Do you think they'd notice a difference?

[WasDuckNowBeautifulSwan]

When I worked in my current place of work - I was fat - 13stone at 5ft 1, lacked confidence and was bullied. By bullying I mean the more subtle, snide remark type than anything else. For example, the bloke I sat next to was an extremely fat, 20 stone plus guy who was a cunt to me. He'd say out of the blue, no context for it, "I'm not fit and you're not, either". Don't get me wrong at 13st I was aware I was obese but these comments were out of their reasonable context - he just said things like this out of the blue and I'd never do that to someone. I'd only make a comment about weight if for instance someone I was close to asked for straightforward honest feedback. I didn't dress very well I was often scruffy and often felt very low mood. However, I've been off work since January due to anxiety and then in March was on furlough anyone. In February I had a break through, I came off my meds, went on an diet /exercise programme and am now down to 10st. I wanted to lose the weigh relatively quickly so since exercise restrictions have been eased I've been out running 3 times a day and stuck to a strict calorie-controlled diet. I'm still fat in the sense BMI slightly over 25 - but I feel SO MUCH MORE LIKE A 'NORMAL' person!! We won't be going back to the office for at least a few weeks and by that time I will have lost more weight - my anxiety has eased and mood improved on my weight loss as I was unable to do this before. I feel a lot better in myself emotionally as well. I've not seen any colleagues since I've been off.
Do you think they'll notice a difference in me when I go back? I hope this is the start of the new, confident me!!

[Jeezoh]

That’s amazing, well done! Make sure you wear something fab on your first day back so you feel extra confident!

[serenada]

@Spidey66

Petite, actually. Short sounds like there’s a deficit.🤔

[NumbsMet]

Oh wow! Congratulations 🥳 you deserve to feel brilliant about yourself and your achievements!!

With regards to the cunt gentleman you work with, I can actually picture someone like him making comments to suggest you're 'still fat'. He will really struggle to see somebody making improvements that he has not made, and I wouldn't put it past him to try to make you feel paranoid. At this stage in your weight loss, you're vulnerable to comparing yourself to 'skinnier' people, so be prepared for if he does this and tell him to fuck off kindly be quiet.

And as for other people, you'll have a peculiar mixture! Some will pretend not to notice. Some will be truly happy for you. You'll start to hear things like 'you look so much better now' and it may bug you, because most people don't point out that you're big but they're quick to tell you how 'bad' you looked when you were big, after you lose the weight. I've been through all of this. I became annoyed that suddenly people started showing me more respect. Even my own mother!! It's a crazy feeling.

But regardless of all of that, I'm truly excited for you you did this for yourself, and that's amazing. Slowly you'll start enjoying buying clothes for yourself, trying out different hairstyles. You have a whole new confident side of yourself to explore. Go you!!

[Spidey66]

As you're short, a 3 stone weight loss will be very noticeable. Well done!

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

This seems pretty recent, so. In a time where bullying is not "tolerated".
Why was this abuse allowed to continue. I'm not going to buy that no one knew what was going on. I wouldn't mind betting they were all sitting around sniggering. Where was your manager when all this was happening.
I fuckin despite cunting bullies. People go to work to earn an honest living not to be abused. Id love to see this blokes attitude if he worked next to a 6ft tall 5ft wide fellow bloke. I highly doubt he d be coming out with smart arse wise cracks then.
I hope you've done this for your self and not to please other, btw.

[WasDuckNowBeautifulSwan]

Thank you so much for all all your lovely comments - I needed cheering up today and it was lovely to read through them all!!

[zafferana]

Wow OP - that's a really great achievement. Three stone off in as many months - congratulations! Running 3x a day?? Amazing.

What you've achieved clearly took a lot of determination and hard work. I'm sure your colleagues will notice and the nicer ones will hopefully compliment you, but even if they don't, their opinions don't matter. What matters is your health and you've taken a massive step in the right direction. You've also reduced your chances of being seriously ill if you contract Covid-19, so that should give you further impetus to keep going and ignore the snide comments of others

[lljkk]

MNers are always saying it's rude to comment about other people's bodies. So they may notice but not say anything bc it's not polite to say anything.

[Happynow001]

Very VERY WELL DONE OP! 👏🏻 It's really tough making such a big change like this. It takes focus and persistence even when you are feeling low.

