What nobody tells you about losing weight
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I have "thigh gap" but with my fingers. Holding my hand up with my fingers outstretched, I've noticed a slight gap between some of my fingers....my knuckles are now the thickest part of my fingers. I've never noticed this before, it's so weird to see it.22
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For us older folks, and it's probably the only "negative" aspect of losing weight .... wrinkles! They never show up when you're heavier, but now I'm starting to see these (as of yet) faint lines on my forehead ...
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jdubois5351 wrote: »For us older folks, and it's probably the only "negative" aspect of losing weight .... wrinkles! They never show up when you're heavier, but now I'm starting to see these (as of yet) faint lines on my forehead ...
I will take my new wrinkles over the old fat any day. But yeah, wrinkles seem to be a bit more pronounced without the layer of fat.15 -
I’m most definitely seeing more wrinkles, more like fine lines on my face. *But* at the same time, my face is leaning out and I have a hint of cheekbones, and that trumps the fine lines. At my age, realistically, I expected it. I use mineral makeup with a light hand to really blend well and it obscures the lines pretty well.
My saggy, flat tush is another story.....
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You're so right about this. Back when I was gaining my weight and so, too, were a few of my girlfriends, we used to joke that it was 'Nature's Botox'.jdubois5351 wrote: »For us older folks, and it's probably the only "negative" aspect of losing weight .... wrinkles! They never show up when you're heavier, but now I'm starting to see these (as of yet) faint lines on my forehead ...
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I am with you on the wrinkles. Went from having a few double chins to no double chin (yahoo) but with wrinkles.10
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Having servers recommend using sauces of having fresh greens sautéed 'next time' instead of the steamed food I order. I think that if I looked very overweight they wouldn't suggest it but because I look 'average' they figure I can eat like that.
What's a bit annoying is that when I order steamed lobster at the Chinese restaurant we frequent they bring the sauce on the side because the kitchen is convinced there's no flavor in plain lobster - untrue! It has a sweet, delicate flavor we love. So when the server asked what sauce to bring out, I tell her any sauce - even dishwater will do because we're not going to touch it! I keep telling them they're wasting their money - maybe one day we can stop this silly exchange...17 -
That fat drops in odd ways. I noticed a difference in my hips the other day- left side has dropped noticeably more fat than the right. Eventually it will even out. Just a great reminder that the body has its own agenda when it comes to picking which fat it burns first. (I giggle at articles that claim they know the secret to targeting fat loss in specific areas.)
YAAASS. For me it’s even more localised than that - my thighs now have holes in them. There are no lumps or bumps and not too much cellulite, but there are some specific points at which there’s visibly less fat than in the surrounding tissue. And people say you can’t spot reduce.... (it’s not like I did this to my thighs on purpose, tho)14 -
My legs are so much harder to shave now
Angles and valleys and knobby knees that used to be all filled up with fat. I've been this weight before and don't remember it being such a problem. Maybe I've just gotten lazy 
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That being thinner really does make you happy.
I really wasn't expecting that.
But having struggled with clinical depression all my life, in the last year I have weathered a whole bunch of things that would once have made me lie down in misery and give up. Living in a tiny B&B room for two months while studying full-time and selling my house. Coming a few hours from homelessness when my house purchase almost went completely wrong. Finally moving in 'under licence' only to discover that the electricity didn't work, meaning no heating, and the seller wasn't contactable. Failing to get a funded PhD. Losing a close friendship. Two of my elderly cats having to be put down. Coming desperately close to losing the third as well.
And yet I'm basically OK.
I don't know what it is. Whether being basically happy with my body for the first time in my life has just made me that bit less fragile. Whether regular exercise is providing regular doses of endorphins and breaking up brooding, meaning that low moods don't get a hold. Whether I'm enjoying being able to wear cute clothes way more than is decent. Or whether I just feel too darn proud of myself to feel bad about myself.
But being thinner has absolutely made me so much happier.69 -
That being thinner really does make you happy.
I really wasn't expecting that.
But having struggled with clinical depression all my life, in the last year I have weathered a whole bunch of things that would once have made me lie down in misery and give up. Living in a tiny B&B room for two months while studying full-time and selling my house. Coming a few hours from homelessness when my house purchase almost went completely wrong. Finally moving in 'under licence' only to discover that the electricity didn't work, meaning no heating, and the seller wasn't contactable. Failing to get a funded PhD. Losing a close friendship. Two of my elderly cats having to be put down. Coming desperately close to losing the third as well.
And yet I'm basically OK.
