I got a HUGE Promotion Today
I think your wife ha**** it right on the head, Dr. G. (u're a physician, btw, I presume?) ... I really think people tend to "reward" us (perhaps even subconsciously) for our massive weight loss, in additon to not "penalizing" us for being biggies back when we were in that club .. A recent personal example:
I settled a case at mediation last week for the most I ever have at mediation in 15+ years - about 2x what I thought we would be able to squeeze out of the def. ins. co. I remember the atty and adjuster coming into the room just to meet me and my client and shake our hands before getting down to biz -- and then a few hours later the proverbial ship came in for us when they accepted our (what I thought was high) demand .. ! It crossed my mind after we got news of the acceptance of our fat demand the thought that, if they had seen the old "461 lb. diabetic bag of fluid" me instead, they would have NOT been impressed with me (for sure) and I have a hunch they would have taken a harder stance when it came to settlement as a result, thinking I would make a bad physical impression to a jury if the case went to trial .. Now that I have the (relatively) "lean and mean" look, I think it actualy intimidates the other side a bit .. woohoo! It will be interesting to see how my income compares nowdays versus what it was as a pre-op a year ago, too ..

anyway, my point is that we are a people of first impression. i challange anyone not to know one thing amoungst men, we know the line between us and will not cross it. by that i mean i know if someone can kick my ass! i will may come up to the line but only cross it if i have no choice. now that you look mean and lean, you are sized up differently. heavy people look weak and unhealthy in other people's minds no matter how much we know it isn't true.
a little story. there's an area we go walk the dogs and it's patroled by guards. they really don't want dogs and people there. we've started a petition to go there anyway but the point is the guards hassle the **** out of everyone going there. now i go down with the dogs for running, usually dressed the way i look in the avatar. it's warm here....lol. i don't get hasseled. i can only attribute that to the fact i don't look like a weeny. i know i look tough....lol. it's not something i strive for, i'm way past trying to impress people anymore but the fact is, i'm not heavy and i look like the weight lifter i once was. i know these guards are thinking twice before trying to intimidate me like do other guys going down there. they throw f bombs at my friends and such but me, they wave. i wave back, dogs off leash. now they got a female guard and she hates everyone.....lol. so my free ride is over. just making the point again that appearance, no matter how sad, seems to be almost everything in our society. so if you look mean and lean, you're a cut above. it's very hard for us former heavyweights to wrap our heads around that kind of prejudging but that's the way it is. sadly...carbonblob
I agree with Doug. I have noticed a huge difference in the way people acknowledge me. Women in public look me in the eye now and smile and say hi now. They used to look away like I was a virus, and walk a long circle to avoid me. People at work treat me with respect. You've probably all seen the promos for the new reality game show where the emcee asks the contestant "Do fat people repulse you?" I think by and large, thats a big yes for most people. Not for me. Only MEAN people repulse me. The Kevinator