GOT HATERS?

Haters. What's up with that? My friend Sarah told me a few months back to be prepared for the haters to start coming out of the woodwork. She wasn't wrong. It's now happening in full force and you know what? Its annoying. Really, really annoying.

Yes, I'm losing weight. Yes, I'm working out like a feign. Yes, I'm trying to regain my once healthy body. Yes, I'm succeeding.

But.

Does the new size of my ass in any way actually affect YOUR life? Change your OWN self image? Alter YOUR self confidence? Make YOUR pants size somehow bigger because mine are getting smaller? Please don't let my ass size bare such weight in your life -- that's just far too much responsibility for my glutes to take on.

"Don't get skinnier than me!"

Yes, I actually heard that recently. From a FRIEND. I guess if I did get skinnier than her it would change our friendship somehow? How incredibly pathetic that in reality it's already happening. Chances are slim I will ever actually become smaller than her but come on now, really, does it actually matter somehow if I did?! If anyone knows the real answer to this question, I'm all ears. Nothing good can come from making such a comment to a person who has been sweating their ass off for months at the gym. Trust me when I say that I haven't been doing this for you, not to compete with you, not to one up you - I'm doing it solely & completely for selfish reasons... FOR ME.

"You're losing too much weight".

Seriously? I've just taken my BMI from the obese range into the overweight category and I'm still a pound over falling into the healthy range. So, I'm still "fat" enough to be technically overweight but for YOUR LIKING I've now lost too much weight. Again, this honestly affects you how?! If my weight loss is somehow affecting you, you might want to reflect on that further. But please, don't blame me for it. Like I said, I can't handle that responsibility.

Truth be told, I don't care if my friends are fat. Or skinny. Or green. If I choose you as my friend, you are just that, my friend. If, during the course of our friendship, you gain 200 lbs., I'll be concerned about your health but dude, we'll still be friends. If you lose 200 lbs, I'll cheer you on every step of the way. Same as if you gain or lose 20. It doesn't affect me personally, it doesn't affect our friendship, and it doesn't affect how I feel about you as a person. I'm genuinely happy for you or will commiserate right there with you -- but you can rest assured, I'm no hater friend.

Hater friends**. Those who, when asked their opinion, tell you the uglier outfit is definitely the one you should wear. I have one friend that I know well enough to know that if she tells me to wear one pair of shoes, I change into another right before we leave the house. She's just that way and its just incredibly sad. Its always better to know where you stand with people though - I've always felt its better to just know the truth than to be left wondering.

In all honestly, other than a small handful of people in my life, I've had a blast with this journey. I'm in awe that I'm actually succeeding at this. Most of my friends & family have been almost disgustingly supportive. I'm crabby on a lot of days and my family takes it in stride, or sure try to. Most of my friends cheer me on, every ounce of a loss at a time. I hope they genuinely feel my support in their weight loss victories as well as I never feel anything but sheer excitement for them. Not a twinge of jealousy goes into my "ada boys!" -- and if I do find myself with pangs of jealousy its only because I know I could be doing better, but that's on me not you, and takes nothing away of how proud I am for your victory.

Thanks for encouraging me when I needed it, hugging me when I stumble and remarking on a job well done when I hit a milestone. Your support has pushed me along when I wanted to eat a plate full of pasta, a big fat cheeseburger or just plain throw in the towel. I credit a ton of my so-far success to my family & circle of friends who stand by me daily. I need you and hope you need me to. Let's keep up the great work! Just say NO to the haters! :)

**disclaimer:
If you are one of my regular readers/friends, chances are really good I wouldn't come to a place I know you'd read and vent directly/indirectly about you. The people mentioned above, while important to me, are not regular readers of my blog nor do I feel comfortable enough to confront them. Consider this post a vent, nothing more. It's not like I'm going to stop shrinking my ass to make THEM more comfortable with our friendship anyway!