When did you start feeling better, health-wise?

fitalie93

I don't eat fast food but in November and December I've eaten way too much junk, especially carbs (bread, chocolate, gingerbread,...) and I just feel horrible, not only because I gained 2 pounds instead of losing 3 but also because my skin has been acting up, I'm really moody and aggressive, I hate everything, I have no energy and this winter weather isn't helping either. I want to feel healthy, energized, vibrant, radiant... I'm cutting out all refined sugar and unnecessary carbs.

I will eat some whole wheat stuff and potatoes because they keep me full for a long time though.

So my question is: how long did it take for you to notice a difference in your well-being? Not just your physical appearance and how you feel about your body as you lose weight, but how your health is improving. When did you stop feeling sluggish all the time?

Health is so important, I've neglected my health for too long and my body is crying.

CarvedTones

Exercise seemed to have more effect on how I felt than food. It was having energy - not easily getting out of breath - that made me feel a lot better. I am pretty much high carb, but always try to get enough protein. I am pickier about protein sources than carb sources; I eat a lot of stuff most people call junk.

beatyfamily1

For me it when I started eating whole foods that I started feeling better. Nothing processed or processed as little as possible. I won’t even have bread or pasta because they make me feel like crap. Other people can tolerate eating bread and some people can’t so it really depends on how you react to specific foods. If you’re having problems with mood, acne, and decreased energy you may want to cut out the fast digesting carbs and even dairy may be a problem for you. Another thing to consider is you may not be eating enough. Lack of food can definitely be a mood and energy killer. I’ve done the low-calorie thing and it worked for a while when I was a lot bigger but then I hit a point where it seriously sabotaged my goals. Now I eat closer to maintenance along with a weight training program. Most of my calorie deficit comes from exercise. I had to adjust my thinking about weight loss. It’s not the number on the scale that is important but the body measurements that count. My weight doesn’t change much but I’ll still see inches lost. When you eat more you have the energy to do your workout and do your regular daily activities.

lynn_glenmont

Getting in a calorie deficit on a regular basis and moving more (mostly walking and dancing around my living room) made a difference in how I felt after about two months. I didn't cut out refined sugar or unnecessary carbs. To the extent that I changed the kinds of foods I ate at all, it was by focusing on getting enough of things I thought it was important to get (e.g., enough protein and fiber) rather than on getting rid of things people claim are bad for you.

Eternally_Hers

I felt a difference in about a week. I avoid grains, processed foods and dairy(since I'm lactose intolerant). The biggest thing I've noticed is my mood and energy levels are a lot more stable. I have a major sweet tooth, so I enjoyed my two days of gaining weight during Christmas but have been a bit depressed on the second day due to the garbage foods I ate on Christmas eve.

I know people don't like believing that processed/junk foods can affect them mentally. But for me it serves as a good reminder for why I made the lifestyle changes that I've made.

RunsWithBees

My own personal experience, of course ymmv...
I know a lot of people don’t think BMI charts are very accurate but for me the numbers correlated exactly with how healthy I felt. For example at BMI 30 I felt just awful, lethargic, winded with just a flight of stairs, no energy whatsoever and horrible medical lab values. Around BMI 27 I started feeling slightly better, more energy but still needed improvement cardio wise and lab numbers getting better but not quite normal yet. At BMI 23.3 (which I am currently maintaining) I feel like I have plenty of energy, I’m up for any challenge, don’t get winded even running up hills/mountains, simply feel fantastic and my lab work is so superb my doctor is extremely impressed. Of course I must say that I am hypothyroid and anemic so being on the right medication and getting my iron level where it’s supposed to be has helped me enormously I’m sure. I was also vitamin D deficient and now have that under control. Also I used to live a sedentary lifestyle and now I’ve become a regular trail runner. You might want to start with a checkup with your doctor to have your labs tested and rule out any other potential health issues. good luck on your journey

NorthCascades

For me, it's exercising enough and eating enough carbs. When I don't get enough carbs I just don't have high intensity energy.

RoxieDawn

Instead of draining me, exercise energizes me. I have a balance of both strength training and cardio each week. Finding the right mix as it regards to my macros are a key component to helping me feel better per se, I still eat plenty of 'refined' sugar. processed food and carbs every day though.

Another key is keeping my body fat level not too low. Going lower (and staying lower) affects hormones and sleep. I'm 50 yrs old, I have more energy now than I did 5 years go.

workinonit1956

@monkeefan1974 it’s so interesting, my BMI numbers (start to present) are the same as yours and I absolutely agree with the improvements as the numbers continued to lower. Amazing, isn’t it

emmies_123

My difference was once I made exercise a regular part of routine. I still eat a lot of processed foods, and have chocolate every night. The only thing I have changed about diet is cutting out grazing snacks between meals, and watching portion size.

After starting to regularly exercise (30 mins a day, 5-6 days a week) I gradually noticed changes. I have more energy each day, and haven't felt the need to nap in months (used to want to nap every day). I don't sleep in on the weekends any more (wake up around 8 at the latest) and don't mind having less sleep. My skin still breaks out based on hormone cycle but not as bad as it used to.

It isn't just me either, my family has noticed the difference too. I don't see my folks regularly so they don't see the daily changes, but my mom says she can hear the energy in my voice when she talks to me on the phone. I enjoy having more time for fun in my weekends, as I am less sluggish.

lemurcat2

Health-wise, I felt better as I got the excess weight off. I didn't realize how much it was affecting me in some ways (feet hurting if I stood or walked a lot -- I walked a lot even when fat, since I live in a city and rarely drive), more pressure on joints, just feeling uncomfortable in my body. As I lost my energy increased and I felt more comfortable, was more active in little ways.

Mentally, I think regular exercise is much more important for me than how I eat.

Eating, I feel better if I eat at regular times and generally (not exclusively), healthy, home-cooked foods (which has exactly zero to do with carbs or no, although my natural preferences on average tend to be moderate to a little low carb). On the other hand, I feel better in general when I eat some fruit daily, as well as vegetables and other carbs.

Mostly I think the effect of my diet is mental -- when I feel good about my eating, like it's under control and sensible, when I have the ability to put in the effort to cook (which I enjoy) and eat the way I think it proper (lots of veg, adequate protein), I tend to feel better. But that's not some magical effect of diet (although I do think having a reasonable diet can help avoid things like constipation or bloatedness for many). It's more akin to how having a neat and clean house affects how I feel, that doing some tasks (even small ones) vs. avoiding them tends to make me feel better, that I feel better starting my day with some morning prayer and meditation, etc.

AnnPT77

I'm not that insightful, or imaginative (I'm not sure which is involved; it can be either): I don't really have big obvious responses to eating, weight loss, etc.

It matters where you start, too. I was already very athletically active while obese, and had been for about 10 years. That activity level - being stronger and fitter, really - had made noticeable improvements in how I felt on average.

There was improvement from weight loss, but I was getting fairly close to goal (well within normal BMI range, since I'm a narrowly-built person structurally) before it became really obvious. I had fewer joint problems, because I wasn't carrying the equivalent of a grade-school kid around with me all the time, for example. Eventually, my feeling of general well-being improved, but I'm not sure how much it was physical (related to lowered blood pressure, normal cholesterol, maybe reduced systemic inflammation, etc.) vs. how much was that sense of being in control (etc.) that lemur talked about above.

I have some very mild sense of feeling physically better if I eat plenty of veggies, but that may be psychological (love me my veggies), and I definitely feel better if I drink enough water (decades of experience have taught that I'm more sensitive than average to hydration level).

But I can't say there was really some magic point where it felt like someone flipped a switch and I suddenly felt better.

I am a person who gets a little bit of that Seasonal Affective Disorder thing (I think), so I feel a little less energetic and happy in Winter. For whatever reason, my mood picks up as days get longer. I also get more moody and negative if I don't get decent amounts of exercise, and I do get a bit less in Winter (I love to row, but my river freezes). I'm also getting less sunshine and fresh air in Winter, which probably doesn't help.

Some of how I feel is physical, influenced by food, exercise, weather, day length and whatnot. Some of how I feel is a result of my outlook and attitude (things I do have a strong power to change, if I choose to do so). From the inside, it's pretty hard to tell the difference between what's physical and what's attitude. Either way, doing things I think I "ought to do" has some positive effect, either through the sense of agency lemur mentioned above, or just pure placebo effect.

merekins

I don’t really remember but pretty early in. The thing I do notice is that I feel awful after eating junk in general. A few bites are fine but anything more than that and I feel gross and/or tired. Wonder if it was always that way.

lemurcat2

I really don't believe that most people have this extreme reaction to food or feel terrible if they don't eat perfectly or amazing if they eat in the perfect way. I think it's mostly mental.

I felt fine when I was fat except for the effects of being fat (which weren't that extreme, although I suspect they would have gotten worse if I'd continued to be fat). I felt good when I first started working out regularly and achieving goals and losing weight, a big part of which was eating in a more controlled manner (I'd eating generally healthy food before and lots of veg, but just also tended to eat too much emotionally or if it was around, etc.). As discussed above, I think mostly that was mental -- it felt good to be taking control of my health and diet and not feeling like I was gaining weight without control over it.

If I overeat without planning it or for emotional reasons, I tend to feel a bit out of control and bad, but that's because it's falling back into bad habits. (Admittedly, overeating if it goes beyond a little can be uncomfortable too.) But on the whole I eat so-called junk food (desserts, high cal/high fat/high sugar stuff, like say chicken and waffles on a rare occasion) in moderation, and yet don't find I enjoy it less than I did before or that it makes me feel bad. If anything I can enjoy it more since I will make sure to appreciate it, rather than eat it mindlessly.

I also suffer from SAD in winter to some extent, and try to remember to take Vit D, which I think helps, and have considered getting one of the lights (and tend to put on more lights in my house and keep it even neater than usual, since those also tend to help). One thing I've found extremely helpful, though, is that when I can I go running in the morning and usually get home right when the sun is rising (but even if I do it all in the dark it makes a big difference in starting my day). Also helpful is going outside at least a bit during daylight (for example, at lunchtime).

littlebear0121

For me, the biggest difference came with daily exercise. I still feel worse any day that I don't get a good, sweaty workout in. I went from a BMI of about 27 to 23 now.

rheddmobile

My case is a little different from the typical one because I had undiagnosed diabetes for a while before I started my lifestyle change. So eating tons of carbs was literally making me sick. That isn't true for people who don't have diabetes. What diet is best for you depends on your own health and situation, not someone else's.

When I was first diagnosed and started controlling my blood sugar I felt worse at first, not better, because my body was used to my blood glucose being dangerously high, and so it would send me the same danger signals a normal body sends in response to blood glucose dropping too low - feeling clammy and faint, vision blurring, no energy. It took several months for my body to stop freaking out every time my glucose dropped below about 110. In the meantime I was forcing my unfit self to exercise regularly, so I was tired and sore all the time. I felt really miserable, I missed my favorite foods, I cried a lot, and I felt like life as a diabetic was barely worth living. Not gonna lie, that stage lasted a good long time. BUT! and this is important - that stage did not last forever.

Today, my adult acne is gone, it's my rest day but I just got back from a four mile walk which I took because it's supposed to thunderstorm tomorrow on my planned run day, and I kept breaking into a run because I had so much energy that I couldn't stand not running, my legs are a little sore from deadlifting two days ago but it's a good kind of sore. Someone took a photo of me first thing Christmas morning with no makeup and my eyes are bright and I look good, despite having no sleep the night before. Also, I have added back small portions of almost all the foods I used to enjoy.

You most likely don't have the same issues with carbs that a diabetic has - carbs are not the devil. Even for me, sometimes simple quick carbs are a good diet choice, such as when I'm running long distances.

I can't give you a timeline. But I guarantee that if you eat the right amount of food to fuel your body and pursue your own exercise goals, and you do this consistently, barring other health issues you will start to feel stronger and better and more energetic. It's worth it! Try to hang in there.

RunsWithBees

workinonit1956 wrote: »

@monkeefan1974 it’s so interesting, my BMI numbers (start to present) are the same as yours and I absolutely agree with the improvements as the numbers continued to lower. Amazing, isn’t it

It was an amazing journey indeed... not an easy one but definitely worth it!

Duck_Puddle

The biggest changes for me came from losing weight and becoming stronger and fitter.

When I started, life was exhausting. I had trouble walking, I was too weak to carry anything more than a few pounds (like 5), I had to rest going up stairs. Losing weight (so I wasn’t dragging so much around) and becoming fit enough to exist in the world has made the biggest difference in my life. Since I’m no longer exhausted just walking across a room, I have much energy for all the other things in life.

On the food side, I don’t feel great after eating a lot of fat (gastrointestinal issues). That can be fat in cake or fat in a Big Mac.

I feel grumpy, tired, cranky, irritable, sluggish. zombie-like and testy when I don’t eat enough carbs. That includes levels of carbs that are well above what is considered “low” carb.

If I’m acting like I have PMS for no legitimate reason and I look back at my diary, it’s nearly guaranteed that I’ve been lower than I need to be on carbs for a few days.

YMMV:

caindove11

After I lost the first 20 lbs, my knees and back felt significantly better.