I've lost 60lbs+ because I'm sick....how do I answer the questions that go "oh my god you look so great! How did you lose the weight??"?

Question

I don't know if I have an autoimmune disorder, an auto inflammatory disorder or what...but for the last 3+ years I've been dealing with a lot of symptoms and towards the end of last year I lost my appetite and started dropping a ton of weight really fast. I definitely had more than 60lbs to lose. 
it stopped for a while and now it's back again. People keep asking me how I did it...some have asked me nicely...some rudely. People keep telling me how amazing I look, and literally pointing out how much weight they think I lost...which is really frustrating when they say it with such a shock in their voice.🙄. What do I even say to these people? "Diet and exercise"? Or "I just don't eat anymore🤷‍♀️".

Answer

I haven't ever dealt with this before (my illness just affects my heart/the way I feel), but I would be honest. I would say that you're sick and it's causing you to lose weight. People think it's always a good thing to lose weight but it's not when the cause is an illness. I'm sorry if that's not helpful.

Answer

Have you been tested for celiac? I know you weren’t asking for advice but I just wanted to throw it out there because I lost a TON of weight from Celiac before I was diagnosed

Answer

This happened to my aunt. She’s older and (honestly) a bit crotchety, so she was real honest when people asked.  Told them she didn’t want to lose the weight, and basically shut them down. After about 18 months, she was finally diagnosed with Wegener’s.

Answer

Quite a few years ago, I found out I had Colitis. I was ~200lbs and started losing a bit of weight for no reason. Went to the ER (for obviously other symptoms) and they didn't tell me anything. Flash forward a few weeks and I'm down 60lbs in less than a month. I go to the doctor and they said "didn't the hospital tell you that you had an extremely deadly and highly infective infection?" Nope. They didn't. I was supposed to be hospitalized and quarantined... but wasnt. I exposed my whole family to it, but luckily none of them got ill. It was awful. I'm still about 140lbs to this day and I've never and never want to go through something like that again.
But yeah, I keep getting told in too skinny by family and it's like, I'm not doing anything different. Sorry you're all used to me being quite overweight and don't like me being at a healthy weight (which I can still lose some more).

Answer

My wife has chronic illnesses and her weight goes up and down a lot depending. If people ask, you tell them you’ve been sick for a long time. Best to be truthful, then get lost in a lie.

Answer

same boat here :( I lost ~40lbs in about 4 months because of intense nausea. I've just now been able to get back up to a healthy BMI (I was down to 16, just squeaking in at 18.5now) and that's only been with a lot of work and shoving food down my throat whenever possible. I ended up seeing a dietition and she really helped my find some foods I could stomach and make sure I'm getting lots of fats, carbs, and protein, and all the nutrients I need. I honestly have moved pretty close to being vegetarian because meat is the hardest for me.
I agree it's super frustrating when people complement you on the weight loss... I mean I'm glad to have gotten rid
 of the extra I didn't need, but I'd WAY rather be healthier and still have the extra weight.

I've lost 60lbs+ because I'm sick....how do I answer the questions that go "oh my god you look so great! How did you lose the weight??"?

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