What life lessons has losing weight taught you?

peachvine29

I wanna know! I think it will be healthy for us to think about what positive lessons being overweight and trying to lose weight has taught us.

So, what has this journey taught you?

puffbrat

To be kind to myself, that many people are struggling as much or more than I am, question everything, what works for me may not be what works for someone else and I just need to do what works for me, and how much I enjoy feeling strong at any size.

MikePTY

That the only thing holding me back from achieving the goals I set for myself are the limits that I place on myself. That those things holding me back are a lie and that the truth is that I am capable of so much more than I had ever allowed myself to think was possible.

thanos5

that people can be real freakin' superficial

valeriemachado81

That I need to be a priority in my life. I can be so much more when I put myself first. My life is my own, it's up to me to make it what I want.
And that MFP is a great community!

Huff870

It has taught me to set long term goals and stick with it.

smms0714

To tell myself the same things I would tell a friend. Like, "You tried your best, and that's what matters. You'll do better tomorrow."

Cassandraw3

That our bodies are simple and yet incredibly complicated at the same time.

cwolfman13

Nothing particularly profound.

slbbw

moderation, patience and setting goals that are intrinsically motivated. Figuring out what intrinsically motivates me has been a challenge alone, a very fulfilling one.

dfranch

I always thought of weight loss as a temporary situation. I'd diet to lose weight then I could eat normally again. Not true. It is a lifetime commitment 1st to lose the weight then to maintain the weight loss.

rosiorama

dfranch wrote: »

I always thought of weight loss as a temporary situation. I'd diet to lose weight then I could eat normally again. Not true. It is a lifetime commitment 1st to lose the weight then to maintain the weight loss.

This. And, if I have a bad day, I can just continue again tomorrow.

Chrismadison100

That fruit has lots of sugar and that I should handle it with care.

Opalescent_Topaz

That I can say no, even to family and friends. It's making me stronger in general.

Cutemesoon

I learned that losing weight does NOT automatically make you feel better about yourself. Whatever self-esteem issues were present before weight loss may still be present afterwards.

Not everyone will be happy with your weight loss. You will find out who your REAL friends are. You will also see a lot of jealousy.

rldeclercq4

To be less judgy - you never know where people are in their life journey... and this isn’t just about weight loss. Someone acts like a jerk in public or a work environment? Maybe their spouse was recently diagnosed with cancer and they’re really struggling to cope with it. You never know what people are going through.

seltzermint555

While there are very real, concrete positives to losing weight and being healthier...there are just as many - if not more - things that were only obstacles in my own mind when I was heavier. I could have danced at concerts and worn skinny jeans and made friends with thinner & younger women. I just didn't.

MadisonMolly2017

That we are stronger than we think.

That we are loved deeply by more people than we realize.

That it was easy for me to get used to how I felt when I was overweight/obese, and I couldn’t even envision or feel how it would be thin - despite getting there 4-6 times in my lifetime.

Thank all those other times I did Not need to be in a rush, nor limit myself to 1200 calories, nor limit fat...

That losing fast, unless one is lifting heavy, contributes to muscle loss, and a daily burn of fewer calories. I never thought I could lose 75 lbs walking daily & eating 2000-2100 calories at age 62. 5’8.5” over about 40 months.

That losing weight involves a lot of self-forgiveness & self-care/self-love/self-acceptance

That the things that made me stop losing in the past ended up not being so bad at goal weight: face looks great, skin is fine (not great) but certainly something I can handle now.

That in America, we are in a toxic food environment. I had to figure out how to see friends without food and train my family that I wouldn’t be eating in a restaurant, in part to control calories/track accurately & in part because I “register” what I’ve eaten much better when not eating in a Social situation.

pierinifitness

Be vigilant at guarding your ideal weight and leanness if you've achieved it because in the darkness of the night, when you drop your guard, doze off, get too comfortable, the thieves will show up and steal it away from you. Better to be on guard than to go get it back. I'm on guard duty now.

rossbaker2_sc

1) Be kind to yourself always.
2) Your thinking drives your behavior so if you're ever truly going to be successful you have to believe you're going to be successful.
3) Focus on the 90% you're doing well rather than the 10% of the time where you could be doing better and accept that even that is progress over where you were.
4) Comparison is the thief of joy. You also don't live another person's reality and see all the things that they do to get where they are when you aren't looking.