I saw a batch of relatives at my cousin's wedding last weekend, first time in about two years. I was braced for the usual “you look different” comments, but most people just hugged me and moved on.
One uncle asked if I was still doing “that shot,” and I said yeah, same as before, and we went back to talking about his garden.
What stuck with me: being around people who knew me at my heaviest didn't send me into a spiral. I ate a normal plate, had a slice of cake, and the sky stayed up. Maybe because I see them so rarely, they aren't carrying the day-to-day version of me.
I've read a bunch of versions of this here over the years, and rare social events seem to hit different. Curious whether other long-timers find them easier or harder than everyday settings.