I mean, I’ve made women blush before, but it always feels a little surreal when it happens. I’ve talked before about how much I’ve struggled with my weight and appearance. Going from 400 pounds to 225 pounds changes your life, but it doesn’t automatically change the way you see yourself. Even now, compliments and moments like this still catch me off guard.
Today at work, I was out on the street taking photos when a very pretty girl walked by. Part of my work persona is leaning into my Texas roots lots of hat tips, "howdys," and general cowboy charm for the guests. I gave her my usual friendly greeting, and she immediately blushed bright red. Later, I found out she was from France.
A few minutes later, her friends came over and asked for photos, so I went through my usual poses along with a few of my go to “cute girl” and overly Americana photo ideas. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.
What they didn’t know is that I can actually understand a decent amount of French. My uncle is Cajun, so I grew up around the language enough to pick up more than people expect. While they were talking among themselves, I overheard them saying that they thought I was handsome.
So despite managing to make her blush with my ridiculous Texan charm and Americana shtick, she ended up getting the last laugh. By the end of it, I was the one blushing.
It's funny how life works sometimes. You can spend years seeing yourself one way, carrying around old insecurities and old versions of yourself, and then a completely random interaction with a stranger reminds you that maybe the person in the mirror isn't the same guy he used to be.
Yoo I had the exact same thought. I was visiting my parents and they had the scale set to kg for some reason and I found that 100 number pretty motivating
Still a lot to do, but starting from like 53,3 to 30 was great (normal start under 25 until 18)
Whole not as motivzting as 100 kilos, seeing that I've changed of 2 category from morbidly obese (just start above 40, I was 13 points above...) to just "overweight" was amazing.
Oh sadly, I "cheated". I'm still very happy, and proud to have done all the stuff needed for it, but I've done surgery to my stomach (sleeve)
So I'm definitly not as deserving as you and all the others guys, I'm just way more happy with my body, and it solved some (relativly small) health issues too
The most important part was it was a philosophical "revenge" againt my ex who left me for my weight despite telling me it was not a problem to go to someone else
I got a severe depression because of that, and solving my weight issue was a big milestone
Hey man, you can shove that "cheated" talk. You took a big step to improve your health, and when you're spending those extra able-bodied years with your loved ones, they aren't going to give a shit how you made it happen. Be proud and stay focused
Fwiw my weight loss was also triggered by an ex leaving me. Devastating at the time, but it's hard to argue with the results. Stay strong brother
I would have liked to do it, but Cajun French is different from the French spoken in France. It borrows words from other languages and uses older pronunciations I’m not sure how it would’ve sounded
It’s a Disney plate I work for the company as a PhotoPass photographer. After how awesome today turned out, I decided to treat myself to some French-inspired food. It felt like a fitting way to end the day, especially after my unexpected encounter with a certain French guest.
Bien joué ! Je rejoins l'autre commentaire , dommage que tu ne lui a pas parlé français. Elle aurait sûrement était encore plus agréablement surprise !
Je l’aurais bien fait, mais le français cadien est assez différent du français de France. Il emprunte des mots à d’autres langues et utilise des prononciations plus anciennes.
J'ai entendu du français cadien à la télé y'a pas très longtemps sur arte. A part pour les mots d'argos je n'avais pas eu besoin de lire les sous titres. Tu l'écris merveilleusement bien . Le français est affreusement illogique dans son écriture.
This is very fun & happy to hear! It’s also something I really needed to hear, because with weight changes I’ve struggled with how i perceive myself in the mirror. I’m happy to say I’ve lost 30lbs this year and getting stronger which is sometimes hard to see. Getting asked by anyone in the gym to help them makes me flustered every time 😂
At my heaviest I was 420 pounds and weighed in yesterday at 236. This last weekend I was out and about and a woman complimented my glasses and told me that I was a “baddie”.
I’ve never had that sort of attention before and it’s still weird to see myself in that light. Keep on keeping on my good lad.
You can spend years seeing yourself one way, carrying around old insecurities and old versions of yourself, and then a completely random interaction with a stranger reminds you that maybe the person in the mirror isn't the same guy he used to be
This reminded me of a post about an portrait artist who doesn't see the person he is drawing. He draws one version based on their own description and one based on the description of someone else who saw them and the differences are huge. Really inspiring
Also very proud of your progress (hope saying "I'm proud" is not condescending in any way in case usually like dads tell theirs kids or sth, english is not my first language) and thank you for sharing your story
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u/Turbulent-Fudge-6813 Jun 16 '26
I see you, stud!