To think I will be judged?

[DorisDances]

I have put on weight with a medical condition and am now a size 18. I have been told I could now benefit from a 12 week course of iv steroids. This will bloat me up much further. My work involves pitching for business in professional settings often with clients that are new so won't remember the size 12 me. I am really concerned as to how they will respond to me being significantly over sized. It should be on my experience, qualifications etc but don't we all size people up and make judgements? I am feeling that my confidence is already low due to my health and this could be a further blow. Any thoughts?

unless you're selling diet shakes it really shouldn't matter. Being larger doesn't mean you're evil or incompetent or don't deserve to be listened to or worked with. Half of the world is fatter than it should be: you won't be the only elephant in the room... hohoho…

Interesting that you describe evaluating people as 'sizing ppl up' though, and interesting that you mention how 'nobody will know the size 12 you'. You sound like a fattist. A long-term fattist who is now a fatty themselves. Arghh, you must be giving your reflection some serious shade in the mirror.

Look, just do what everyone else does. Buy a floaty blouse and some nice earrings and style it out. You won't be a fatty forever, unless you want to be, and when you've sorted out your health issues then you can lose weight, and then you can update your SM profiles with pictures of the hot new you who, to be fair, will probably be much the same as the old you, just a bit narrower 'round the middle.

I'm plus sized (purely because I eat too much) I honestly worried about this too, but I'm really quite senior in my profession and it seems people aren't judging me (and if they are it's silent and not impacting my career)

Dress well, be cleaned and groomed. You'll find people pay less attention to your size that you would think.

Ouch