It is very common and I didn’t expect it either. I am 4 years in and I have people still ask if I am sick. I walked into Christmas gathering and my Aunt exclaimed loudly “well he is still skinny” like they are waiting for me to gain again. And no I am not skinny I am my perfect weight and stronger than I have been in decades. People have a hard time understanding how someone my age did this. I have come to realize that most people have pretty deep delusions about who and what they are. I know I did. So when you show them it doesn’t have to be that way by losing weight yourself, they can’t figure out why you could, and they can’t. I have heard it all by now. I just ignore it now. The best way to deal with it is continuing to live a healthy way. This was never about them or what I looked like anyway. This was about my long term health and for me.
I’ve tried various diets (with varying levels of success, with IF being the most successful and easiest for me) and I’ve learned that it’s best just to not give too many details because everyone’s a critic and has an opinion. I just say I’m watching my calories and leave it at that. I told my doctor and he’s fine with IF, I don’t need to hear everyone else’s thoughts.
Yeah. I’ve had a range of strong reactions from friends, family members, and co-workers. One family member threatened to call 911 because I was ‘going to die of a heart attack’ from only eating once a day. A co-worker got suddenly angry when I explained how I’d lost a ton of weight and was no longer prediabetic–they basically said I was lying because ‘diabetes is forever’ and that I was going to end up destroying my organs, etc.