Treated VERY differently when you were fat but now thin?

Question

Question for all of you people out there that have struggled with their weight.

Have people treated you like night and day? They have me and I just wanted to know if others had the same experience.

Answer 1

I used to be about 138 - 155 lbs at a height of 5'8". I was always getting hit on and guys would go out of their way to help me. While living abroad, a long time ago, the guy exchanging my money basically gave me back more than I gave him and was always trying to get me to go out with him. Then I ballooned up to 240 lbs and it was like I became invisible *OR* a target for all the world's hostilities. I had things happen like guys that would just drop doors on me instead of holding them a little, some dude started humming the Fat Albert music when he saw me, this other dude started making the circus calliope music, and at least two people moo'd at me. Once I was unloading my car and this group of black guys started clapping and going "Hercules Hercules Hercules" over and over again. It wasn't until later that I realized it was a Nutty Professor reference (the one with a massively fat Eddie Murphy). And the first day on a job that I have long since walked out on, my boss, the man that OWNED the entire operation said to me while smirking "You're large and in charge, huh?" It’s definitely like, as you put it, night and day.

Answer 2

Yes. I have lost about 30 pounds and have been treated differently as a result. I'm only 4'10" tall, so being 50 lbs overweight looks very significant on my frame as opposed to taller woman.

Part of this difference has been psychological. I felt depressed and disgusted with myself at a higher weight, and I felt as if I were going on sixty, though I had only turned twenty. It was hard to walk, and I did not get noticed by anyone, though most people sensed this vulnerability and avoided snide comments about my weight. Still, I felt excluded.

Personally, after I lost some of the weight I noticed that people seemed more willing to interact with me, especially males. I am still overweight by about 20 lb, but the difference has been quite noticeable.

I am still bothered that people would have chosen to avoid me based on weight, but I can't rule out my changes in personality. After I lost a few pounds I did feel more confident about myself, and the exercise made me more energetic.

As I continue to lose weight, I will check to see if the response changes. I suppose that it will become more pronounced, as I will finally be entering a healthy weight range, which is what most people consider attractive.

Answer 3

Yes, people treat me very differently depending on my weight. I've been chubby or fat for most of my life. Then a couple of years ago I lost a lot of weight and suddenly people started behaving very differently towards me.

It's weird how a lot of people seem to think of overweight people as less than human. Do they seriously think fat people don't have feelings, good qualities, interesting personalities etc. just like everyone else?? It's clear some people have no respect for overweight people. As if they don't have a weakness themselves.

Answer 4

I used to be slim and now I'm very much not. Now, I'm the last person to be attended to when shopping, it's almost as if I'm invisible, even though I'm larger. People always stare at my food when I eat out. They never did that when I was skinny and I ate heaps more then (and stayed skinny) than I do now.
But I have noticed that when I smile at people, they do smile back still, even if they don't know me.