They heavily implied, in a patronizing way, that I should follow this relative's healthy example.
At 55 lbs down, finally someone acctually noticed -- the dental hygenist who hadn't seen me for an appointment in 6 months. Still nobody in my daily life noticed besides my husband. And because of the Christmas and late winter visits, I still doubted that relatives who hadn't seen me in awhile would notice.
But then, just recently at about 73 lbs down, we went to visit in-laws, some of whom I saw at 35-40 lbs down and some of whom I hadn't seen in several years. They all noticed and gushed upon greeting. Wasn't expecting that at all!
So it does become obvious. I think it just kept getting more and more noticable between 50 and 70. And you know, it's fine wtih me that it wasn't obvious until recently, because I have not liked attention when I'm still somewhat significantly overweight (at which point we mind/don't mind attention will vary; I am vain and shy, though). It was weird to keep quiet about losing 50 lbs when people are making comments to the effect of you too could lose 10 lbs, dearie!.
I'm glad I layed low for many reasons, but in part to know that people really meant it when they said, "wow, you look great -- you look like you lost a lot of weight!"
Based on your stats, I think you're at the point where people you haven't seen since the start will actually notice, but not realize how significant it is ... ie, not be sure if it's your normal up and downs, if it's intentional, if it's part of a big change. I'm not one to think, 'they're noticing, they're just being nice' (my relatives are all blunt) but there is a point right before it's obvious, where people notice but are unsure if this is a thing or not.
**Some people's 10 lb weight loss will be noticeable, of course, if they are small people to start.
Last edited by WhitePicketFences; 05-28-2009 at 01:04 PM.
Reason: messed up italics
Yup, I just crave validation - just once! Must address that.
I certainly don't want constant comments and I can live without the one I got when I made 136 a few years ago: 'So have you finished your chemotherapy?'. I kid you not.
I bet a lot of them noticed but didn't bring it up. I have lost close to as much as you and was getting frustrated no one had noticed yet. I was sitting in the kitchen at my office the other day and could here three people in my office discussing food (no one else seems to notice how easy it is through our walls, maybe I have really good ears). But the one women mentioned how healthy I eat and that it's really paying off. The other two commented that they had noticed I had lost weight but didn't want to make me uncomfortable mentioning it. Good thing they weren't saying anything bad
I bet they did notice but were just afraid to say something. We saw your pictures and there is a BIG difference. I just spent a week with my husband's family and not one person said a thing. I think they had to notice but who knows.
We could all wear necklaces with our before picture in them. You know, those badge necklaces like you get at conferences. Hi, my name is Cheryl and here is how I looked 60 pounds ago!
We could all wear necklaces with our before picture in them. You know, those badge necklaces like you get at conferences. Hi, my name is Cheryl and here is how I looked 60 pounds ago!
Have you been measured for a new bra lately? To me, that was when people started noticing/saying stuff ~ once I finally went out and got a bra that fit. (It took 60 lbs though.)
Thanks for that, that really made me think.
It's taken a bit of ploughing through the old posts but I found that when I bought these new ones I was so proud of, it was 16.5lbs ago! And there I've been blaming the washing machine for doing something to them so they don't fit as well!
Gonna give it about 10 more days, then I'm going to find a proper lingerie shop to get fitted in, ready for Spain.
Fancy forgetting that I'm continuing to lose!!!! Augh!
