To think that as a 50 year old woman, you’re treated differently if you’ve lost a significant amount of weight and your figure has changed .

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Wondering if you’ve experienced this? Sudden interest in your figure: body by friends comments. Men glancing at you a little more?
as a woman of this age, I’m perplexed by this. I’ve lost 20 lbs in three months.
no one noticed until this weekend past but it was remarked upon by some friends. I am now just 10kg overweight but am a bit shocked at the commenting and glances . I did this for health reasons as advised by my GP but not one comment related to my health . It was all about appearances.
I’ve been 35 kg over weight at my heaviest.
interested to hear your own experiences. I felt uncomfortable and almost defensive.

I think when anyone even men, of any age loses significant weight after being overweight, it attracts attention.

You said you wanted to loose weight for health reasons so I assume you were overweight? Now you are closer to a healthy weight and men are showing an interest? I don't think that should be a big shock op!

It’s always been this way. I’ve lost tonnes of weight on and off over the years and experienced this each time. Now at 56 I’ve lost 4
stone with Mounjaro so hopefully this will be the last time I have to lose it 🤞🤞🤞

I wonder what will change of the next few years with the rise of weight loss injections, as possibly there will be fewer and fewer significantly overweight people.

I’ve felt invisible all my life, except for a brief period perhaps between 14-17. Young, middle-aged, fat, thin.

I’m trying to lose weight now in my mid-40s but purely for health reasons. It won’t make any difference to my ‘visibility’. I have no physical presence. Probably would have made an excellent spy.

I don't think it's difficult to understand why you're attracting more attention as you've become more attractive. It's simple truth that women look more attractive without a large amount of excess body fat and now people are noticing you more as you are more aesthetically pleasing.

I lost 30kgs and someone at work asked if I had cancer.... 😬

Know what you mean OP. I’ve had runners say good morning would they have said this before. Mind you when I was bigger some disgusting little boy of a man specifically shouted out that the gym was back that way as he simply drove past me with their window down.

Congratulations on your weight loss 💖your health is the most important speaker x

It’ll be a temporary change unless people stay on them forever and not many will be able to afford that. There’ll be a time where we see more slim people but it’ll reverse as people get the food noise back.
Not many can afford them as it is and it’ll be a while before nhs gives to everyone.

Women and men.

I’m sure they do !!

I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago in my late 40s - I wasn’t overweight to start with but now I’m at the thin end of a healthy weight range. The weight loss was unintentional after my wife’s affair and the resulting end of our marriage. I got, and continue to get, a lot of comments of the “you’re so skinny, you should put on some weight” variety, and if I’m honest then yes I think it has made me more attractive to some people who wouldn’t have looked twice before.

I never comment on anyone’s weight unless directly asked, as you never know what might be the reasons or how the person feels about it. Yes I look better than before but I’d rather have my marriage intact.

I’ve lost nearly 3 stone in the past 9 months. And yes, I have noticed a difference in my interactions with strangers and casual acquaintances. Definitely a more positive vibe as if I look more acceptable now. And mostly from other women.

@Disturbia81

That would be so sad.
i hope the affordability will change as the drugs develop 🤞🤞🤞

I certainly plan to stay on long term, fingers crossed that maintenance doses etc become more accessible to more people.

I hope so too as it’ll all be a waste of money otherwise. It’s the only thing that works for so many people

It is a sad fact that the world treats people considerably better if they are slim than they do if they are overweight.

The effect isn’t limited to members of the opposite sex either. Women are just as likely to favour slim women as men.

My weight goes up and down periodically.

If I’m slim I get noticeably better service in shops, pubs and restaurants.

I find colleagues will treat me better when I’m slim.

Research indicates that overweight people get hired/promoted less frequently and paid less.

People on MN often say “it’s because when you lose weight you are happier/ more confident/your self esteem is higher and that’s why people treat you better.”

But I’m a super confident person and have excellent self esteem regardless of my current weight. My happiness isn’t tied to my dress size either.

It’s socially acceptable to be rude to and about overweight people. The first time I lost a lot of weight was post having children and consequently had a lot of new friends through baby groups etc It’s astonishing the comments people who have only known you as slim will make about fat people.

I do find it disappointing especially in people who have known me for years. They might be judging me for my weight but I’m judging them for being shallow, cruel and discriminatory.

Great post. Yes I was always confident big, no personality change. It’s literally just people being shallow and deeming us worthy due to having less fat.

I think it’s one of the last things it’s universally ok to shame people about.

Lots of people consider being overweight a moral failing. And helpfully it’s a moral failing that shows on the outside so it’s nice and easy to identify who to feel superior to.

YANBU

Yup, it's really a revelation how differently people treat you

Men treat you better, women treat you worse

This is the thing though, in many cases women treat slimmer people better too.
It’s not just about sexual attraction, it’s about thinking you are worthy of their time, they don’t want to associate with fat people because it reflects on them, many women love seeing other women dressed in nice clothes and look up to them etc

I’ve never been overweight. The attention has tapered off, but I still get it from men and women close to my age and older. Sort of 45yos on up. I’m in my 50s.