Hey folks! I hope to get some input about your experiences with reunions after weight loss. I also wanted to splurge on what happened during a teacher's memorial, the first time most of my classmates have seen me since my heavier high school days. I apologize for my long-windiness, and how self-centered the following will seem. If you can't get through the post, please post your experiences anyway. I am curious to hear what your old classmates and / or teachers have said!
The memorial was a sad context for a reunion, but I saw a large majority of my classmates and teachers there - so it was a reunion in action. It was a day of feelings - sadness for the lost teacher (an excellent man), happiness at seeing old friends and teachers, bitterness at high school memories (I had a so-so experience), joy at seeing old friends again, and of course (my obsession since starting this weight-loss journey) me looking for reactions to the "new me."
To summarize the comments in a brief paragraph / list of selfish self-indulgence: A friend's mom directly complimented me on my weight loss, a couple of teachers commented on how great how I looked (one saying that I seemed to have "come into myself"), a couple of friends commented that I looked good, but mostly I simply assumed that classmates registered the weight loss to themselves and either did or did not have the opinions I wanted them to have (that is, caring at all.) More on that soon. On the whole, it was good, but awkward, to see teachers and classmates again. I felt stiff, my face started to hurt from smiling too much (do you ever get that trembly smile after working the muscles too much?), and I was self-conscious. But, I was also aware that I looked better than I did in high school, and was dressed much more nicely than they were used to.
Do you ever feel that old classmates scan you over and take it in without saying anything? I definitely saw a scan or two, and I can't read minds, so I have no idea what they were thinking. I imagined that they were surprised by how good I looked (LOL, if they don't say anything, I fully intend to imagine what they may be thinking, and to imagine it in my favor
).
If you love awkwardness as a source of amusement, you would have loved the meeting in the gym after the memorial. So many uncomfortable reunion moments. In an instance that I'm sure had little to do with how I looked, a classmate (let's call him Jon Doe) joined some of us in a small circle and entered by putting his hand on my shoulder (my heavily shoulder-padded shoulder.) Not having expected it, I was like "Woh!" and I am not certain what exactly he said, because it was somewhere between a mumble and an excuse. My two other companions were as clueless, because one laughed and was like "I have no idea what just happened." All I remember about Jon Doe was that he dated my friend and we didn't hang out.
Next awkward moment with Jon Doe - the supremely awkward hug goodbye. I hugged these particular classmates maybe two times goodbye, but I kept on seeing them, so we kept on hugging! Ugh. The last hug, I hugged each of these classmates, and then came Jon Doe. He was last, and it was super weird because I could not NOT hug him. That would be like "Oh, I'm not going to hug you." >.>
Do any of you guys turn super self-centered and self-conscious as I do during these types of events? I have to admit that I have been having those self-centered thoughts all day! Along the lines of (or exactly): "Do they think I'm cute now? Does HE think I'm cute now? Do I look thin in this dress? Do I look comfortable? Do my feet look stumpy in these awful shoes? Is it obvious that I lost weight? Do they recognize me? Are they overlooking me, like they did in high school? Are they stunned?" Hopefully people thought some of the things that I wanted them to think (good things!), but mostly, I'm glad to have seen people. And while some people lost weight (me!) some people gained weight, and I was with those friends when they commented on that weight gain. So maybe I got some comments between friends too (behind me back.) Mayhaps.