You look great! Do you have Cancer?

So, i spent the weekend at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship  in Orlando. People from all over the country (and the world) fly in, so I saw a number of folks I hadn't seen since our national specialty in March. I spent 2 days manning our "Meet the Breeds" booth, doing a judging seminar etc, so I saw a LOT of people.  I'm friends on facebook with most, so the fact I've lost weight isn't a secret nor is my new  very short haircut.  Apparently the combination of the two has lead folks to believe that I have cancer. 

I had this conversation several times:

Them:  "You look great! OMG, I saw the pictures, but wow!" 

Then would come the frownie face...

Them:  "Is everything ok?" 

Me: "Absolutely, never felt better. "

Them:  "Oh, well, you know, you've lost so much weight."

Me:  "Well, I had surgery back in January."

Them:  "I knew that,  but I figured it was for Breast Cancer or something and cut your hair short due to chemo."

Really??  I appreciate that I'm pretty small -- particularly on top, but I'm still like 25% body fat. I still want to lose 10-15lbs.  Gotta love dog people, though, the very favorite sport is inventing drama.  I can almost hear it....

"Carolyn's lost a lot of weight.  She had some sort of surgery over the winter, I bet it was for cancer.  If she's sick, do you the she will keep her special out next year?  Do you think she'll retire him."

It was actually quite a fun weekend despite the fact my dog lost in rather spectacular fashion (He still will be the #1 dog in our breed this year).  I was just rather astonished -- particularly as open as I've been about having had WLS -- that I'm being mistaken for a cancer patient. 

 I have not been asked if I have cancer just asked if I feel good or am I ok that I look so thin. I am 160 lbs to me that is not even close to thin. I wonder what I would say if I was asked if I had cancer. I would be so shocked I would not know how to answer lol.

You have done great with your sleeve. I remember when you started out. Great job.

I can relate to this. I have been told I look like a cancer victim, a concentration camp victim and a nursing home patient. Geez, when I last checked I was still 30% body fat, have a bmi of about 21 which is smack in the middle of normal. I really think people just don't get wls and how much change can occur. another reason to not keep secrets about having had it. yet I have told everyone abgout it. oh well.

but you know how much dog people LOVE gossip and will blab about anything even if they have to make it up!!!!!!     Diane

I say this all the time, but I think with so many overweight and obese people society, by-and-large has forgotten what 'normal' really looks like. Vanity sizing hasn't helped, either. 

I'm 5'3" barely a normal BMI, and I'm a size 6 and a "Small".  This would have been a size 10 in high school and pushing into a 'large.'    I was at Ann Taylor Loft today, and now they have size 00.  It's roughly the dimensions if you look at their size chart of my mother's size 6 wedding dress from 1955. 

Dog people do love to talk, lol.  2 1/2 minutes in the ring, 8 hours at the show.  Lots of gums flapping :)

 LOL, had to laugh about the dog show world drama. It is so true. Dog show people gossip like no other group I've been a part of. 

I hope you had fun at Eukanuba. I have never been. But I hope to go someday. Perhaps next year. 

 This type of comment was one of my best NSV's...although mine was at a birthday party and it came out not quite as nice as what you got ..it went something like this "Beth...do you mean to look like that or do you have the cancer??"  To which I replied..no worries..I meant to look like this! And "this" was about 50 pounds ago! Cant imagine what this same group of people will be saying when I see them this new Years Eve! 

People sure do say the darndest stuff!

Congrats to you!! You look AMAZING...not "cancery" at all!!!

I'm sure you'll look fabulous with that 50 gone.  I read in a book once that women, generally, are like glasses of water. We gain weight from the bottom up but lose it from the top down.  I'm pretty bony on top but still plenty of padding below the waist, lol. 

 goodness!  I'm glad you can take it lightly but holy mother our society sure has a messed up idea of what is healthy. OY!

My bypass friend was told that people at his office (and several of them know about his surgery) have decided that he has cancer and just won't admit it.  He doesn't look sick. Color and skin is fine. Society is just plain jacked up.  Another friend lost weight without surgery and she was told that she looked sick too. Jeez.