? For those who have lost 40+ pounds

TheFitHooker

After losing my weight I still have moments of feeling fat, I will grab my chin to be sure I didn't grown the 2 other chins back. My personality is still the same but my attitude on life and everything else has changed for the better. When you change your body, you're mind and attitude will change.

You can't prepare yourself for that, just be in control of not becoming a self righteous know it all lol. I still lack confidence but my confidence has grown a lot since I lost the weight.

I have had "Friends" leave my side and turn on me, I've had family turn on me. That was their issue not mine. I can't worry about other people, I have had to surround myself with like minded people and positive people, those people have helped me become a better me.

paprad

thanks all for sharing, very interesting stuff

JimBarnhartMN

It's all up to you and your state of mind. I like the old adage to set the stage - How does one person eat an elephant? (One bite at a time).

It's important to realize that even today you are much better off then you were before losing 5 lbs. When you get to 10 lbs, celebrate that accomplishment! This is a case to continually celebrate how far you've come, not how far you have to go. Hence concentrate on one bite at a time, or maybe for the people on this forum concentrate on one less bit at a time.

In my personal case, I never started with the goal of losing 100 pounds, or now 123 lbs, or next 130 lbs. I started with wanting a healthier me. I started on the treadmill 6 days a week, it became a habit and a lifestyle change. I then started eating better since it didn't make sense to burn 600 calories on the treadmill and then eat a half of pizza. When I got to 25 lbs lost, I thought that is really cool, when I got to 50 lbs lost, I thought I'm not sure where this will all end, but I don't think I'll ever be back to where I started. I then started to focus on 100 lbs lost and started to look at goals, not because that is where I need to be, but just to have a goal.

If I never lose another pound I know that I'm much better off today than I was 111 pounds ago. I'm still overweight, some would say I'm still a fatty, but if they only knew where I was they'd just smile and "high 5" me!

jburke28

I love that you touched on somehting I've been feeling. You said that one should not look so far ahead....that can be overwhelming. It is the food and workouts that make me feel so good about myself. I started with a personal trainer. The first day I could barely get through the warm up. Now I work out an hour 4-5 days per week and strength and stamina are through the roof.
I started dieting on the New Years Day and I'm down 9 pounds in 13 days. I'm excited but hope it keeps going. Day by Day.

nccarolb

The other posters have given you great advice! I really like the idea of making a NSV list--something I try to acknowledge to myself frequently even though I don't write them down. For example, I can jog up four flights of stairs now, something I couldn't have dreamed of doing a year ago. As someone else said, it's a journey, not a destination so enjoy the ride.

jdhobson

As you lose weight, you should look at it as a process of educating yourself on food. I felt like because I found great passion on other things besides just losing weight. Most importantly it should be about beginning a lifelong journey of eating food that is beneficial for your body.

As for dealing with changes, my mood has constantly been on the upswing. I take many pictures of myself to document progress. Now when i am having a day where I'm like.. "Wow, I look like I've put on 10 pounds." I have a photo of me at 10 pounds heavier that I can look at and say nevermind. Sounds silly and borderline conceited but it really helps me.

The biggest challenge I have had has been financially supporting a wardrobe that aligns with my success. The goodwill has been my best friend because I didn't like when my clothes were baggy on me but didn't want to spend the retail amount of new clothes. I saw the weight loss clothes as just temporary and waited until I was at the size I wanted to be to completely go full force into buying a new closet full of clothes.

Just continue to stay positive and remind yourself.. regardless of how much you have lost or how much you have to go - that you are taking the time and effort to make a difference in your life. It is very motivating and uplifting to think that you are doing everything in your power to better yourself. No scale can trump the feeling I get from looking at my food diary and seeing that I am making the right choices.

Feel free to add if you are looking for more support! Good Luck

WOW!! After reading your bio and this response, all I can say is WOW!! :noway: You are such an inspiration and I KNOW your parents are sooooo proud of you. Being a mom of a special needs young man (24 years old) I commend you for wanting to go into the field. YOU ARE GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!

Thank you for the kind words. We are all awesome!

bryannakay

BUMP!! LOVE ALL OF THESE RESPONSES!!

Duck_Puddle

These changes have been the most difficult part of the process for me, and entirely unexpected (although I kind of fell into this without ever setting out or planning to lose weight/be healthy).

It took over a year for me to "see" the non-morbidly obese version of me in the mirror (I was a size 6 but still saw a size 22/24 in the mirror). I saw pictures of myself (as a size 6) and had no idea who the person in the photo was. I just couldn't connect that image to my picture of myself. As a morbidly obese person, your every action is judged-from your food choices to where to park, how you walk, how you dress, how you look, and despite all that judgement-you're invisible. Regular-sized people (even "just" overweight people) aren't subject to this kind of scrutiny. It's been very disconcerting to adjust to no longer being simultaneously invisible and judged. It's not that attentions are bad or good-but they are new, and very unsettling. For me, it's not that I disliked myself when I was morbidly obese, but so much of my day to day interaction with others and my lifestyle revolved around being morbidly obese. Stupid stuff even like not making a certain recipe because I couldn't stand for as long as required to make it or making it my husband's chore to bring the laundry to and from the basement because I physically could not get myself and the laundry up and down the stairs. It's not about liking myself or self confidence or self esteem for me, it's that every single aspect of my life has changed so very drastically. It's like learning to get to know a whole new person-only that person is you. So you have to unlearn the person you knew as yourself and learn the new person and how that person lives.

Eating better, getting some exercise, weathering the ups and downs-that's the "easy" part.