I don't know what it is. Whether being basically happy with my body for the first time in my life has just made me that bit less fragile. Whether regular exercise is providing regular doses of endorphins and breaking up brooding, meaning that low moods don't get a hold. Whether I'm enjoying being able to wear cute clothes way more than is decent. Or whether I just feel too darn proud of myself to feel bad about myself.
But being thinner has absolutely made me so much happier.
I'm chugging it up to self confidence. I've been through quite a lot as well (facing homelessness is absolutely terrifying!) and yet I managed. Losing the weight made it possible for me to love myself, become confident, and therefore harbour a stronger belief within myself. I suspect the same happened to you. If a person is comfortable with themselves, their foundation is strong to deal with external factors.19 -
This thread has been on Mfp for years! Im finally posting something. Lol. What nobody tells you when losing weight is your body will lose fat everywhere at the same time. And like someone else said, being thinner does not equal happy! As I become smaller I go through waves of self confidence related to body image. At my heaviest, (340) man boobs were a problem. When I slimmed down to around 280ish I notived the man boobs less apparent or I couldnt see them as much in the mirror? They didnt really bother me. Now I am 222 lbs and my man boobs are big again because my smaller belly and shoulders let the fat on my pecs show... even though I am over 100lbs lighter, I am still just as self conscious of how they feel against my shirt etc etc... same with my fat belly lol... this makes it tough to stay on track now... my only inspiration is to want to eat healthy so my cells have the nutrition they need.34
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Two things I have noticed:
-There are people out there that you think are friends that simply are not happy that you lose weight.
-Weight loss is in different places then when you were smaller before.23 -
This thread has been on Mfp for years! Im finally posting something. Lol. What nobody tells you when losing weight is your body will lose fat everywhere at the same time. And like someone else said, being thinner does not equal happy! As I become smaller I go through waves of self confidence related to body image. At my heaviest, (340) man boobs were a problem. When I slimmed down to around 280ish I notived the man boobs less apparent or I couldnt see them as much in the mirror? They didnt really bother me. Now I am 222 lbs and my man boobs are big again because my smaller belly and shoulders let the fat on my pecs show... even though I am over 100lbs lighter, I am still just as self conscious of how they feel against my shirt etc etc... same with my fat belly lol... this makes it tough to stay on track now... my only inspiration is to want to eat healthy so my cells have the nutrition they need.
I can imagine how frustrating that must be, but don't give up! Look at all that you've already achieved. You KNOW your man boobs will get smaller and smaller, and there will be a time in the not so distant future, were they will be gone for good. Btw, for me it's my behind. I seem to be losing all the fat on my ribs, when I desperately want my *kitten* to be smaller. Guess we just have to be patient and happy to be losing any fat at all.
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How the food industry is determined to make you overweight. Everything that is advertised and 90% of what is on offer are bad choices, cheaper food almost always seems to packed with added cheaper ingredients to save money. Even "chargrilled chicken breast" has wheat as the third ingredient, why on earth does chicken breast need wheat, it is not in batter or breadcrumb so why?
Add to that when they add water to plump out meat am I over calculating the nutritional content?23 -
This thread has been on Mfp for years! Im finally posting something. Lol. What nobody tells you when losing weight is your body will lose fat everywhere at the same time. And like someone else said, being thinner does not equal happy! As I become smaller I go through waves of self confidence related to body image. At my heaviest, (340) man boobs were a problem. When I slimmed down to around 280ish I notived the man boobs less apparent or I couldnt see them as much in the mirror? They didnt really bother me. Now I am 222 lbs and my man boobs are big again because my smaller belly and shoulders let the fat on my pecs show... even though I am over 100lbs lighter, I am still just as self conscious of how they feel against my shirt etc etc... same with my fat belly lol... this makes it tough to stay on track now... my only inspiration is to want to eat healthy so my cells have the nutrition they need.
I also don't post much out here, mostly read what others share as motivation/support ... but your post compels me to offer some advice (maybe you already know, but I'll offer just in case).
'Moobs' are flattened out with weight loss & pectoral muscle development. Pushups, benchpress, etc. are the "anti-moobs" exercises to combine with weight loss via good CICO ratios. As the pectoral muscle develops you should find that your chest will flatten out and widen (pectoral muscles span over to armpits). Based on personal experience, and realize not everyone is the same, but thought I'd offer in case it helps.15 -
That one can develop a hanging apron of sagging skin around mid section that used to be up and pushed out as a big belly...ugh. But still best to lost the weight
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That the discipline I have learned can be incorporated into various aspects of my life. I don't just watch what I eat and refrain from a second portion: I also manage a good sleeping schedule, I am managing studies and work simultaneously, I have ambitions for my future which I have never had before because it has all appeared too difficult and unachievable before.
