I have been feeling really great about myself lately, as I am down to 200.6 lbs and am so close to wonderland I can really start to visualize the 199 on the scale!

But today I had two reminders that although I am losing weight, I am still overweight!

My two reminders came today during lab (class). I am in college, currently enrolled in a medical program and of course we have lab. Today we (the class) were working on assisting with physical exams and part of this involves getting your patient's height and weight and their blood pressure (along with other vital signs). During practice my partner went to weigh me on the scale (old fashioned scale, not the digital kind) and automatically put the lower bar at 200lbs (not a problem) but then she quickly moved the top bar all the way to 250!! There is nothing wrong with weighing 250 lbs, but I hate to think I look 50 lbs heavier than I am! So this was my first reminder that I am still overweight.

My second reminder came when the RN who is our lab assistant took my blood pressure and got a reading of 117/74 and I explained to her that this is what my usual reading is around when most of the other students take my blood pressure or when it is taken at the doctor's office. However, some of the other students have gotten really high readings on me 140/90 crazy readings. I have never had high blood pressure, even at my highest weight. She then told me that it was probably because I needed a larger blood pressure cuff (like the extended kind that they get for larger arms).
The normal BP cuffs fit me just fine. So I went home and measured my arms 12 1/2 inches around. I know I have large arms (I tend to gain a lot of weight in my arms) but I wouldn't think I needed an extender BP cuff.

I'm not going to let these things get me down, and I still feel great about myself and my weight loss at this time but talk about a wake up call! Guess I am not as thin as I have been feeling!

Has anyone else had experiences like these, just little reminders that you might still have a ways to go before everyone else thinks you are as thin as you feel?

I saw a friend (who always has a go about my weight) recently who I haven't seen since before I started my diet. One of the first things she said to me was "When are you going to do something about your weight?". Apparently she didn't notice the 63lbs I've lost since I last saw her.

It's no fun really, and even when you don't feel like you're necessarily "fat" anymore, it still happens!

Sometimes when I go for runs (which are always part walking because my fitness level/breathing ability is STILL taking ages to improve), there is a group of young guys hanging out on my route. On more than one occasion I've heard them snigger and make rude comments about me being fat. I normally just turn up my headphones and keep running, but sometimes I'd love to shout something out like "why do you think I'm running a**holes?!?"

The worst part is that I'm not even that big anymore. I still have a pretty big stomach and very big thighs, especially considering my height and small frame, but it's just frustrating to still be at that "fat" point, where people make assumptions about you!

ive lost only 11 lbs till now,,, but ive lost alot of weight in the past and i know EXACTLY what you mean,,,, i was 17 and had lost around 50 lbs,,,, was very proud of myself and all,,, we went on vacation with my whole maternal family,,, uncles, aunts, cousins, everyone,,, we were sitting down for dinner at a restaurant when the chair that i was sitting in, broke,,,,, and i fell,,,, and everyone had to make jokes about my weight and all and how the chair broke because i was fat,,,, i knew i was still overweight but tht chair was probably wobbly from before,,, but still,, tht incident brought me crashing down to the ground,,, its awful but we still have to soldier on,,,, either that or we lose faith and do nothing which is worse,,,, so march on knowing the fact that U're working towards regaining your health and ure 12 lbs lighter which could always mean a good thing and tht ppl will ALWAYS have something to say

Athel: i know how hard it must be for u ,,, 63 lbs and she doesnt see a difference?,,, not possible,,,, she probably doesnt want to acknowledge the fact tht UVE lost weight,,, anywayz , awesome job uve done!! wish i cld say ive lost 63 lbs,,,

My daughters (7 and 5 years old) and I belong to a father/daughter group run by the YMCA called the Indian Princesses. Twice a year we go on campouts where we meet up with other "tribes" of fathers and daughters. So far we have attended 4 campouts, and every time we go there is one little girl who always comes up to me and, innocently, asks "Why are you fat"? The last campout was in October and I had lost about 70 pounds since the last campout. Now, I know that I have a long way to go to get to my goal, and I don't expect a 5 year old girl to say "Hey, you're looking good! Have you lost weight?" But when I saw the topic heading for this thread, it immediately made me think of the little girl who asks me why I'm fat.

I get reminders constantly that I'm fat. I haven't lost much weight so it comes a lot. Like... i bought a coat that I thought would fit me at a 1x and... it tight... when I see my mom, she always has something to say. MY UNDERWEAR DOESN'T FIT! ...

But these are all these reasons why I'm losing weight.

No offense, but what a horribly rude thing for your friend to say to you. That doesn't sound like much of a friend to me at all. I hope that you set her straight.

Public reminders are always the worst ( I will take the jumping into my jeans everyday reminder over public ones!

This is going to make me sound like an awful person, but oh well: My boyfriend's cousin just lost the 60 some pounds she put on during pregnancy and today she posted a picture of her progress on facebook. We've lost the exact same amount of weight, but I still have 170 to go. I'm dreading that family Christmas because I know that everyone is going to be wowed by how good she looks and I'll get the equivilant of "sure you've lost weight too, sweetie." That really hit me hard because I can't see any visual progress most days.

That RN was way out of line! Even at my highest weight of around 255lbs 115/74ish was a typical BP for me, it's possible to have great BP and not great weight!

Congratulations on your weight loss, I think 63 lbs is an outstanding job!
I agree with some of the other posters, I don't think that was very nice of your friend and she probably did notice but maybe didn't want to acknowledge it for some reason. I am sorry your friend said that, but don't let it get you down, because that is quite an accomplishment and don't let anyone else (friend or not) tell you different!

Rainbow, thanks for sharing your story. I am sorry to hear about those young guys on your run. They are extremely ignorant and you are not fat by any standards! So these guys are just crazy. Don't let them get you down.

Hamlette, thanks for sharing your story. I am so sorry to hear that that happened to you, but as you said, I am sure that it was wobbly from before. I am so sorry that this got you down when it happened, I can imagine how tough that would be. Thank you for your kind words. And congrats on your 11 lbs so far!

Joe, first off, a big congratulations to you and your weight loss so far! You have made amazing progress! Thank you for sharing your story, it really touched my heart. Sometimes kids can be the biggest critics of all because their frontal lobes are not fully developed, and so needless to say they just don't have that sensor (as I am sure you know).

Bleu I am sorry that your mom says hurtful things to you. I guess sometimes parents just want the best for their children but don't always know how to go about things. I think you are doing a great job so far!