By Karen Hammonds | 5/13/2004

Remarks other people make about your weight loss can be thrilling, insulting or somewhere in between. And sometimes they're all in the eye of the beholder �?or in this case, the ear of the hearer. Comments that charm one dieter might horrify another. Some people feel weight loss is a private matter, while others want the whole world to acknowledge their success.

One thing's for sure, though: If you lose weight, you're bound to get feedback. Whether friends, family, colleagues or neighbors, someone will have something to say about it. Here are some anecdotes from users of the Message Boards in our Community section, describing the best, worst, cleverest and silliest weight-loss remarks they've heard.

A-Plus Compliments:
"You look great. But you looked beautiful before you lost weight, too!"

"One guy at my gym said, 'You are the shrinking woman.' I felt sooo good."

"The personal trainer I've been working with said he would like to take an 'after picture' as a success story. I'm not even to goal yet, but he is impressed enough with my results to want to post them�?

"I didn't even recognize you at first ... but your smile and laugh could not be mistaken! Wow, you look great!"

Dubious Compliments:
"My favorite is when a mother and daughter came into [my] office. I saw them whispering together and then the mother asked me what happened to the girl who use to work here, the heavyset redhead. I told her she left about 70 pounds ago! Her daughter punched her mother's arm and told her, 'I told you it was her!'"

"From my grandmother: 'Now, that's more like it!'"

"My favorite is always when people way overestimate how much you've lost. One of my husband's friends said, 'Wow, you look like you've lost 30 or 40 pounds!' Um, no, more like about 18, but thanks!"

"The day after my husband and I got engaged he moved to Maryland (I'm in Nebraska). I flew out to see him three months later and 25 pounds lighter, and the first thing he said to me was 'God, you're tan!' I never let him forget it!!"

Thumbs Down:
"You look really good. Wow, I had no idea how fat you were before! You must have lost a ton."

"From my mom (strangers would be kinder), ten pounds away from goal: 'Don't you think you should stop? You don't want to become anorexic!' So I show her my 'before' picture and she says 'Gawd, were you heavy!' Gee thanks, Mom..."

"Once I reached goal, my grandmother said several things that were supposedly compliments: She pointed to her back end and said 'You used to be out to here...' Another: 'You have such a better personality now.'"

"The other night I was wearing shorts and was in the kitchen making supper, and my hubby, who was sitting at the table, said, 'Wow, your legs are losing the cottage cheese look.'"

"An acquaintance ran into me and exclaimed (very loudly), 'Oh my gosh, you are so small! I never would have thought that there was a 'small' person in there!'"