Has loosing the weight made you happy?

Holly_k88

Everybody does it, thinking if they reach their goal it will change their life for the better. I'm just curious, has the weightloss made you more accepting of your own skin? Does it actually make you happy?

AwesomeGuy37

I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far. That gives me a sense of joy. If you are unhappy, then you have poisoned your mind with unnatural goals. Do it for your health.

ChelseaWelseyKins

(I know it says I lost 2 lbs, but in reality I lost 8.5 because of the fact that I gained a little after starting this.)
After losing, even just a small amount, I do feel better. I feel more confident but also I feel healthier. I have more energy and not many stomach problems anymore. I even sleep better. It changes your life if you let it

SherryTeach

Absolutely yes. However. . . as much as I enjoy wearing skinny jeans and pencil skirts, I try to get my pleasure from how much energy I have and easily I can keep up with people 30 years younger than I am.

motivatedmartha

Only lost 29lbs so far - about another 15 or so to go! So far my weight loss has made me very happy because there is so much more that I can do now I'm slimmer and fitter. I no longer get heartburn cleaning my bath, weeding or picking stuff up off the floor. I can walk freely and love my hikes - when I was bigger my hips hurt too much to walk more than a few hundred yards - they hurt today but I did do 3 hours of very heavy gardening yesterday - perhaps that will no longer be a problem when I lose the next chunk of weight. At least I can now help my husband with some of the heavier gardening without having to make excuses.

The only thing I would add is - I think it's important to start enjoying activities during the weight loss - putting off doing things until 'I am slimmer' is, to my mind a recipe for disappointment. Meals should be planned and prepared so that food remains a pleasure, any activity, at any level that can be achieved, should be done with enthusiasm and enjoyment - then you will feel the pleasure as you go along and not be expecting some big impact the day you meet goal. Don't wait til you get to goal before you expect life to get better - make it better now - however much you have to lose.

So far my journey has been absolutely worth it and I have never felt any deprivation - I fully accept that my lifestyle now is forever and my 'diet' will not end with getting to some random goal I set.

Edited for sp

Holly_k88

I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far. That gives me a sense of joy. If you are unhappy, then you have poisoned your mind with unnatural goals. Do it for your health.

No I'm not unhappy, nothing like that I am happy (maybe I worded it wrong). I still have a long way to go, just curious of other peoples journeys and if it was what they thought it was going to be?

Ftw37

Everybody does it, thinking if they reach their goal it will change their life for the better. I'm just curious, has the weightloss made you more accepting of your own skin? Does it actually make you happy?

My mental model of myself is way behind my physical changes.

On the inside, I am still a fat man.

I do have tons more physical energy and I am much happier on a day to day basis now I have lost some weight.

But my demons and hangups are still very much present. Being thinner has not been my panacea.

In the end, though, I'd rather have the health benefits of a smaller body, even though my mind may not be perfect.

ruthejp13

Yes and no. Eating right and exercising has made me happy. Losing weight actually has made me in the past (in my 20s) uncomfortable with the added attention from men. I did not like looking "hot" for strangers. I'm almost 50 now and am starting to get hit on again by men at the pool.

But as a baseline, mentally and chemically I am so extremely happy!!!

AwesomeGuy37

I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far. That gives me a sense of joy. If you are unhappy, then you have poisoned your mind with unnatural goals. Do it for your health.

No I'm not unhappy, nothing like that I am happy (maybe I worded it wrong). I still have a long way to go, just curious of other peoples journeys and if it was what they thought it was going to be?

That's good to hear. I wasn't implying "you" specifically, but in a general sense. I've met too many people unhappy with their bodies trying to fit in with society's idea of beauty/acceptance.

stickersticker

I'm depressed about other things so not really. I am more happy about my body.

1971MLJ

Yup, but my main goal was fitness not weight loss. I only started tracking food because my trainer asked me to so he could see my diet to help with my fitness goals. He slowly steered me down the right path and the weight loss has been an unexpected side effect, I hadn't realised just how much weight I had to lose.

