There are very few people in my “real” life that know exactly what my starting weight was. In fact, there is only one person that I’ve actually told the number to (one of my closest and best friends who understands and has struggled with her own weight). However, anyone who sees me and knows how much weight I’ve lost can pretty much make an educated guess about what my starting weight was or at least its general vicinity.
Now that I’ve lost a lot, I don’t generally like sharing how much I’ve lost with the general public (you guys excluded, of course) for that very reason. I don’t feel that it’s anyone’s business how much I weighed when I started. I mean, it’s obvious that I weighed a lot, but they don’t need to know the exact numbers. Plus, it’s embarrassing, and I know that’s something else I need to work on dealing with.
There is an acquaintance that has been extremely supportive throughout my journey. I know that she is very proud of me. Another woman was with us today (who I hadn’t seen for quite a while) and told me that I looked great. It was very nice of her and made my day. The acquaintance, who was sitting right there, decides to ask me (in front of the other woman) how much I’ve lost now. Um, yeah. I just replied with “a lot.” I don’t particularly feel that everyone in the world needs to know how much I’ve lost or how much I weighed. I’ve always known that this woman had issues with keeping things to herself, but I can’t believe that she asked me that with a virtual stranger standing there. As I said, I know that she’s just proud of me and doesn’t see how it could potentially be somewhat embarrassing, but jeez. The sad thing is is that this happens often with various people.
Now, when I said “a lot,” this woman just let it go. However, I’ve had people keep pushing after I’ve responded similarly before. They almost seem to get offended if I refuse to answer, as if it’s any of their business to begin with. If it’s a close friend, it doesn’t bother me too much if they push (and I’ll probably answer), but if I don’t really know you…that’s another story.
It’s always nice when people recognize your hard work, but if you mention someone’s weight loss and they don’t seem eager to share, please leave it alone. Because in my case, while I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I’m also tremendously embarrassed by the mere fact that I needed to lose this much weight. I’m sure I’m not alone.
