Family reactions

[owl48]

I visited some of my family the other day...they knew I was trying to loose weight but the last time I saw them I hadn't started to visualy change yet.

This time their different reactions were both interesting and a little uncomfortable.

My Mom's surprised me the most....first she blurted out "LOOK at you" She was close to tears while telling me how worried she had been about my weight lately (I must have really looked bad!) She also begged me not to gain it back again (don't worry Ma, not this time) something I've been known to do...you know, bigger and better than before!

My sisters were supportive although a bit jealous of how "easy it is for a guy to loose weight"

My Brothers reaction was the most intersting (he's very overweight) it was no reaction at all...and seemed very uncomfortable around me.

Anyway..I'm finding the different reactions to my weight loss from friends and family fascinating.

What has been some of the reactions you all have gotten from people over your incredible shrinking selves?

[Lyssie]

I've gotten everything from people telling me I'm going to kill myself eating like this, to I'd better stop losing before I look anorexic, to 100% supportive.

[kellyf48]

Before the same happened to me my mom was positive i was on drugs!!

[Jace]

I quickly found there was a kind of a cost to losing weight when it came to my relationships with people.

Both my ex-best friend and my father (who are both in the morbidly obese category) have been unsupportive. Jealousy and envy are destructive forces. My ex-friend kept trying to sabotage my weight loss attempts and has never had anything but calumnies and condemnations for my new look. My father is so jealous that he purposely takes every little illness I experience and blames it on Atkins. He constantly preaches to me how the body needs sugar and white flour to survive and even the low blood pressure that I inherited from my mothers side of the family is a direct result of my way of eating (not to mention the fact that my grandmother, mother and brother all have low blood pressure and have never been on anything close to Atkins). He and I have never had a good relationship though so it's not something that really bothers me. It hurt losing my best friend though because she didn't feel comfortable around me anymore because of my weight loss.

Other than that, the rest of my friends and family were all very excited for me (though sometimes their showering me with compliments went a little overboard and got embarassing). I'm at the point now where I'd rather not talk about it with my family as they have changed gears and are telling me to stop losing weight even though I've told them a hundred times I'm at goal and have stopped. Every visit I'll hear "you need to stop losing weight" at least once.

~Far la bella figura!

[apple]

Sounds like you had a awesome visit with your family...jealousy and love from mom and all.

My hubby and girls tell me the truth, brutal from the girls because they've been taught to never sugar coat anything, and lately it's been all good.

[owl48]

Lyssie...I have to tell you, you have one of the most amazing before and after photos I've seen! What a tremendous amount of work you've done!

I quickly found there was a kind of a cost to losing weight when it came to my relationships with people.

Its sad that there are so many who do not what to see the people in their lives experience any changes....even positive ones!

My hubby and girls tell me the truth, brutal from the girls because they've been taught to never sugar coat anything, and lately it's been all good.

My best friend (who has been very supportive) and I have a running joke about people who speak in code or say one thing but mean another.
She'll turn to me (or I to her) and say "I don't think that means what you think it means".
We find the opportunity to use it at LEAST once a day.

[Discolemonade]

I've experienced the negative jealousy and the positive reactions also, but I must say I am awaiting a big one. We have a family reunion coming up in November and the last time I saw any of these people I was well over 245 lbs. Even at 171 right now they would be floored but I'm going for 100 lbs lost, 145 baby. I want the questions, BRING IT ON. So many of my family members have opted for the gastric bypass. I'm going to be the strong one in my opinion, because I did it myself.

Oh yeah, hey OWL48, WOW! You look like a totally different person!! Good goin'!!

[ValidRouge]

Mostly my friends and family are supportive of ME...but what is absolutely FRUSTRATING to me is that inevitably EVERY conversation turns into why THEY can't (Note: can't not won't) "do Atkins" and they proceed to tell me of every binge they've had...which is usally one or two a WEEK!! AAAAGGGHHHH!!!! I'm absolutely so sick of hearing how they can't stick to it, they had to have bread, sugar, blah blah blah blah. And it's NOT ME bringing it up!!!

I want to scream "SHUT UP!" but I just smile and say "hmmmmmm" because I just don't know what to say anymore.

Everyone at my work is absolutely supportive and complimentary. Although there are many people who are ill-informed about Atkins. I just politely smile and tell them that I've added all food groups back to my diet except for sugar and white flour. At that, most of them think that I've "gone off" Atkins and "just eat healthy" Then I tell them, "see, that's the shame of it all. That's what Atkins IS. It's truly unfortunate that the majority of people think the Atkins diet is the two-week induction (the most restrictive phase). That restrictive phase is only supposed to be for two weeks and then you are supposed to add the food groups back" That usually shuts the naysayers up.

[Jaded]

It's hard for me to judge people's reactions these days... the first time I lost weight I actually sometimes was offended by people telling me i looked so much better, b/c I still had a ways to go. I kept thinking "are they just saying i looked REALLY bad before?"

My two aunts (who live on my street and see me often) tell me nearly EVERY time I see them "Are you losing weight? You look like it"... which is nice, but sometimes I havent lost an ounce, or had even gone up a few thats to my first love, M&Ms. So who knows!

We all (aunts, uncles, me and one cousin) did Fatkins in 2003 and two have recently gone back to it (well, them to Fatkins, and me to the real plan now), but I havent mentioned that I have - I think I've fully converted back after a short stint on south beach - b/c my mom is completely unable to realize that i am not just eating cheese and steaks, even when she watches me eating veggies every day... call it atkins and the veggies turn into globs of lard in her minds eye. I've decided its not worth it to really explain it...

Hopefuly they'll be telling me I've lost weight soon and mean it!

[ValidRouge]

Originally Posted by Jaded

completely unable to realize that i am not just eating cheese and steaks, even when she watches me eating veggies every day... call it atkins and the veggies turn into globs of lard in her minds eye. I've decided its not worth it to really explain it...

I know what you mean....what's up with that????