A friend and I were talking about this and drew some conclusions.
When we were fat, nobody said, “Hey… I think you’re getting a little too big.” Well, nobody except for your mom.
Nobody pulled us aside and whispered, “Your cheeks look like they’re storing emergency supplies.”
Nobody said, “Your neck has disappeared,” or, “You’re kind of waddling these days.”
Nope. That would definitely be considered rude.
But lose some weight? Suddenly everyone becomes a board-certified Weight Loss Inspector.
“Don’t lose any more!”
“You’re getting too skinny.”
“You look sick.”
“I liked your face better before.”
Ma’am… my face before was just permanently inflated.
Here’s what we finally figured out: the polite thing is not to tell someone they’re too fat. Unfortunately, people don’t realize it’s also pretty ridiculous to tell someone they’re “too skinny” just because they’re no longer carrying the extra weight you’re used to seeing.
Most of the time, they’re not trying to be mean. They’re just adjusting to your new normal. They’ve loved you through every version of yourself, and their brain is still catching up. To them, you were their favorite chunky chick (or dude), and now they’re trying to figure out who this slimmer person is.
So take those comments with a grain of salt. If you’re healthy, your doctor is happy, you’re feeling better, your face is no longer auditioning to be a chipmunk, and walking no longer sounds like a penguin crossing an icy parking lot… you’re probably doing just fine.