Can he be more subtle with his garminism?

That is most definitely a Garmin. He has deluded himself into believing that he should suppress obvious insults by "looking on the bright side of things." It's really sad that this is the "new and improved" version of himself that has emerged after having lost some weight. I can't imagine how much of a giddy bootlicker he was beforehand.

Now, let's address the "tiny little man" comment. The Garmin in question dismisses this as a comment about his weight loss. However, if he were 6'4 and overweight, then, lost weight, I'll guarantee you this woman wouldn't have referred to him as a "tiny little man," she would've referred to him as "fit" "in shape," "lean," or some other adjective that had a holistically positive connotation. This is like the inverse of the tried and true "short men shouldn't lift weights because it'll make them look shorter" trope that never ends, except in this instance, the short man is being mocked for losing weight because it makes him "even more tiny than he was before." However, while he was fat, people viewed him as a prop for comic relief. It's another can't win Catch-22, but the festering fool has deluded himself into believing that this woman was complimenting him

shortandproud is absolutely right that there is no connotation where a man can be referred to as "tiny" or "little" in a complimentary fashion. This Garmin is a perpetual punching bag and doesn't even know it. I'd even venture to guess that he's always the one who is given the task of picking-up lunch after church. Garmins are always "eager to please" in a way where they want to beg their masters for praise, and they often act in an over-accommodating manner with the hopes that their masters will throw them some table scraps. These fools are the main reason we can't move forward.