When is it ok to ask someone if they've put on weight?

The only time I can think of when that might be acceptable would be in the case of an athlete who is purposely trying to gain weight in order to reach a certain goal or to qualify for an event in a particular category. He or she may actually be excited to hear, at least in that instance, that they appear to be "bulking up" and probably would not mind sharing their story of how they are attempting to put on the pounds.  It would be best to know for a fact that is something they are doing though before going out on a dangerous limb by making an assumption. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at November 2, 2018 1:26 AM MDT

NEVER! Only if you want to insult someone and be excessively rude! This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at November 3, 2018 9:47 PM MDT

When the planets are aligned and the temperature is 72 and sunny and you are wearing your favorite shirt and of course this is not your friend or you don't care if they soon won't be.

When one is a physician speaking to their patient during their appointment.

When speaking to a friend recuperating from an illness that caused them to lose too much weight and they're gaining some back... This post was edited by Beans/SilentGeneration at November 2, 2018 1:29 AM MDT

A Women if she is pregnant.

probably never

When you are trying to sell someone gym equipment.  hahaha :  )

"When you want to end the relationship."

"When you're looking into a mirror."

"When you're talking to a truck driver who is waiting to pick up a load."  (It's also a proper time to ask them if they're loaded.)  :))

Family or someone who is very skinny and trying to gain weight. 

When your question goes to Bulk.....:)D

When you are a health worker dealing with anorexic suffers...  :) 

Yes, that outfit makes you look fat. :P

If someone you’ve known as abnormally thin, suddenly no longer is. 

  When he or she is sitting on me. 

~

Maybe if you are a doctor or gym instructor, and they've paid you to tell them the truth for the sake of their health.
Or maybe in places like the Middle East or Africa, where weight is considered beautiful.

I think weight has become an enormously sensitive and difficult issue in the West.
Two-thirds of the population is medically overweight and at risk of poorer quality of life and an earlier death.
People's self-image and idea of "normal" changes in response to seeing themselves in the mirror, seeing everyone else around them, and the sizes of clothes on hangers in shops. What is frequently considered normal or average is not healthy.

But the obsession with the beauty of lean makes fat-shaming prevalent. There's not a fat person anywhere who hasn't felt the discrimination in a thousand cutting ways every day.

I did it myself, unthinkingly, once.
I was a lean 24-year-old holding an adult evening class in clay modelling from life. My studio was an old wool warehouse in the inner city. The front door was a small hatch through a roller garage door. I could slip in an out with no trouble and took it for granted.
One of my new students arrived. She tried to get through the door and got stuck.
After a few minutes of squeezing through a thigh, then twisting sideways and dragging each roll of belly fat through, she finally stepped the second leg through, stood up, and said, "Oh my! My friends never warned me what a tiny little thing you are!"
I, who did not like being called "a little thing" and who had not experienced such a person as her before, stupidly said,
"Oh! I thought I was normal!"
It was not a good start to the class.

Later, I reflected on my mistake, learned the lesson, and never made it again.

This post was edited by inky at November 3, 2018 9:49 PM MDT