What nobody tells you about losing weight

takinitalloff

matthalloxford wrote: »

At the end of your dieting phase (your cut), you will need to go back to maintenance for a while to let your metabolism reset. This involves carefully tracking your calories as you increase how much you're eating.
During this, you're expected to gain about 2% in water weight (1.5%-2.5% variance day to day). I didn't know this number, so I was sort of fishing in the dark and never quite hit my maintenance in the last phase. I worried that any regain was bad, but a bit of regain is expected and good as long as you don't go beyond it!

@matthalloxford Thank you for the info! Every time I lost weight in the past, I regained it all because the idea of "maintenance" never even crossed my mind... I was done losing weight so I could go back to normal, right? lol... anyway, I've learned about the concept of maintenance from others here on MFP and I know I will not regain this time around. I appreciate the specifics you shared, hadn't come across those numbers yet. Congrats on losing those 70 lbs, and keep up the good work!

drmwc

Colderinminnesota wrote: »

It seems like only women are commenting here, and that's okay, but I'm going to make a comment from a man's perspective. It is truly delightful to look down in the shower and see more than your gut, if you know what I mean. And that profile you see when you're standing sideways in front of the full-length mirror. Wow! It's true what the urologists say. You will look like you have more when it's not surrounded by fat. It's not my intent here to offend anyone, but if you're a guy, you'll know what I mean.

A related observation is that my libido seems to be noticeably higher as a skinny person than as a larger person. (It's still nowhere near my teenage levels, which is probably good as I got very little done back then.)

unitgmc

That it is possible to walk up multiple flights of stairs without getting winded!

Corina1143

They did tell me the last 10 pounds is the hardest, but oh my goodness! I never dreamed it would be this hard!

ppsully9

You will notice strangers will look at you differently and say good morning .

Toned people in well fitted clothes get more attention from everyone.

corgisncollies

I'm 85 pounds down and 115 to go. Roughly. The biggest thing that I have learned is that your weight loss journey is uniquely yours. Don't compare yourself to others because everyone loses at a different rate and don't let others compare you to themselves. Just because they couldn't do it doesn't mean you can't.

deeosburn1

That it is easier to get up from the floor

It is easier to play with grandchildren

It is easier to cross my legs

That my food tastes have changed for the better

Corina1143

I don't remember if I've said this before, but
When I first lost quite a bit, the outside of my thighs hurt, like bruises, but I never saw any bruises. I finally realized that I had lost fat in my upper arms and side chest. My arms now lay flat by my side instead of sticking out. When I walk, they brush my legs. Lol. A good problem!

springlering62

That over five years in to weight loss, consistent exercise, and careful maintenance, I still have enough extra belly skin to honestly strap on an extra pair of D-cup bras and handily fill the suckers out.

Does it never go away? 🥹

Seriously, I’m grateful to still be in maintenance, should really ought to have bought stock in Lycra by now.

But, just, damn……. so frustrating.

christina_thompson2

lemonsurprise wrote: »

Wanted to make this thread for motivationial purposes more than anything but they don't all have to be super positive! More of what came as a surprise. I'll start..

- how much confidence it will actually bring, especially when strangers start treating you like royalty all of a sudden!

- Sitting (particularly in baths) and laying (particularly in beds) will become ever increasingly uncomfortable.

- how vain you will become! I can't walk past a mirror without checking how I look nowadays!

Your turn!

How scary it is when you FINALLY reach your goal. Im 1 pound away and it scares me. You work so hard to reach it, its consuming, then its like, well.. I did it.. so now what.

springlering62

christina_thompson2 wrote: »

lemonsurprise wrote: »

Wanted to make this thread for motivationial purposes more than anything but they don't all have to be super positive! More of what came as a surprise. I'll start..

- how much confidence it will actually bring, especially when strangers start treating you like royalty all of a sudden!

- Sitting (particularly in baths) and laying (particularly in beds) will become ever increasingly uncomfortable.

- how vain you will become! I can't walk past a mirror without checking how I look nowadays!

Your turn!

How scary it is when you FINALLY reach your goal. Im 1 pound away and it scares me. You work so hard to reach it, its consuming, then its like, well.. I did it.. so now what.

Now what? Honey, you increase to maintenance but continue on like you still have five pounds to lose. Logging, weighing, recording, watching.

It’s when you slack off and relax that it comes back on.

mtaratoot

@springlering62 speaks truth. Maintenance is exactly the same plan as weight loss with the only exception that your calorie goal goes up by just a bit.

Scary? Perhaps. Maybe at first. Maybe the first time you see the scale tick up, because it will. Just like during weight loss, there will be up days and down days. You will be more in touch with those little fluctuations because they aren't masked by an overall decreasing weight trend. Scary perhaps also if you watch the scale continue to go down for a while. Don't stress too much, just pay attention.

Figure out a good calorie goal, then stick to it and OBSERVE the results. Keep tracking. Keep recording exercise. In a few weeks, see if you need to make any changes. You will get it dialed in. The bonus is if you fall off the wagon so to speak, your maintenance goal will get you back to maintenance at any time. It will of course be slower than going back to loss mode. You will have a good idea of what the goal should be.

It also might make sense to develop a goal weight RANGE. I have two; an absolute range and an ideal range. When I am outside of the ideal range, I know I need to make small changes. Like now. When I bump up outside of the absolute range, I have to remind myself to be a bit more aggressive to make sure that it doesn't keep going the wrong way. Vigilance! That's the trick. And - STICK TO IT.

elisa123gal

I understand what the original poster means. Dieting is a positive all-consuming activity .. and when one makes goal. Yeah.. there's a feeling of "now what?" Also .. there's an adjustment; finding clothes that look good.. body dysmorphia ... friends and family saying you look sick... the list goes on and on. Being consumed by food and your body seems endless...and a bad idea. But that's about what you have to do.

timdavid010

The pressure to always be "on": People start expecting you to be the best version of yourself 24/7, which can be exhausting. You feel like you need to keep up appearances all the time.

The loneliness: As your status or success grows, you may find yourself more isolated, because people treat you differently, or you become wary of who has genuine intentions.

springlering62

elisa123gal wrote: »

… Being consumed by food….

Being consumed by food, instead of the proper way round.

Deep, that.

takinitalloff

timdavid010 wrote: »

The pressure to always be "on": People start expecting you to be the best version of yourself 24/7, which can be exhausting. You feel like you need to keep up appearances all the time.

@timdavid010 Food for thought: being the best version of yourself is not the same as living up to other people's standards. Nobody is perfect all the time. You being you is enough; and being your authentic self actually means not having to keep up appearances. It's ok to not be who other people expect you to be. When we try to be everything to everyone, we end up not being right for anyone (including ourselves, which is the worst part). You do you!