It's great you feel more confident - I'm sure that will shine through in all aspects of your life. Maybe take a look at other job openings there may be at your firm if/when the time comes and maybe think of applying for them - especially if at a higher grade than you currently are.

Or maybe consider what professional training you can undertake to increase your value in your current job and open other/better avenues for yourself you might not have considered because your confidence was low.

Good luck to you - and keep up the good work! 🌹

[Parsley1234]

Well done !!!!!

[Sparklesocks]

Congrats OP.
As others have said, the focus should be on yourself rather than how other people react or what they’ll think. It’s always nice for people to respond positively to us, but really it’s about feeling happy and confident in yourself and your own skin. I hope your new found confidence brings joy and positivity to your life.

[WasDuckNowBeautifulSwan]

Thanks so much for all your kind comments and encouragement. Actually if anything it's more about the confidence than the weight actually - I want to stop people viewing me as a soft touch!! But as I'm a person who is much happier slimmer, then I think the weight issue is important too.
I want to reinvent myself!!

[SoberCurious]

Amazing well done OP! 👏👏👏

[WasDuckNowBeautifulSwan]

Batshite - when I say it's easier to lose weight at a lower weight I don't necessarily mean it comes off quicker - but in my case I feel more uncomfortable the heavier I am. I used to have really large thighs etc now everything feels more 'normal' even though technically I'm still overweight.

[GhostCurry]

“Really you need to look at why you care. They're horrible people, you don't need their approval.”

I think it’s pretty normal to want positive feedback from your peers, don’t you?

Well done OP, your newfound energy and good spirits jump out of the screen. Happy for you x

[notangelinajolie]

Well done, that's brilliant you've done really well.
Yes, I am sure they will notice but don't be offended or upset if nobody says anything. Like you, most people don't like to comment on a person's appearance.

[TrickyKid]

Well done. Yes at 5ft 2 three stone makes a big difference.

[CoRhona]

Don't give a monkeys what they think.

You've done brilliantly 👏

[Bluntness100]

Well done that’s a huge achievement, I hope you feel great and yes they will notice

And if you were in my office I’d tell you how fantastic you looked.

[BatShite]

Ah, I haven't been aiming to lose weight. Infact I was rather surprised as seem to be eating a lot of shite, and obviously doing less through the day. But my body seems weird! Good to know though that it gets easier the lower you are, for if I do start actively trying to lose though, thanks.

[WasDuckNowBeautifulSwan]

Thank you all for your encouraging comments - I really appreciate them.

Batshite - I was 15 stone in 2008 and I can confirm that 15 stone to 13 stone is the hardest 2 stone to shift so well done - you've already done the most difficult part! And just think - I was about 13 stone - more actually - in Jan I was more like 13 stone 7 - a few short months ago! Good luck and stick with it!!!!

[BatShite]

I totally agree with you that confidence is more important than slimness per se. I think he is uncomfortable with his size and he is definitely insecure.

Even just from posting here, its clear how much happier you are. Of course that, and confidence is way more important than anything else. Congratulations, and I am glad you have found a positive throughout all this.

As a side note, I have also managed to lose 2 stone during lockdown. And people are noticing that, a lot. I went from near 15 to about 13..so not nearly as much difference as you and I am still quite overweight, so purely on the 'will they notice change in size' part, yeah, almost sure

I do suspect dickhead will just move onto 'skinny jokes' though. Dickheads will be dickheads. Ignore him, and if you can't..'joke' with him the same way he does..he won't like that..they never do!

[Dontjumptoconclusions]

OP they will notice a difference but usually I've noticed that people who were horrible when you're overweight don't tend to change too much when you lose weight. They pick on something else, whether it be commenting on your healthy food or calling you obsessive or because you have lost weight you now think you're better than everyone else.

Im speaking from experience. Be prepared for comments to still be coming and get ready to stick up for yourself and your hard work.

You did a fantastic job, well done OP!

[OutOfHours]

Who cares if they don't.

You have done amazing, dont let the opinion of small minded people change that.

Well done.

[caperberries]

Fantastic job losing so much weight but I wouldn't recommend running 3 times a day - your body needs rest between running sessions to avoid injury