How to Deal with Weight Criticism

When someone loses weight, they are often bombarded by compliments an positive praise from friends and family. After all, losing weight is hard. Really hard. And if someone does it the right way, they deserve to feel proud of their accomplishment.

But what happens when your weight loss brings negative attention? 

At my smallest

When I lost my weight, almost everyone I saw told me how great I looked and how much more healthy I seemed. I loved the positive attention and secretly looked forward to meeting up with old friends to show them how much progress I was making. 

Then, on occasion, I got the rare negative comment: "Haven't you lost enough weight?", "You look emaciated", "You really should eat more...it's unhealthy." At first, these comments devastated me. Was I taking my weight loss too far? Did I look too skinny? And more importantly, was I making unhealthy choices? I began to question everything I was doing and even contemplated giving up all together. 

One day, I was talking about my worries to a trusted friend and she said something that really resonated with me. I told her about the most recent verbal lashing, and she said, "Oh, that has nothing to do with you." She explained that when people see someone lose weight, it reminds them of their own insecurities and they  make these comments to make themselves feel better. Maybe they have attempted to lose weight and failed, or they are too afraid to try. Either way, sabotaging your efforts is a way for them to ope with their own insecurities. Now, don't go thinking that these people are terrible and malicious. We all have insecurities, and some people express them in different ways. This does not make them horrible. 

So,what should you do if you encounter these negative comments first-hand?

• Examine yourself. This is the most important piece of advice I will give you. If you are constantly encountering people telling you to eat more or you look way too thin, examine what you are doing. This is especially true if it's coming from many different people. Your loved ones have your best interests at heart and only want the best for you. They would not all be worried if there wasn't a good reason. Write down what you are eating in a week and calculate if you are getting enough calories and nutrients. If you are, and you feel healthy and strong, then don't stress about it. 

• Don't get upset. Remember that this is most likely their battle, not yours. Try and let their comments roll of your back, or maybe even make a joke about it to diffuse the situation.

• Fight back. If the comments become too much to handle and you are at your wit's end, you should say something to the offending party. Don't get angry or emotional, maybe just say: "I realize that I have made a significant life change and that may be a shock to you. I appreciate the concern, but I promise that I am eating enough and I am not doing anything unhealthy. There is no need to worry about me. But, I would appreciate if you would stop making comments about my body or about my eating habits." This approach will assure them that they have no need to worry about you in the future, and sternly gets your point across. If they care about you, they will respect your wishes. 

I hope these tips help you, and I would love to hear any of your experiences! Happy Saturday :)