The Things No One Tells You About Weight Loss
Replies
-
That it takes a lot longer for your self-image to catch up to your actual image.
This. I started out at 216.8 pounds. I made it down to 140. I'm fluctuating a little. But like someone else said. Even after losing 72 pounds I'm still not completely happy with myself. The mental image I have in my head of myself doesn't really match what's in the mirror. I still think I'm bigger when I'm not faced with the mirror. If you laid out different sizes of pants without the sizes marked, I'd probably choose a bigger size than what I need. It really is a mind over matter thing.0 -
You might not look the way you expected when you've lost the weight. No matter how much you exercise, depending on your age, genetics, or how long you've been overweight, you might have some loose skin.
You don't have to deprive yourself of the things you love.
It's a lifestyle change. What you're eating now to lose weight will probably be close to what you'll have to eat later to maintain your weight.0 -
This is an awesome thread! Bump to read more later
0 -
About all the farting that occurs at the squat rack. And running gives you the best endorphin high ever.
Oh, and nobody told me how expensive it would be to replace all my clothes multiple times, even by shopping at the Goodwill or Salvation Army stores.
Oh the amount of money I have spent on clothing...and after losing too much, and then gaining everything back wishing I had kept clothing that I need now0 -
As a guy who hates shopping ive had to learn to try on clothes before i buy them now. A mistake i still often make such as over memorial day weekend bought five new shirts and took the tags off and washed them, now trying them on i see they are all too big and baggy -.-0
-
Losing weight won't change your personality.
When I started losing weigh, I became irritable, mean and self absorbed1 -
About all the farting that occurs at the squat rack. And running gives you the best endorphin high ever.
Oh, and nobody told me how expensive it would be to replace all my clothes multiple times, even by shopping at the Goodwill or Salvation Army stores.
Oh the amount of money I have spent on clothing...and after losing too much, and then gaining everything back wishing I had kept clothing that I need now
I think this is different per person, I throw away all my clothes that are too large now so i have nothing to fit in if i gain weight back. Maybe that is dumb of me not sure but its a form of motivation personally since i hate shopping with a passion lol.0 -
That it takes a lot longer for your self-image to catch up to your actual image.
This. I started out at 216.8 pounds. I made it down to 140. I'm fluctuating a little. But like someone else said. Even after losing 72 pounds I'm still not completely happy with myself. The mental image I have in my head of myself doesn't really match what's in the mirror. I still think I'm bigger when I'm not faced with the mirror. If you laid out different sizes of pants without the sizes marked, I'd probably choose a bigger size than what I need. It really is a mind over matter thing.
I can understand this completely. Ive went from 380 to 258 currently, and friends tell me to talk to someone I find attractive but im still in that 380 pound mindset that those same people would not give me the time of day before.0 -
That true motivation for me started when I "hit bottom" (for me it was needing size 42 pants). That the most important part of the MFP magic is the social support network. That you can't just go through the motions at the gym and get results. That the BMI chart is true. That we lie to ourselves every day until we get the courage to use a food scale.0
-
You will misjudge distances relative to your body size. You will also remember you have hip bones and they hurt like the ****ens when you bang them into drawers and counters.0
-
I'm just starting to learn that it's a lot easier to approach weight loss from a very scientific "if I do x, y will happen" approach than the old emotional approach I've unfortunately used in the past. The farther removed I can get from the process emotionally speaking, the easier it is for me to not get bummed out and keep going no matter what each individual day brings.
This ^^^.0 -
That it takes a lot longer for your self-image to catch up to your actual image.
This. I started out at 216.8 pounds. I made it down to 140. I'm fluctuating a little. But like someone else said. Even after losing 72 pounds I'm still not completely happy with myself. The mental image I have in my head of myself doesn't really match what's in the mirror. I still think I'm bigger when I'm not faced with the mirror. If you laid out different sizes of pants without the sizes marked, I'd probably choose a bigger size than what I need. It really is a mind over matter thing.
I can understand this completely. Ive went from 380 to 258 currently, and friends tell me to talk to someone I find attractive but im still in that 380 pound mindset that those same people would not give me the time of day before.
This is so true! The other day mom ordered trousers which were too big for her so she stated I should have them. I looked at them ... they're tiny, I said. If you take them in a little they would fit you like a glove, but no way I would be able to squeeze into them. She convinced me to try them anyway, and .. they actually fit! They were a size 16. I still can't visualize clothes without trying them on because I would end up picking something 2-3 sizes too big (I used to be a size 28)0 -
Oh man, that is soooo true.That it takes a lot longer for your self-image to catch up to your actual image.
