Responding to Comments About Weight Loss

One of the hallmark signs of IBD is weight loss. That doesn't mean that everyone with IBD is thin, but it does mean that your weight may go up and down -- sometimes dramatically. If people don't know what is going on with you, they might make some pretty rude or insensitive comments. They may think that you're losing weight on purpose, and express some envy over it. If you feel good and you gain some of that weight back, you may hear comments about that too.

Me, personally, I've been called "too skinny." I've had people tell me they wish they could be so thin. When I had j-pouch surgery and felt better, people who never said anything to me about my weight before told me that I "looked better." That made me wonder: How bad did I look before? When I was fortunate enough to become pregnant with my first child, somebody actually called me "fat."

This is pretty much par for the course when your weight fluctuates. What can you do about these comments? What should you do? I'd like to come up with some stinging comebacks as much as the next person, but instead, I submit to you that this is an opportunity to educate people about IBD. You might feel as though it's not your responsibility to educate anyone about anything, but I hope you give it some consideration.

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