"Did you lose weight? You look great." (201.9)
"Thanks, I did! Y'know, kidney cancer..."
No, I didn't say that to the friend who saw me downtown earlier this month, and if I had it probably would've been cruel. Also, the kidney cancer probably has little if anything to do with my weight loss; I was never really sick. I really did lose weight over the course of the last three years partly through conscious effort, and partly as an inevitable result of drinking way less beer.
But it also made me think about the unhealthy obsession our society has with weight and perception of how it relates to fitness. Another friend posted recently about finding a garment she was planning to wear no longer fit because she'd lost a lot of weight, and she pre-emptively said "Don't congratulate me; I lost weight because of ____." Yet another has been successfully gaining weight; he was way too thin, and he's looking healthier now.
"You look great" seems like plenty. I think I'll stick with that.
No, I didn't say that to the friend who saw me downtown earlier this month, and if I had it probably would've been cruel. Also, the kidney cancer probably has little if anything to do with my weight loss; I was never really sick. I really did lose weight over the course of the last three years partly through conscious effort, and partly as an inevitable result of drinking way less beer.
But it also made me think about the unhealthy obsession our society has with weight and perception of how it relates to fitness. Another friend posted recently about finding a garment she was planning to wear no longer fit because she'd lost a lot of weight, and she pre-emptively said "Don't congratulate me; I lost weight because of ____." Yet another has been successfully gaining weight; he was way too thin, and he's looking healthier now.
"You look great" seems like plenty. I think I'll stick with that.