It takes a lot of work - not only to change the physical self, but to change the way we think. Learning to treat ourselves with kindness (for once) is a big undertaking. We are compassionate with others, why not with ourselves?? People say "you'll be so much happier when you lose the weight"...well, yes, and no. Trying to "find myself" at 59 years old?? Whoa, lol. This past year has been a real trip down the road of introspection, but reading here what other peeps have been going through makes me realize I'm standing on quite common ground. Go humans! Thanks for posting. 0 -
bumping to read everything later. So encouraging! 0
-
...
-- Achieving results you never thought possible might make you reflect on many parts of your life and make the entire process more emotional than you expected.
...
Yes, this...0 -
Losing the weight is only the first half of the war. If you did it properly, your habits will have changed for the better. Then you have to make sure you stay true to the good habits.
It’s good to always have a backup plan for food. Have some healthy snacks handy and know which takeout options are good.
If you do cheat remember that you can compensate for it with extra exercise and/or omitting certain foods the following day. Don’t get caught in your own pity party.
Failure cannot be blamed on anyone but you. Know your temptations, stay away from them or find healthy replacements for them. Temptations are always going to be there.0 -
Learning to eat more, was a challenge and a half. Fat, fibre and protein, is good for me, in large quantities. Learned to drink plenty of water, and became addicted to exercise.0
-
That the closer you get to your goal, the more negative comments you'll hear from family and friends.
^This. Some people will be supportive. Others will be jealous.0 -
please share0
-
It's very simple, but it's very hard.0
-
That having meal that you thought about all day and used to love didn't taste all that great!0
-
That the closer you get to your goal, the more negative comments you'll hear from family and friends.
^This. Some people will be supportive. Others will be jealous.
Ive noticed this more at work then at home, co-workers have called me stuck up because i wont have cake and donuts people bring in even though im very polite and tell them no thankyou and that i appreciate the offer but have no desire to eat it.0 -
That it takes a lot longer for your self-image to catch up to your actual image.
This. I started out at 216.8 pounds. I made it down to 140. I'm fluctuating a little. But like someone else said. Even after losing 72 pounds I'm still not completely happy with myself. The mental image I have in my head of myself doesn't really match what's in the mirror. I still think I'm bigger when I'm not faced with the mirror. If you laid out different sizes of pants without the sizes marked, I'd probably choose a bigger size than what I need. It really is a mind over matter thing.
This is so true!0 -
I agree with you 100%. No matter what you do it is a up hill battle.0
-
bump for later0
-
For the people who are having problems with smaller sizes also being too short: look in to tall sizes. The place where I buy jeans (Eddie Bauer) has four different body shape cuts for women that are also available in regular, regular short, regular long, tall, petite, and plus. That gives you a lot of variety to find the right size! (I'm a curvy fit, regular short.)
I think for me it's how much my husband trying to be supportive sounds like nagging to me when I'm tired (of course that could be him actually being bad at phrasing things).
How big of a chunk of time exercise will take out of my day!
How tiny changes in a recipe can make a big difference in calories. (My morning coffee drink went from 270 to 120 calories and is just as good.)
How many cool things I will see when I'm out walking in open space with my dog (yesterday evening it was a fledgling bird still with fuzz on its body trying out its wings).
Starting our journey, me and my fiance get to watch some baby ducks grow up, they still have fuzz and everything, and live around the lake we use for our runs. It never occurred to me that being outside so often would show me things like this.0 -
You guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing all of these.
I'm a beginner but I've already learned the importance of logging what you eat BEFORE you eat it. Totally deters me from splurging.0 -
If you were very heavy when you started, you will start discovering new body parts, and not all of them in a good way... you will no longer have the luxury of cushioning when you attempt to sit on hard surfaces.
SO MUCH THIS!!! Also, thinking you have a cancerous tumour, when in fact you have just discovered a bone that is no longer surrounded in fatty tissue0 -
- That you can actually get REALLY upset when you're down with an injury and can't work out.
- I have a hard time just sitting around now. The fitter I become, the more I want to move. My mom is happy about this - our house is much cleaner!
- How much I'd regret the time I spent being fat. I want to learn every exercise, do every activity, and be the best at it all. I feel like I wasted so much time in my youth, and I want to go back and make it up.0 -
be honest with yourself - in logging, in telling yourself what to do - whatever. Lying to yourself will get you nowhere.
a scale can be your best friend (in the kitchen) or your enemy (the bathroom)
That even on sites that are there to help us -you can get some really nasty remarks - (I had one get mad because I posted my current weight - she had much more to lose than I - and said that it wasn't nice to those who had so much to lose to rub it in - which wasn't what I was doing - It was a 2 month challenge and I wanted to be able to find my started weight again)
That I would love 'color' sales at the Goodwill and other thrift stores (tags of a certain color are $.99)
That I can eat whatever I want - just not ALL that I want!0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions