127 lbs lost, yet still a failure

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  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    I keep finding myself drawn back to this thread. I think you sound like a really decent guy and it's honestly too bad that you haven't found the right person for you. I also think it's quite an amazing accomplishment that you lost the weight that you did and have kept it off. If you never lost another pound, your health has benefited tremendously, and I'm sure other areas of your life have too.

    There's a couple of things that I've found myself wondering about, though. One is, are you actually satisfied with where you are right now weight/health wise? (I think others have alluded to this, and I haven't seen a response- could have missed it, though.) You're apparently around 325 right now, and I haven't seen your height mentioned anywhere, but if you're somewhere in the 6'- 6'2" range, you would have a BMI in the low 40s. Aside from all of the relationship stuff, is that OK with you? Do you have any current health or fitness goals? Out of curiosity, would you be willing to date a woman with a comparable BMI?

    My second thought is less serious in nature, but could have some merit. You say one of your passions is heavy metal music and you travel frequently in connection with it. Now I admittedly know nothing about that, but is this a big draw for women of child-bearing age? ;) Do you run into a lot of women that match your criteria this way? Your post very much reminded me of another user on here who was bemoaning an ongoing lack of interest from women despite being very close to his goal weight. I seem to recall him being really into ju jitsu, or something like that, and I remember wondering just how many women he encounters in his hobby, or, of the ones he does encounter going about his life, how many might shy away from a man who is passionate about martial arts.

    Neither of my observations is meant to lend validity to the idea that a person needs to jump through the right hoops to find a partner. It doesn't and shouldn't work that way. Just a couple of things that occurred to me when thinking about why things might be the way they are.

    Wish you well :)
  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
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    BV1980 wrote: »
    countcurt wrote: »
    I am a little curious at this point...

    You’ve been given a ton of feedback. What’s your plan?

    Honestly, I don't know. A lot of the suggestions are great. And a lot of them I have already done. I just feel lost and like there is no hope.

    I'm probably going to give up on it. I am going to just focus on the gym, my hobbies, my career, my house, travelling, and things like that. My biggest goal is to build a lake house and buy a boat. I will most likely just put my all into that and then go hide away at my lake cabin and fish and read and try to find some kind of peace in this world. This overwhelming desire in me for love, marriage, family, is killing me. It leaves me terrified that I will end up alone. I'll just hope that I can leave this world sooner rather than later so I don't have to just exist in loneliness until I am in my 80s or whenever. If I have to be alone, I hope I get to leave much sooner than that.

    So instead of taking nearly everyone's advice to talk to someone (counselor, therapist, life coach, etc) and get some perspective and help, you're going to give up? If nothing else, addressing the potential depression would be so valuable. I realize it's hard, but you have done and are still doing so many other things that are hard. Maybe take a break from everything and talk to someone.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,012 Member
    edited October 2018
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  • BV1980
    BV1980 Posts: 272 Member
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    try2again wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, would you be willing to date a woman with a comparable BMI?

    Absolutely! I would almost prefer it because then we have something big in common and we would truly understand each other's struggles with being overweight since we have both been there. A side note on BMI, though... I don't think it is accurate. Yes I still weigh around 325, but after losing 130 lbs, I switched to strength training and weight lifting and have built muscle and am working on recomposing my body rather than focusing too much on the scale. I still will lose weight and see that number go down, but I am making it a permanent life change and am focused on how I feel and look rather than how much I weigh. But yes, I am more attracted to curvy, or "higher BMI" women because we have that in common. I know people think oh you must have way too high standards then and are trying to date only super models. I am not. I am attracted much more to what the world would view as average women. Give me a girl in jeans and a hoodie with curves who wants to be healthy and is a work in progress like I am.
    smolmaus wrote: »
    I would also like to know the answer to this.

    Bear in mind when I say what I’m about to say that I read a whole bunch of relationship threads on other forums, a lot of what you’re saying and how you’re reacting to the advice you’re getting is ringing many many bells, but of course I could be off base.

    Do you have female friends? I get the same feeling as the poster who mentioned above that you possibly see every date as an interview for the position of A Wife rather than just a chance to get to know another person. Your hobbies, also like mentioned above, are very male-centric or solo which is probably holding you back socially. If you can’t be platonic friends with women you probably just don't connect with women in a natural way, which is sometimes obvious and offputting. You can’t have a full human experience if you only really interact with one half of the population and see the other half as Possible Wife or Not Wife Material and your reaction, “I’ll just go live alone in the woods and die then” is a) childish and petulant and b) kinda suggests you’re not really interested in making connections with other people if they’re not Your Future Wife. That’s really worrying, humans are social animals and we need social connections and friends to be happy.

    Focus on the friendships you currently have and opening up your platonic social circle to include women you don’t want to marry. We are still worth knowing and your life will be the richer for it. This is what people mean when they say just put yourself out there and it will eventually happen, making genuine connections/friendships with more and varied people is how you find those who might be compatible partners.

    Also, get therapy.


    Yes I have female friends. I don't get to hang out with them all the time because they are busy with life and work and family, etc. My one friend, Lyndsey, lives in North Carolina. She has battled cancer the past 6 months and after 2 major surgeries and 2 separate rounds of chemo she has finally won her battle. She was unable to go with me to see Nine Inch Nails at Red Rocks in Colorado last month because she didn't yet have clearance from her doctor to travel and she is their biggest fan ever. She was so disappointed, but they announced 2 additional shows in Vegas at the end of November, and she is now able to travel. I am going out to Vegas with her and we are going to celebrate her beating cancer. We are friends. I don't view all women as job candidates for a wife position as you said. I truly care for people and women as friends as well. It is hard to convey ones life and personality through an online message board, so I get why some people assume certain things about me. I don't understand why I am being called certain things by some in this thread, but I am very grateful to those offering advice and trying to help.

    As for therapy... I have tried it on 2 separate occasions as I was losing the 130 lbs. I knew I had to work out some things beyond just my weight. It helped. But was also incredibly expensive... like thousands of dollars out of pocket. I reached a point where I felt like it wasn't helping anymore. In fact the first one convinced me to end a potential relationship with a girl who i now regret big time because she was amazing and was interested in me. But this therapist felt it was not good since I had to work on myself first. I reluctantly went along with her advice after many arguments about it and ended it with this girl. We had been dating for only a couple months and this was when I was 32 or so. I regret that so much. Why did I listen to this therapist. I know I had a lot of work to do on myself, but that could've been my one chance for love. I could've been married to that girl today or something. Who knows.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    BV1980 wrote: »
    try2again wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, would you be willing to date a woman with a comparable BMI?

    Absolutely! I would almost prefer it because then we have something big in common and we would truly understand each other's struggles with being overweight since we have both been there. A side note on BMI, though... I don't think it is accurate. Yes I still weigh around 325, but after losing 130 lbs, I switched to strength training and weight lifting and have built muscle and am working on recomposing my body rather than focusing too much on the scale. I still will lose weight and see that number go down, but I am making it a permanent life change and am focused on how I feel and look rather than how much I weigh. But yes, I am more attracted to curvy, or "higher BMI" women because we have that in common. I know people think oh you must have way too high standards then and are trying to date only super models. I am not. I am attracted much more to what the world would view as average women. Give me a girl in jeans and a hoodie with curves who wants to be healthy and is a work in progress like I am.

    Just want to clarify that my point about BMI was more about you and your personal health than about the dating issue. Building muscle is fine, but speaking from experience, in another decade or so I suspect you will really begin to feel the effects of carrying the extra weight. And when I asked about dating a fellow obese person, I actually was thinking less about physical attraction as I was the health aspect as well. I think a man or a woman might have legitimate concerns about future challenges sharing a life with an obese person who may or may not have any further interest in making changes. It might result in some quick judgments, whether warranted or not. And as a side note, obesity can often negatively impact fertility in women (as it did me). Maybe men too, though I don't actually know anything about that. Just sayin.

    At any rate, it is certainly a multi-faceted problem that will require a multi-faceted approach, and as I said, I wish you well.

  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
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    “As for therapy... I have tried it on 2 separate occasions as I was losing the 130 lbs. I knew I had to work out some things beyond just my weight. It helped. But was also incredibly expensive... like thousands of dollars out of pocket. I reached a point where I felt like it wasn't helping anymore. In fact the first one convinced me to end a potential relationship with a girl who i now regret big time because she was amazing and was interested in me. But this therapist felt it was not good since I had to work on myself first. I reluctantly went along with her advice after many arguments about it and ended it with this girl. We had been dating for only a couple months and this was when I was 32 or so. I regret that so much. Why did I listen to this therapist. I know I had a lot of work to do on myself, but that could've been my one chance for love. I could've been married to that girl today or something. Who knows.”

    You have a house, a lake cabin, and enough money saved up for an engagement ring but therapy is too expensive?

    The therapist you were seeing may not have been a good fit. It took me a couple to find one with whom I clicked. It’s always easier to see things when you are on the outside looking in; perhaps she saw red flags with the woman she advised you to stop being in contact with.



  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
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    BV1980 wrote: »
    try2again wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, would you be willing to date a woman with a comparable BMI?

    Absolutely! I would almost prefer it because then we have something big in common and we would truly understand each other's struggles with being overweight since we have both been there. A side note on BMI, though... I don't think it is accurate. Yes I still weigh around 325, but after losing 130 lbs, I switched to strength training and weight lifting and have built muscle and am working on recomposing my body rather than focusing too much on the scale. I still will lose weight and see that number go down, but I am making it a permanent life change and am focused on how I feel and look rather than how much I weigh. But yes, I am more attracted to curvy, or "higher BMI" women because we have that in common. I know people think oh you must have way too high standards then and are trying to date only super models. I am not. I am attracted much more to what the world would view as average women. Give me a girl in jeans and a hoodie with curves who wants to be healthy and is a work in progress like I am.
    smolmaus wrote: »
    I would also like to know the answer to this.

    Bear in mind when I say what I’m about to say that I read a whole bunch of relationship threads on other forums, a lot of what you’re saying and how you’re reacting to the advice you’re getting is ringing many many bells, but of course I could be off base.

    Do you have female friends? I get the same feeling as the poster who mentioned above that you possibly see every date as an interview for the position of A Wife rather than just a chance to get to know another person. Your hobbies, also like mentioned above, are very male-centric or solo which is probably holding you back socially. If you can’t be platonic friends with women you probably just don't connect with women in a natural way, which is sometimes obvious and offputting. You can’t have a full human experience if you only really interact with one half of the population and see the other half as Possible Wife or Not Wife Material and your reaction, “I’ll just go live alone in the woods and die then” is a) childish and petulant and b) kinda suggests you’re not really interested in making connections with other people if they’re not Your Future Wife. That’s really worrying, humans are social animals and we need social connections and friends to be happy.

    Focus on the friendships you currently have and opening up your platonic social circle to include women you don’t want to marry. We are still worth knowing and your life will be the richer for it. This is what people mean when they say just put yourself out there and it will eventually happen, making genuine connections/friendships with more and varied people is how you find those who might be compatible partners.

    Also, get therapy.


    As for therapy... I have tried it on 2 separate occasions as I was losing the 130 lbs. I knew I had to work out some things beyond just my weight. It helped. But was also incredibly expensive... like thousands of dollars out of pocket. I reached a point where I felt like it wasn't helping anymore. In fact the first one convinced me to end a potential relationship with a girl who i now regret big time because she was amazing and was interested in me. But this therapist felt it was not good since I had to work on myself first. I reluctantly went along with her advice after many arguments about it and ended it with this girl. We had been dating for only a couple months and this was when I was 32 or so. I regret that so much. Why did I listen to this therapist. I know I had a lot of work to do on myself, but that could've been my one chance for love. I could've been married to that girl today or something. Who knows.

    I don't have experience with therapy, but is it typical for a therapist to advise a person what they should and should not do? I thought the point was to help a person become more self-aware and correct negative thinking patterns so as to be in a better position to make good choices, not to impose their way of thinking on a person. That sounds out of bounds to me :(
  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 980 Member
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    Try2again, you are correct in what you stated above. Sometimes people interpret words of therapists differently than as they are spoken or intended, possibly making those match with thoughts that they already have and perhaps are not aware of or willing to admit to themselves. Of course, there are many other explanations. And one of them may be that indeed that a therapist oversteps the bounds. It is far more likely that a life coach, a person with minimal, if any, mental health training would do that, as opposed to a therapist educated and trained for years in mental health therapy and ethics.
  • BV1980
    BV1980 Posts: 272 Member
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    Xerogs wrote: »
    BV1980 wrote: »
    In fact the first one convinced me to end a potential relationship with a girl who i now regret big time because she was amazing and was interested in me. But this therapist felt it was not good since I had to work on myself first. I reluctantly went along with her advice after many arguments about it and ended it with this girl. We had been dating for only a couple months and this was when I was 32 or so. I regret that so much. Why did I listen to this therapist. I know I had a lot of work to do on myself, but that could've been my one chance for love. I could've been married to that girl today or something. Who knows.