TutuMom41

Loosing weight does not make people happy. Any issues you had before weight loss are still there. Loosing weight can make you feel accomplished. Healthy and physically better. You may be more pleased with your appearance but weight loss does not solve all your problems.

Meerataila

No. But I'll give it a little more time until I decide it wasn't worth the effort.

tmauck4472

I'm never going to be a size 10 (which is where I thought I wanted to be, still kinda do, but whatever). I just need for my stomach to go away. But I won't say I'm happier, just healthier and have no problem doing housework or anything I want to do now. So yes it's made some aspects of my life happier but hasn't changed other parts.

kcmcd

With that area of my life, yes. Absolutely. I am much happier with my weight and my improved fitness.

Overall, I wouldn't say my level of happiness has really been impacted. But that could be because my weight gain was small and pregnancy related.

wannakimmy

Loosing weight does not make people happy. Any issues you had before weight loss are still there. Loosing weight can make you feel accomplished. Healthy and physically better. You may be more pleased with your appearance but weight loss does not solve all your problems.

It does not solve ALL of your problems, but it can and does solve many. Just being able to physically do more does a world of good for people. Also, as the weight comes off, so can the depression one might be experiencing diminish. JMHO

somanyrhoades

I would say yes! When I was at my heaviest (201 lbs) I was miserable. I was sedentary and didn't do the things that I loved doing. After most of that weight came off, I gained more confidence (enough to get out of a toxic relationship) and started doing things that I enjoyed doing! But I think that a lot of the confidence I gained wasn't from looking better, it was from feeling better. Setting achievable goals for myself and working hard to actually achieve them did wonders for my self worth. And changing my diet to one that included proper nutrition and not just fast food and other garbage gave me the energy that I was lacking when I wasn't taking care of my body. Of course losing weight isn't going to solve every issue you have, but changing your life will! Knowing that I had the drive and the means to change things on my own sparked a renewed sense of life into me that hasn't left yet!

cicibeanz

I find that I am happier when I'm paying attention to my goals because 1. I am treating my body better and 2. I am more consistently AWARE of my decision making processes throughout the day. Essentially, I pay more attention overall when I am working on my health. Since I've just started losing again after a really long time of physical and mental chaos, I can't speak to what I will feel like when my body actually starts to look appreciably different. I do look forward to increased energy and agility, though!

crazyqueencarla

I would say yes. Even though I still have a ways to go, I feel like a whole new person. I don't hurt all the time, I feel more confident... and the things I can do now that I couldn't before... it just blows my mind. It's the best feeling in the world to have someone ask if I wanna go for a hike or our for a run and not have to even thing twice about whether or not my knee's will handle it or if i'll be too slow... I can just go and enjoy myself.
I'm having so many new experiences and seeing/doing so many more things now, I feel accomplished.

BreeeRN

I guess it depends on a load of factors. For me I was always active and fit then when I gave up my hobbies and sports to study and work fulltime I slowly gained weight and my life style changed into something I hated. And I slowly started to hate myself, so I didn't see people or do anything and just lived in the dark with anxiety and depression, continuing to not take care of myself in a repetitive circle of self loathing.

Now that I've lost a lot of the weight I am more happy I can go outside and see people, I've changed my life style to include the things I enjoy and I have so much more confidence to enjoy everything. When something is wrong I don't just give up, I try my best to fix it. And it is 100% because I changed my lifestyle and lost this weight. I guess in short this has made me happy. I think having gained the weight and going through all of that was a great life lesson and I'm happy I learnt it sooner rather than later. I do accept myself now flaws and all.

