When I first lost 50 pounds (over the course of 9 months), I faced a barrage of comments from friends and family who asked me if I was ok. They wondered if I was sick.
Their negative perspective towards my appearance had nothing to do with my physique. It was all about how thin my face looked.
I found this interesting. Here I was looking the best I ever have, feeling vibrant, and never been healthier, yet friends and family were concerned about me.
Unfortunately I’m not alone. When I shared this experience on Facebook (view post and comments here), several others chimed in with similar stories.
And if you have lost a fair amount of weight, chances are you’ve faced these types of comments and criticism yourself.
I try my best to see things from the perspective of the critic. The change in my appearance was shocking to some people. Especially those who hadn’t seen me in a while. They were used to seeing me with puffy cheeks and a fuller rounder face during the previous decade.
For whatever reason, some people feel compelled to make such statements. We can’t control what they think or say, nor should we want to. But what we can do is control how we react and respond.
The knee jerk reaction often times is to feel anger and get defensive. Those feelings don’t serve you well and do nothing to move you closer to achieving the physique you desire.
Another reaction is to doubt yourself. These feelings can derail you from fulfilling your goal.
Typically I’ll respond by thanking them for their concern and informing them that I’ve never felt better since losing 50 pounds of excess fat that was weighing me down and holding me back in countless ways.
And I’ll usually follow that up by sharing how I have never been happier with how I look and why my appearance finally feels congruent with who I am on the inside… my core values and what’s at the heart of my being.
Thankfully these instances occur less frequently since I’ve maintained this level of leanness for the past 7 years. It’s become my new norm. Friends and family are used to how I look. They see the twinkle in my eyes and know that I’m in my happy place.
So the take home lesson. Don’t worry about what others think. Be true to yourself. Go after what you want and what makes you happy.
Cheers!
Coach Scott Tousignant
PS If you have had a similar experience please take a moment to share it in the comment section of this post.
We’re in this together. Let’s bring out the best in each other!