One of two ways...

"Oh my God, that's Mel?! I didn't even recognize her!"

I can take this one of two ways.

1. I've made amazing progress and I look fantastic.
2. I was such a troll before and I'm finally tolerable to look at.

My mood for the day usually determines which way I take a statement like that.

I *want* to always react the first way, but let's face it, when you've never really felt pretty, it's easy to fall into the second reaction, especially if you're like me and don't take compliments well. I've tried very hard to keep in focus what my real reasons are for losing weight: living longer and living healthier. The vanity reason is obviously there, as it is for any woman, but I'm trying NOT to make that my main reason for losing weight. I think when the focus is more about how I look, it's easy to lose track when I start noticing that difference in my appearance.

Every compliment is a struggle. Every time I hear "You're looking great, Mel, keep it up" or something like that, I have to stop and tell myself to JUST. SAY. THANK YOU. instead of shrugging it off or worse: being defensive.

So please try to understand where I'm coming from if I say "thank you" with a grimace on my face. I may be staying "Thank you" but my complete thought is "Thank you for allowing a troll like me to be seen in public with you." It's something I'm working on and if you knew me before I started losing weight, you'd know how far I've come. It's just a slow process.