Skinny Shamed
I’ve also worked really hard throughout this process to prioritize protein and strength training so I could maintain as much muscle as possible.
I’m 5’8” and obviously 60 pounds is a significant loss, so I look very different than I did before. But I’ve actually been maintaining since the beginning of the year and focusing more on building muscle/body recomposition. I had a DEXA scan, my labs are great, I feel great, and I know I’m not continuing to lose weight.
Yesterday I was talking to a family member who has seen me throughout my weight loss and is also on a GLP-1. She’s lost 40 pounds, which is amazing, and while we were talking about our experiences she said to me, “Okay skinny, you’re withering away.” I brushed it off and told her I’ve actually been maintaining for months. Then a few minutes later she said again that I was “withering away.”
I know I probably shouldn’t let it bother me, but it did. Especially because while talking about her own goals she made a few comments about not wanting to get “too skinny,” and it left me wondering if those comments were indirectly about me too.
I walked away from that conversation suddenly wondering if I look too thin or if I somehow went too far. And I hate that, because I felt really good about where I was before that conversation.
It’s crazy how quickly someone else’s comment about your body can get into your head, even when everything you actually know about your health and your body tells you otherwise.