First of all, it is exciting to hear that people think I look so great that I don't need to lose anymore. I recognize that it's a form of a compliment, and I'm grateful for that. It makes me feel awesome about myself on the one hand.
But... Why do people feel the need to tell you when you should stop losing weight? This happened first when I was at 160. My mother and my grandmother told me I didn't need to lose anymore. Both of their reasoning was that when Mom got around the weight I was she looked too thin. But we have different bodies! We're not the same person.
My grandmother reiterated this at Thanksgiving. When I told her I had a goal of 135, she said, "Katie, you just need to stop. You're going to get sick. You're not eating!" Thankfully, my mother stepped in and said, "She still eats plenty! She just goes to the gym!"
At Christmas Eve dinner, one of my parents' friends - who hadn't seen me since I started my lifestyle change in July - told me how great I looked, that he wouldn't have even recognized me out on the street. He kept sporadically complimented me through the night, but then right before he left, he hugged me and said, "Now, don't lose anymore, okay?"
I just don't get it! I've attached a photo of myself here so you can see what I look like at my current weight. (I was actually wearing a very similar dress to this one at the time, just in black.) I feel great about how I look, but I still feel like there's improvement to be made. I don't think 8 more pounds is going to make me look sickly. In my mind, I keep thinking about how I felt at 155 or 150. I felt good about myself but didn't feel like I was finished yet. And those impulses were right in the 150s, so why would I begin to doubt them now?
Do you all see what they see? I mean, there's obviously been a huge change from when I was 196, and maybe seeing that change happen so quickly (40 pounds since June) is too much for them? While this has been going on, I've continued to tell myself, "Okay, they don't see you naked. Your husband is on board with your goal to continue on. You see areas that could be improved by toning and weight loss. Don't let them bring you down." When it was just my mom and grandmother, I guess I felt like it was just familial concern, nothing to take too seriously. Now that it's coming from outside the family, I don't know how to take it.
(As an aside, I really wish everyone would keep these comments to themselves. If you're legitimately worried that a loved one has an eating disorder, you should speak up. But to just assume that people want to know when you think they should stop their weight loss? If we wanted to know, we'd ask!)