Weight loss has always been my biggest struggle in life and has kept me back from experiences and entertainment simply because I never saw myself as worthy enough to love life, but now that I have control over my appearance, my food and my self esteem, there is no stopping me from having it all.
CICO: so simple, and yet so damn consequential.47 -
That losing weight doesn't make you happier as you thought it would. That losing weight and your mental health are so closely linked that you have to work on both to achieve your goal. That even though you have all the 'tools' to lose weight and the best of intentions, it's still a struggle most days. It's so easy to fall back into old eating patterns and behaviours, even with the best intentions you still fall - it's learning to pick yourself up that is the most important.25
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astronaught wrote: »phillipsaw wrote: »I had a pair of sunglasses fit better, I must have lost some face/head fat lmao
Wait till gloves and shoes have to be replaced. Didn't realize that both hands and feet lose fat too...and shoe sizes shrink as your feet aren't speeding out due to the weight.
I wish my feet would shrink is both directions. But I went from a 14D to a 14 Narrow and no one makes 14 Narrow.
SAS does! They are a great quality shoe store.
https://sasshoes.com/4 -
That when you hit maintenance it can take some discipline to stop losing weight. Trying to maintain is scary because if you are like many (most?) of us, you have lost weight before and failed to keep it off. But you have been successful at losing weight so it is tempting to keep losing. It's one thing if you can justify it; will still be at a very healthy weight and have some noticeable pockets of fat to lose. But at some point you have to stop and maintain it. You think making goal will be a great celebration until you get there. You do celebrate, but if you want to keep it off, it's not over.30
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That I’d start running, and enjoy it. C25K is brilliant, I’ve recently completed week 9 and I’ve kept up with the running. I love it.
That some people love it when you hit a plateau.
That my brain hasn’t quite caught up with my weight loss (-77lb). When clothes shopping I still automatically go for the bigger sizes.23 -
finleycats wrote: »
It didn't happen for me, the band size went down, the cup size did not. I think it went up (but that is because of how bra sizes work)6 -
Things they don’t tell you about weight loss:
• It’s expensive.
o I’m buying smaller, more expensive clothes because I now like the way I look in tailored clothing.
o Healthy food is more expensive than junk food.
• It’s time consuming.
o I spend more time planning, preparing, and logging my food.
I research healthy recipes and use the Recipe Importer to see nutritional information. Then I alter the recipe to make it healthier.
Meal prep takes longer than grabbing fast food or a sandwich & chips.
• Mirrors and photos are no longer a threat
o I used to avoid looking in the mirror and refused to have my picture taken
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ClaudiaDawn2 wrote: »Things they don’t tell you about weight loss:
• It’s expensive.
o I’m buying smaller, more expensive clothes because I now like the way I look in tailored clothing.
o Healthy food is more expensive than junk food.
• It’s time consuming.
o I spend more time planning, preparing, and logging my food.
I research healthy recipes and use the Recipe Importer to see nutritional information. Then I alter the recipe to make it healthier.
Meal prep takes longer than grabbing fast food or a sandwich & chips.
• Mirrors and photos are no longer a threat
o I used to avoid looking in the mirror and refused to have my picture taken
Yep and all things listed are totally worth it!!!14 -
This is one reason why many poor people are overweight.ClaudiaDawn2 wrote: »Things they don’t tell you about weight loss:
o Healthy food is more expensive than junk food.
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finleycats wrote: »
It didn't happen for me, the band size went down, the cup size did not. I think it went up (but that is because of how bra sizes work)
That happened to me one time - I went up a cup size. That time I lost weight but was eating high fat foods (just less of them). The next time I changed what I ate and it went back down. It convinced me fat calories make the boobs bigger. On me anyway.9 -
I went down in both cup and band. Went from 36DD to 34C currently. I’m happy with it, I look trimmer in clothes and more proportional.11
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DoubleUbea wrote: »
This is one reason why many poor people are overweight.ClaudiaDawn2 wrote: »Things they don’t tell you about weight loss:
o Healthy food is more expensive than junk food.
If you have time for prep, the cost of healthy eating comes way down. Chicken is cheap, especially if you debone and skin it yourself. Veggies are cheap. Fruit is pricier than generic snacks, but not super expensive. Eggs are cheap. Whole grain store brand cereals are cheap.
But you do have a point. One of my guilty pleasures is lemon cream cookies - like Oreos only the white wafers with a lemon flavored sweet filling. Walmart sells a family pack, that probably has about 100, for $1.20. I pay that much for a single good piece of fruit sometimes.25
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