I think we live the same life!! You're much farther into your lifestyle change back to how you once were, compared to me.. But I'm getting there and loving every minute of it! Good for you! (and me)

navygrrl

I don't know if it has made me happy. My husband has told me that I have so much more energy now. I think I was happy before I started this journey, but now I just get to find more things in which to find joy. When I am able to add weight to my lifts - that makes me happy. Knowing that I am doing everything I can to fight my genetic history so I can be around a long time for my children makes me happy. Eating cake and ice cream makes me happy. I mean, I'm thrilled that I'm losing weight, but as time passes, I've realized that how I feel and what I can do now is what makes me happy.

Holly_k88

Its nice to know your all feeling the benefits of a healthier lifestyle Thankyou so much for all your comments!

I know loosing weight won't solve my problems, I'm not doing it for that reason, I'm already a happy person. I want to feel more confident and be happy with the body I was given and I hope when I achieve my goals I will.

I can see how past demons might discourage that. At my lightest 119 lbs I had them but id never been bigger so now when I reach my goal hopefully I will perceive it differently and learn to love my body... I already do - to a certain extent

earthboundmisfit

It hasn't made me happy but I don't hate my body so much and that feels pretty good.

tk2222

Well, yeah. Happier, anyhow. I was never overweight to the point where it really stopped me doing anything in particular, but I was uncomfortable with my body, not very energetic, sleeping badly, etc. I've still got another 50-60 lbs to go, i'm still fairly fat, but the 30 lbs down so far is an accomplishment and it is useful. I feel better, I look better, I have new interests - and that makes me happy. Not in some intrinsic, now-all-is-well way, but in the way that I think some happiness can be an accumulation of small moments of joy, including from things like pride, achievement, confidence, physical pleasure. Thanks to being healthier my average day now contains more of them - i'll glimpse myself in a mirror and like what I see or get compliment or a great endorphin rush from a workout, and that's a few more things in the plus column.

savemama

I was already pretty happy to begin with, so I don't think my happiness has made a big shift.

But that said, I am more balanced. I credit that to my activity level.
I have more fun! Which I credit to my energy level.
I feel prettier (which I am) and enjoy buying cute clothes now. So shopping isn't depressing anymore.
I don't waste energy on self-consciousness when I'm swimming with friends now. So I am more present.

So am I happier? Not really. I'm the same person. But I am a better version of me. I love being thinner and can't wait to finish up the last 8.5 lbs.

cwolfman13

In my experience and observation, if you're generally unhappy, weight loss is not going to solve that issue.

I was quite happy when I was fat...just as happy as I am now. I didn't lose weight to be happy...I lost weight because my health was going down the tubes pretty fast and I needed to get things under control.

I would say that now I am a lot more exuberant and have a lot more energy than I used to...and I have way less aches and pains and I'm quite excited to have reversed all of my bad blood work and I am enjoying living a healthful life. It is my hope that living such a life will result in a longer and more fruitful life than it otherwise would have been had I not changed the way I was living.

slimbettie

In one word. Yes.

_IronDan_

I often get told that I must be proud of myself for losing so much weight but if I'm honest I'm actually ashamed that I had so much to lose in the first place! So while I am happy I've lost weight and probably extended my life I do have a certain amount of sadness for the years I wasted getting fat in the first place.

For some reason my ticker isn't showing but I've lost 100lbs

kaseyr1505

The weight loss hasn't made me any happier, but the things that came with the loss have.

Chezzie84

I have lost 30lb so far and it has made me happier.
I have noticed I am a lot more relaxed within my own skin, I am more confident and I have more motivation to do things.

Froggymcconnell

Loosing weight does not make people happy. Any issues you had before weight loss are still there. Loosing weight can make you feel accomplished. Healthy and physically better. You may be more pleased with your appearance but weight loss does not solve all your problems.

actually weight loss made me happy! I am a happy person but the passed year I wasn't so much I was unhappy, uncomfy, now 1 stone 9lb lighter, 4 inches off waist and getting comfy in 14 I am back to being happy, so I think for some people weight and size is the only thing in life that they are unhappy about. ie Me