    I think the therapist was correct in so much as you working on yourself. I went through something similar when I had a breakdown of sorts and I spent a lot of time just figuring out myself and how to stop doing the self destructive things I was doing that pretty much torpedoed any good relationship I ever had. I can be my own worst enemy and knowing that helps me not spiral when I see it going bad and it still does even though I am in a great relationship with my wife. I think you listened to the therapist because you knew somewhere deep inside they were probably spot on in some respect. That last bold statement you show a lot of regret but think about it instead of pining about it being a mistake, its possible your decision saved you from a world of heartache but you can never know...its a "what if" and the "what ifs" are just path to an anxiety attack or worse. It "is" what happened nothing more nothing less. I feel for you because I've been where you are in some respects stuck in an never ending regret about my past and endless worry about some bleak future. Sometimes you just need to say "*kitten* it" and worry about the here and now.

    Our time on this spinning blue sphere in space is finite but I am a true believer that the energy you put out is the energy you get and the one thing that binds everything and everyone is energy. We have a lot more control over what happens to us and we are more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. You are there, you are at the point where change is inevitable otherwise you wouldn't be here discussing this with pretty much complete strangers from all over the world. So ask yourself what do I want to do and who do I want to be from this point on? No other human will complete you but the "complete you" can complement someone else just as they can complement you if that makes sense.


    Thank you for your insight. It is nice to know that someone was in my position and worked through it. I appreciate the replies and advice.

    I appreciate everyone's advice and well wishes. Thank you.

  • williamwj2018
    williamwj2018 Posts: 4 Member
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    This is great advice for anyone really. Definitely took some things away from this.

    I hope things work out for you OP.
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    edited October 2018
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    I don't have a lake house. That is my lifelong dream to have a lake house. It is something I save for when I can. Shelling out thousands for a therapist would certainly detract from reaching the lake house goal though. I would love to do it sooner rather than later so my parents can enjoy it while they are still here and my 5 nieces and nephews could have a fun place to grow up going to.

    And on the topic of money... I don't flaunt money or try to impress anyone with it including dates. This message board is a different, and I mentioned it because it explained better my frustration in all the hard work I have put into my life and feeling so alone still. I am not boastful. It bothers me that it came across that way.
    [/quote]
    BV1980 wrote: »
    You have a house, a lake cabin, and enough money saved up for an engagement ring but therapy is too expensive?

    I don't have a lake house. That is my lifelong dream to have a lake house. It is something I save for when I can. Shelling out thousands for a therapist would certainly detract from reaching the lake house goal though. I would love to do it sooner rather than later so my parents can enjoy it while they are still here and my 5 nieces and nephews could have a fun place to grow up going to.

    And on the topic of money... I don't flaunt money or try to impress anyone with it including dates. This message board is a different, and I mentioned it because it explained better my frustration in all the hard work I have put into my life and feeling so alone still. I am not boastful. It bothers me that it came across that way.

    It didn’t come across as boastful to me at all. You were simply explaining your stability in life. I guess I just don’t understand having money earmarked for something material (engagement ring) when your mental health should be of the utmost importance.

    I’ll add that your reasons for wanting to own a lake house are very sweet!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    Imagine a woman who's been married before and her husband passed away. Does she not deserve to be happy ever again for the rest of her life? Does it mean she's ''damaged goods'' and worse than women who haven't been married? What if she was the woman of your dreams, are you gonna reject her because she's got past? Just think about it.

    i guess i don't. I shall be a lonely widow for the rest of my life

    and just because a person hasn't been married or haven't a long term relationship or no kids, doesn't mean a person doesn't have baggage. and frankly, the op sounds like he has a lot of baggage.
    and the attitude toward counselling is off-putting because from his posts i think he could use it but would he look down at those that are in counselling. that we put money there instead of toward some physical item like a house or ring or 401k. i would rather be happy than have those things and feel empty and incomplete.