If you happen to work inside a staff surroundings you’ll comprehend it’s not unusual for colleagues to have a whip-round to rejoice nearly any event or occasion – birthdays, births, marriages, even leaving the staff – so why not a big weight reduction? Properly one staff has accomplished simply that and after we heard from certainly one of our discussion board members that his colleagues had purchased him a present to congratulate him on his new bod, we couldn’t wait to search out out extra, so we requested them a couple of questions on what they bought him and why…
Main weight reduction can remodel your complete life and symbolize a brand new begin each bit as a lot as any of the aforementioned milestones. When his colleagues witnessed the beautiful 100lb weight lack of MAN v FAT discussion board member pisces316 (aka Jeremy, ask him something on Discuss) they felt impressed to recognise his achievement. The one snag was, on this unprecedented state of affairs, they weren’t positive what to get him.
That’s to not say the staff weren’t used to the gifting tradition – removed from it, they inform us, they normally do one thing about as soon as a month to assist the staff bond. Sadly, if not unexpectedly, these occasions tended to revolve round meals. Consuming is, after all, a tried and examined social exercise that doesn’t alienate the non-drinkers, non-dancers and non-bowlers on the staff. Nevertheless, Jeremy’s colleague Jeff – the person accountable for organising these slap-up dinners – was understandably involved that a night of gastric extra won’t be essentially the most prudent approach to rejoice weight reduction.
Jeff’s eureka second got here when he watched Jeremy heading out to his automobile and observed the newly slim man saved having to drag up his trousers1. As you’ll little doubt have guessed from having seen pictures of males standing in outdated trousers that at the moment are far too massive for them, when males drop a few pounds, their garments now not match. A brand new wardrobe doesn’t come low-cost, particularly while you’re on a protracted journey – you possibly can find yourself having to purchase a couple of new outfits each few lbs. The reply was apparent then – Jeremy would want some new garments to go together with his new physique.
However Jeff didn’t go at it like a bull in a china store. He was delicate to a few issues that you simply’ll want to remember should you’re pondering of doing this for a good friend or colleague – the primary being a query of style. Most of us can in all probability rely on the fingers of 1 hand how typically we’ve acquired garments as a present and really favored them. The answer: they might get him a present card he may use in numerous outfitters and let him pick his personal new duds. As Jeff put it when he offered Jeremy with the present, “some new sizzling garments for that new sizzling bod”.
The opposite factor Jeff was delicate to was that Jeremy would possibly really feel embarrassed to obtain such a present – not solely as a result of weight reduction is a delicate topic for many people, but additionally as a result of in our society the place achievement of any variety is mocked as typically as it’s celebrated, being singled out to obtain a present for something is bound to make most of us really feel uncomfortable.
Jeff handled this drawback by being discrete. For a begin, he solely approached a choose few – these he thought of shut buddies of Jeremy – to contribute. This backfired barely when a few of those that weren’t approached took offence, however we nonetheless reckon it’s a good suggestion. If nothing else, as Jeff identified, asking everybody to contribute could make a present really feel like an obligation. He additionally determined to maintain the presentation of the present low-key, asking the supervisor to name them to a convention room so Jeremy might be given the present card privately.
What Jeremy ended up with was a not-to-be-sniffed-at $200 present card to spend at T.J.Maxx2, Marshalls3 and Homegoods4 and a heat, fuzzy feeling at being recognised for his achievement. You may learn all about his response and the way our different discussion board members reacted to his story right here.
Right here at MAN v FAT we have been massively impressed and, we’re not ashamed to say, greater than somewhat moved by this story, and we predict this could set a pattern. Let’s acknowledge and reward weight reduction like we must always; discretely, perhaps, however emphatically, actually – the extent of fanfare ought to clearly go well with the persona of the recipient.
We expect a clothes present card would possibly simply be the proper present for a person who’s misplaced a number of weight, however with Christmas developing, now is perhaps a superb time to revisit our listing of important Christmas items for males losing a few pounds – particularly because it lists a couple of potential pitfalls.
We’d love to listen to your concepts about what sort of items is perhaps appropriate and appreciated by the newly trim man, so why not tell us within the feedback or over within the discussion board.
1Jeff really stated Jeremy “saved pulling up his pants” however I modified it to trousers in order that our British readers might be assured we weren’t speaking about underpants.*
2T.Ok.Maxx
3Don’t know
4Don’t know
*Writing these notes was probably my most Alan Partridge second – I ought to level out that I’m at present studying his new e-book Nomad and which may have rubbed off on me…
