[QUESTION] How do you handle not being recognized and/or having to reintroduce yourself to people you haven’t seen in a while? (It can be awkward AF.)
35/F/5'9" SW: 235ish lbs, CW: 150 lbs, GW: 135 lbs. I'm dumb and can't figure out how to add my stats as flair. I keep having to re-introduce myself to people because they don’t recognize me. Have any of you figured out a way to make name tags cool? I’m open to any tips or tricks you guys have for making these interactions less awkward. (I provided my weight history/summary at the end.)
I teach upper-level undergraduates at a large university. Sometimes students I taught years ago (at my highest weight) occasionally return to campus to attend special lectures and exhibitions. I apparently carried a lot of fat in my face because most of them don’t recognize me. It’s lead to some truly awkward moments. e.g., I said hello and leaned in to hug one of my favorite students of all time... but stopped short because she recoiled a tiny bit (in confusion). She thought I was a confused stranger for a sec.
Colleagues that I don’t see very regularly have approached me to introduce themselves and welcome me to the university thinking that I’m a new hire. It’s a little embarrassing (for both of us) when I gently correct them by laughing it off and saying something like, “Hey, Joe! It’s me, Jane! Just with shorter hair and a little less fat...”
It’s not a huge deal but these interactions almost always leave one (or both) of us feeling a little embarrassed. The people I’m talking to usually (a) feel badly about not recognizing me and (b) feel the need to explain why they didn’t recognize me... but are at a loss when they realize it’s probably impolite/improper to mention my weight.
What do you guys do? It seems kind of crazy to preemptively walk up to people and say “Hey, it’s Jane (not my real name)! How are you?” Maybe it’s the best thing to do though?
Thanks for reading! I look forward to your advice!
BACKGROUND INFO/To make a long story short: I was very athletic (lean and fit at 125 lbs) until I graduated college. The transition to a more sedentary lifestyle of work, travel, and grad school did a slow but terrible number on me. I went from 125 lbs to 235ish lbs in about 7 years. I lost about 30 lbs in 2014/2015. I stalled at about 200 lbs for a couple of years. (I suddenly and unexpectedly lost my father, had to have the first of a few surgeries on my left foot/ankle, etc. Y’all know how it goes — I was derailed by life.) Near the end of 2017, I decided to quit making excuses. I went from 205 lbs to 160 lbs. I spent most of 2019 plateaued at 160. I’m finally back to losing and currently weigh 150 lbs. (Fingers crossed that I don’t gain again now that I’m back in a cast.)
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/bgnl4x/question_how_do_you_handle_not_being_recognized/
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