It's called jealousy, it is extremely childish, and unfortunately it comes in all ages and sexes.
Take it as a big compliment and next time you get the shoulder treatment smile and say thank you!
You have made a drastic change in your life for You! Not for them, and they are jealous of your success and confidence.
You are walking the high road!

Thank you for your support! My DH & I followed the "17 Day Diet" & have adopted much of it as our eating lifestyle. We have very little flour (white or whole wheat) products and I have really policed sugar of all kinds - natural, added to products & high fructose corn syrup.

My blood pressure, cholesterol & blood sugar levels are all MUCH better. Prior to my weight loss my blood pressure was in the 145/100 range. Now it is consistently 115/70.

Congratulations on your success in maintaining the weight loss - and getting a good job, although you are stuck in a group of people who seem to have very poor manners, at best, and are imbeciles at best!

"Ridiculously childish" sums it up completely.

It sounds as though they are suffering from rampant immaturity. They have bad manners to the extreme.

If it makes you feel any better, I was ridiculed, talked about, and taunted at my last employment in California because I refused to have affairs with various co-workers. It seemed that many of the women, in my male-dominated job (corrections), were having open affairs with various officers. I didn't.

I was "weird." I was accused by one woman with the comment "well, it must be that you like your husband." She said it in a nasty, snarly tone as if I stomped on baby kittens or something.

hostapasta, I did the 17 day diet, too. It was a segue into eating mostly paleo--the principles are the same. For anyone looking for a very good diet, try it! I got the book at Target.

It's demeaning when you're attractive when people assume you attained what you have because of that attribute. Even if you're intelligent. Even if you have more experience. People are strange folks. What is that kids says in Little Miss Sunshine?

"Dwayne: You know what? F beauty contests. Life is one f-ing beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... You do what you love, and f the rest."

I'm not even one to curse, and I LOVE the quote. He's right. Smart kid.

A friend of my SIL once wore a button that said "Ask me how I lost weight?" It might have had a number of pounds.
She was affiliated with a weight lose program.

Just about everyone struggles with weight lose, although you might not guess it by looking.

Maybe you can let it get around how much weight you've lost. They might be interested in how you did it.

Congrats on keeping your target weight. Hold your head up high, and keep above those people.

You know what you are... and just stay true.

Moni

Yes, it's ridiculous. Petty, catty, jealous women are going to be that way whether it's because you're "skinny, smart, and attractive" or because you got a new pair of shoes or a new hairstyle. It's their problem, not yours. Above all, do not let them goad you into kowtowing to them --- such as the suggestion above of "let it get around how much weight you've lost". That's just too juvenile. I can't imagine you'd have time to play such games anyway. Pay absolutely no attention to their pettiness, cattiness, or jealousy. Just do your job.

I think these women are not persons you'd want to be close to anyway, just stay professional, do your work, the office doesn't have to cross lines into your personal life. You are the same smart attractive woman you have always been, just healthier....if they miss out on knowing you better its their loss not yours.

That junior high mentality just annoys me, I imagine it does you too. DH has a lot of friends (he's the people person of the two of us) and they are here, cooking, watching sports, hanging out - a lot (too much sometimes!). I never hear any of them say, boy, that was a great haircut Fred got. Or did you see the suit on Joe on Sunday, wonder what he paid ;) How about, the gals in the office really seem to be paying attention to Mark this week, maybe I should try his fitness program. Just absurd. Maybe I've gotten too old for the pettiness, but I have no patience for it at all anymore.

Women.

Really!!! Pleazzzze!! Grow Up!! At what age do women get to old
For this crap!! Congratulations on your weight lost. Be proud of
yourself and screw them!! :))

Sadly, some women never leave "middle school mentality" behind.
Sorry if they have hurt you. Glad you recognize the situation and have other friends and interests. Congratulations on your remarkable success!

Be proud of yourself. I am. This is like high school - something you left behind 35 years ago. They obviously didn't do the same.

I'm in a similar situation having lost 42 pounds in 2009 and have kept it off ever since. But a friend(?) now calls me "the skinny B...". I lost the weight because it was in the best interest of my health. I'm 61, it's not like I did it to wear a bikini at the beach and steal her boyfriend.

I wouldn't believe that messenger. Doesn't have a ring of truth to that message, Who the heck SAYS that??????

A whole group of women think this way? A whole group of unrelated, oddly assorted women agree that being attractive and skinny is a good reason to deliberately shun someone?

Something odd about that.

This post was edited by tally on Tue, Apr 29, 14 at 0:29

Interesting point tally. I wonder if the woman who informed hosta is also having issues with her weight?

It struck me as very odd, too. My gut reaction would be to walk up to one of these women and deal with it. With kindness and grace. Few people can continue to shun someone who is openly friendly and disarming.

Boy, am I glad Redcurls and Tally piped up. I doubted this story from the start, which is why I didn't comment. I cannot believe than women in their adult years, with all the responsibilities of a job and presumably families and children, would shun someone because they were skinny and attractive. On the contrary, I would much rather hang out with someone who was in shape, so they could keep up with me.

I am not implying that these women don't like you, but maybe there are other reasons?

I find the story believable. There are a lot of mean girls out there that turn into mean women. You don't have to give them a reason to hate you. They just do. They were either raised wrong or just have issues in their own life. They are jealous of others.

Sorry your new job includes working with these 'girls'. Maybe you are working 'beneath your (intellectual) weight'.

Just to update... the women who said I was "skinny, smart & attractive" are in charge of the department. The woman who told me is also slim. I really don't know about others in the department.

I appreciate ALL of the support. I hope that I can figure out a way to work with these women!

I went through something very similar a few yrs ago. I think maybe these women have been working together for a long time and see "new comers" as a sort of threat. I'm a very smiley person and this offended them some how. I over heard one say to the other they wanted to "wipe that smile off my face". Worse, they thought when I smiled at male coworker, I was flirting. It was a nightmare for a while.They finally got used to me and we got to be good friends. I haven't work there in years and I'm facebook friends with them to this day.
Hang in there, it will be ok :)

"I" believe it...I've experienced problems with some women after my weight loss. I had one "friend" who I had ran around with for years. I told her I was tired of being heavy and I was going to do something about it...and that she could come along on my weight loss journey with me if she wanted (yes, she was heavy and still is). Well, I lost the weight and have kept it off (not always easy, but worth it). When she saw that I was serious, she went home and was so upset that she had a stroke (believe it or not...this is true). It was just a light stroke and I don't think it caused any permanent damage. Then, she started sniping at me about coloring my hair. I "didn't" color my hair...I do now, but I didn't then. Then, it was just one nasty thing after another that was said...we are no longer friends....I have a group of Weight Watcher friends that are wonderful and supportive as I am of them...I guess the "Birds of a Feather" thing is a little true...This same woman had a sister who was very large and decided to have the weight loss by-pass surgery. She sabotaged that surgery from day one and the sister is still heavy...I could write a book

Yes, it is petty and ridiculous. Internalize it as a compliment for your effort. The person doing this is jealous, probably feels threatened, and for good reason. Her little playpen has been invaded.

Guess you were 'skinny' shen you started there. How would they know you were 'fat' beforehand? Anyone that achieves something is good. Stand up and tout your success right in the face of the others.