What has surprised you most about losing weight?
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I thought of another one but decided it was kind of gross. Don't know why we can't delete a post.0
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Thanks everyone! Looking forward to all that good that will come out of this journey, and ready to face the challenges as well! My husband is bulking and I'm trying to lose so it should be interesting!0
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What surprised me the most was that my body could actually lose weight. At age 59 and 150 lbs overweight, I was convinced it couldn't. Wrong.8
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That I actually enjoy exercise.3
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Just how simple it really is. People make this so much more complicated and dramatic than it needs to be.4
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DoneWorking wrote: »How many overweight/obese people are giving me advice and telling me I'm starting to look too thin even though I'm not at the healthy BMI range yet. This happened on my first journey too. I finally made up some cards with my doctor's name and phone number on it, and whenever someone said that I gave them a card and said "You know, you might be right. Give my doctor a call and tell him that." I haven't reached that stage yet on this journey.
Bravo! That's amazing!
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Been surprised by a few things after losing around 30 lbs so far, some good and some bad...
The good:
- It's easier than I thought to stick to an exercise routine. When I started, I noticed almost immediately how much better I felt after working out (good incentive to do it again) and how it helped control my appetite
- Staying within my calorie limit isn't as hard as I expected, as long as I prepare my own food. I always thought low calorie meals just inherently didn't taste good, but that's not exactly true. I found a lot of really yummy stuff I can make for myself I actually enjoy eating
- I don't get as many aches and pains or as much numbness as I used to. Particularly when sleeping, my arm always used to go numb from the weight of side sleeping. Now I'm just generally more comfortable than before.
- Even though I'm still pretty far away from my goal weight, I've learned to be more content in my skin. Right now I'm about at the weight I was a year ago, when I started thinking "Yikes, I'm getting pretty chubby, I look bad." Now, I'm happy with the way I look at this weight. It's not perfect, but I'm reasonably happy when I look in the mirror :-)
The bad:
- Despite what everyone says about exercise and sleep, I have not been sleeping better. In fact, it's worse. I used to fall asleep within 20 minutes of laying down pretty consistently, but now I'll often lay awake for up to an hour before I can doze off. Unfortunately, the extra energy I get from working out seems to stay with me later than I'd like.
- This is kind of a silly one, but no one has really said anything about how much progress I've made! Granted, I haven't really mentioned that I'm trying to lose weight to anyone besides my parents. But still, I feel like it's noticeable enough at this point where someone might just ask. I'm doing this for myself, but it's still nice validation when a friend says "Hey, you look great!"
Overall things are going well, despite the few negatives I mentioned. Good luck with your journey!3 -
What most surprised me was how simple and easy it was. Seriously. I didn't like being fat from as long as I can remember and first yo-yo'd at losing weight when I was 14. I did nothing but gain weight for 20 years after graduating high school. After discovering mfp in 2016, the simple act of recording my food diary allowed me to learn the secrets of healthy living. (eat what you need, and no more)1
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fitoverfortymom wrote: »tcunbeliever wrote: »Boosted sex drive...not that I really needed one...
I'm jealous.
Same. I keep waiting.
I told Mrs that I had noticed she wasn't vomiting as much as she had in the past year and expressed curiosity that we might do such a deed again some time. She was noncommittal at that time.1 -
When I lost weight, I learned to like/love myself. I learned to look in the mirror or at pictures, without cringing. What surprised me the most is the confidence it brings, both physically and mentally. The coworkers are a mixed bag - there's support (and reading various threads here over the years, they're not as bad as some) but at the same time you can feel the jealousy and the backhanded compliments. I think the fact that there was no magic cure/pill/detox is the big factor - just education, calorie logging, portion control and a strong desire to change. I just remind myself I am doing this for me.
I have experienced the same benefits as you described and also the underhanded and so called good compliments of some but yet I can discern their envy through it.
I don't let that bother me because I'm the owner of my own life and regardless of family or friends opinions, it's what matters to me, my health and happiness that matters. So I have learned to keep moving in life with or without them.
