How do you handle the compliments?

Hi Everyone! I want to put this out there - does anyone, besides me, feel guarded/unsure about their progress? I receive the nicest compliments lately about my looks, and yet I almost dont believe it. I guess Im waiting for the other shoe to drop.....like I'll wake up fat as before. Why Im not enjoying this more I dont understand. I saw my surgeon today and Im down 98 lbs!!! YEAH!, right? Right! So why dont I celebrate? I need a reality check dont I? Or maybe a slap in the face - okay not really......I guess my self esteem hasnt caught up with the physical part of it. Im a weird -o , right? Kathryn

Hey Kathryn... first of all let me say congratulations to you on your weight loss... 98 lbs is absolutely amazing!!! Ok now... I know exactly how you feel about the whole compliment thing. I get them all the time too and I just feel so uncomfortable taking them. We are just not used to receiving the types of compliments we get now. I am not sure how to handle it, it just feels so weird... I'm interested to see what everyone else has to say about this.

You're not a weiro and you certainly don't need a slap in the face. We've all been so used to staying in the background and not calling attention to ourselves that sometimes it's a little daunting to get all the attention...especially the wonderful attention we're all getting now. For me, I can't receive ENOUGH compliments, I love them and savor and relish each one. I find myself grinning all the time now...sort of like I'm EXPECTING to be lavished with the attention and kudos. I believe the other shoe dropping scenerio is over for us...it's only going to get better. Enjoy your success...98 lbs. is absolutely fantastic AND enjoy and celebrate all the wonderful kudos. You've earned them!!!!

Kathryn, I just checked out your profile...you look amazing. No wonder everyone is complimenting you. Your current pictures are amazing...enjoy your compliments!!! Gail

Congrats to you on the 98lbs. That a WONDERFUL accomplishment!! I'm right there with you. I get them constantly at work. The most famous one is "Hey SKINNY girl - you're looking great". I get SO uncomfortable when people refer to me as skinny because I know I'm not and have another 30-40lbs to go. I get compliments on a regular basis and I'm alway saying things like "Oh thanks but I'm not there yet" or "Not really" ... I can't accept them because I still see myself as a FAT ASS!

I feel exactly the same as everyone else on here. I think it takes a while for our brain to comprehend what's happening to our bodies. Also, we've all failed so many times before, it's hard to celebrate when a little (or not so little) voice inside keeps saying, "It's not going to last!" I think it's totally normal. Hopefully a few months from now, we will be able to graciously accept a compliment. Jami

oh man, when I get acompliment, I wiggle my butt, to the left, and to the right about three times, smile like a cheshire cat, and say the sweetest thank you that you have ever heard. everyone has been so nice to me, everyone wants the best for me. I am so thrilled that I have been so successful. I am down 94 lbs. I have made a life altering change for my own health and it shows. I want to be graceful. I want people to not feel that if they pay me a compliment that I would be offended. image: (them): kat you look wonderful (me): really, what did I look like before, a fat cow? (them): hurt feelings (me): loser nope, rejoice in their joy for you. a sorrow shared, 1/2 the trouble a joy shared, joy made double Kat [Photographer & Mom of 5] [[ Some people are like slinkies, they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.]] 275/247/181/150 start/surgery/today/goal

Hi i don't think you're a weirdo at all actually! Before the weight loss surgery it was all we could do not to be invisible to people and as we are becomming a more socially acceptable weight we are starting to "re-appear" and people will comment. Accept the compliments with your head held high and a smile on your face, you've earned these compliments so take them with grace and courage. Hugs, ANDI

Kathryn, sorry I'm a late responder (wedding stuff keeping me busier and busier these days..... But no need to feel weird. I think a lot of us are going through the same thing. Me, personally, while on one hand I feel good inside about all the compliments I'm getting ("hey, skinny minnie," or "you're wasting away to nothing," or you've metamorphisized" (sp?) ), on the other hand I'm starting to feel kind of uncomfortable too with all the attention because I just didn't used to get anywhere near this much. I was used to blending into the background, or kind of being just ignored, for lack of a better word. Now I find eyes coming to me when I walk into a room, or the security guard who never spoke to me in the mornings when I got off the elevator saying "Good Morning" EVERY morning now, lol. It's a little unnerving, to be honest. Because while I see the difference in my clothes and when I look in the mirror, in some weird way I still feel "fat," and how I think about myself has not quite caught up with what I'm seeing when I look in the mirror, or I guess what others now see when they look at me. I think it's sinking in more every day, and breaking down and finally allowing myself to start buying new clothes that actually are form fitting vs. loose and baggy, and enjoying being able to wear 12 petites and medium tops is having a very positive effect on helping me realize the new me! I think we're all getting there, and things will only get better with time!