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Someone else mentioned this and I agree. The steadily increasing catcalls as my weight has steadily decreased. it still happened when I was obese but not as much. Now I can barely step outside my front door without it, it's tiresome and degrading.4
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I find it to be most successful knowing that I am not on a diet. I am just making healthier choices much more frequently and working on regularly. I was surprised but how easy it has been to lose weight by making such simple decisions each and every day. I started at 235 on 01/09/17 and have lost just over 25 pounds thus far. It has been such a lovely journey and remembering how much I enjoy fitness and how much of an outlet it is for my day to day routine is amazing. best of luck1
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We waste less food and spend less on it, as I am much more mindful of what I am buying and know what's in the fridge and cupboards at all times because I've planned meals better. Eating fresher makes me feel better psychologically, like it's a nice thing I'm doing for myself. Being pleased to look in the mirror is very nice, and like someone said it doesn't solve other problems but it is one less stressor to carry around and I find myself conscious of that often.3
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Roobyzooby wrote: »"I am cold all the time. I feel like I can never get warm (unless when I am working out). Especially my hands and feet. "
No just me then...
Same here!1 -
So many of the above! The main ones for me are:
1) How easy it is when you stick to it. Why have I never considered calorie counting before?!! All these fad diets were a waste of time.
2) How much it becomes a habit. Even on my 'bad days' I'm still conscious of what I'm eating, and I like to log the calories even though I go over. I like knowing how much it will effect me.
3) The being cold all the time thing... THIS IS TRUE!
4) I'm now very judgemental of overweight people... seeing someone who is overweight not doing anything about it makes me sad. I just want to try and help them become healthy and show them how easy it can be.
5) How I still see the fat girl every time I look in the mirror. 43lbs down and just 20 to go and I still feel like I look exactly the same. Losing weight doesn't magically solve everything.3 -
How shocked I was when I started reading package nutrition labels.3
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That it is very much a mental game as well. About 3 months in I realized I needed to get back into counseling and deal with the stuff I'd been avoiding. I've been going every 2 weeks since the last week of 2016.0
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That nobody else could care less.1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »
Interesting and I can certainly empathize.
But, I feel so lucky because my life COMPLETELY, 100% transformed in amazing ways. The more I lost, the more powerful I felt. So much is possible for me now that absolutely was not before. I feel free, like my old self, my real self. What a gift!
At the same time, the more I lost the more I realized the weight was disguising something that needed to be addressed. Some old hurt / trauma that I didn't realize was running the show until it surfaced as I lost more and more of my "protection." I guess I have more issues!
But life is a lot better and more fun now. Even in my miserable moments. Haha. 1 -
The increase in street harassment. If I'm totally, utterly 100% honest, I don't know whether the reason I don't currently want to go beneath BMI 24 is because I think I'll be happy with that and I can't be arsed with the work to get lower, or because I'm worried about any further increase in attention.
I've heard women say they used their weight as a shield, but I didn't really understand; I get it now, oh yes.0 -
I was surprised that only after a few weeks I went from walking 15 min totally out of breath to walking my first 5k.
I'm still surprised as is my family that I like hiking:).2 -
Confidence! It's an amazing feeling to look in the mirror and see your very hard work has paid off. That's what keeps me going when I wanna not finish the work out or have a cheat day.1
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That i could still eat pizza and French fries and drink alcohol and still lose weight.3
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That my dedication and determination resulted in my losses. It's all about ME and how badly I want it. And I want it bad. I'm FINALLY acheieving results after years of "diets".3
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What surprised me most was discovering that the feeling of hunger is an enjoyable sensation.3
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TimothyFish wrote: »What surprised me most was discovering that the feeling of hunger is an enjoyable sensation.
I found this too in a sense. More that the hunger sensation is not as bad as I once thought and now don't run to the fridge every time I feel a little twinge of hunger.
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Quality of sleep got better. I stopped snoring. Acording to my boyfriend anyways. Lol. I'm gaining more and more confidence in myself everyday. I can now look in the mirror and see someone who's proud of who they are and the person they've become. I now have an undying love for myself like never before. It's something amazing to know that you've accomplished the "impossible". Or at least what you thought was impossible doesn't seem so impossible. It becomes easier and enjoyable. And yes people treat me differently. Especially people from my work. People who didn't utter a word to me before, now do. And I'm getting more attention, not warranted I might add, from guys. It's nice though. Losing weight can be difficult, but it's not impossible. Once you start and see results, you won't want to stop. 1
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