Were you surprised that you publicly posted your weight?

iamrobyn

I NEVER thought that I would share my weight with anyone other than my doctor and my best friend (because she too is overweight.) I won’t even tell my Mom how much I weight. I am very close with my neighbors. Most of them are also overweight and have been watching me since I’ve joined the gym and gotten serious about getting healthy. Sadly most are not interested in losing weight but they are very supportive of my efforts and have been very thoughtful about having a healthy option available for our get togethers without me even having to ask. Tonight I showed some of them MFP on my phone. I didn’t give them a ton of detail but they were shocked to hear that I publically shared my weight. When I thought about it was kind of shocked too. I think there is some level of anonymity on here but I put several pictures of myself up and someone that I know could come across a post or my profile. Would I be embarrassed for people that I know to see my current weight, hell yeah. Would you? I guess that me admitting where I am to myself and to you demonstrates how serious I am about changing my situation. Did you surprise yourself by sharing this information publically?

lilwashee

ya it was tough but after i lost 20 pounds i was proud and shared my weight on facebook of all places lol

iheartyarn

i don't get the whole thing about being secretive. people can see i am over weight, i am what i am, just like size. its obvious i am not a size 8, so its not like its a big surprise kiwm?

Spitcan

I'm still surprised i told anyone how big i got. I'm still pretty ashamed of that number. BUT since i don't know anyone here, it's a little easier. If its the same way for you, it's easy telling someone if you don't know them. AND we're all on the same boat here, so you can rest assured you wont be ridiculed.

foremant86

No, i've never had a problem with sharing my weight.

bachooka

I happily share my weight with everyone. I'm working to fix it and most people don't even believe me when I tell them that I weigh over 200lbs!

sarahazelnut99

I've never been extremly ashamed of my body...maybe a little bit at times but as a kid i was very overweight and loved myself. LOL i know its weird but i had such a loud personality and i enjoyed my time that i spent with friends laughing and eating away. it wasnt until i started dating that insecurities started to arise but i got over it quickly. my family is mexican...and minorities view weight alot differently i feel. my cousin and my aunt were big influences on building insecurities about weight because they were so overly concerned with it but i always felt like i could always turn everything into a joke.

now that im older im still not shy but i understand some of the denial ive had in the past about and decided to change myself but still love myself.

im deffinatly not trying to say you dont love yourself but i feel like thats the reason why saying i was 185 (im short too) wasnt that big of a deal for me.

melbaby925

Completely. I was totally humiliated to see how fat I had gotten (December 2010 highest weight ever of 288.6 pounds - GAH!) and after several more attempts later, I started losing in April when I joined MFP and haven't looked back.

For me, part of the recovery was admitting the problem - it's not like everyone couldn't see that I was completely out of control. But I was deep in denial about just how bad it was. Once I started telling my MFP friends, several of whom I've known for years and see all the time, I was ok to tell others what's going on. Now, it's just a number and not something I hold over my head anymore in shame.

Besides - I'd rather be talking about how I do at least 1 10K and 4-5 5Ks with the dog in the mornings. And THEN I do TurboFire at night and lift weights. In January, I couldn't even walk a mile without stopping. Those are numbers that I'm proud to post my weight is no longer something I care about. How's that for a revelation after years of worrying and obsessing over every ounce gained or lost like my worth as a human being was caught in the balance of how much I weigh?

sarahazelnut99

I'm still surprised i told anyone how big i got. I'm still pretty ashamed of that number. BUT since i don't know anyone here, it's a little easier. If its the same way for you, it's easy telling someone if you don't know them. AND we're all on the same boat here, so you can rest assured you wont be ridiculed.

i can defiantly see that, ive been so much more open here about my feelings then with my real friends and family.

Spitcan

I'll play another round of this game, lol.

I don't totally like it, but i don't mind so much if people know I'm down to 318. I've lost 88lbs, and 50 through MFP.

So do the math, i started at 406 at 28yrs old. I know people can see that I'm overweight, that's not the issue. The issue is more about when they want to talk about it and ask me questions. So I'm much more comfortable talking about it on a pretty anonymous forum here. And there's LOTS of encouragement from everyone here.

iamrobyn

Wow..I am surprised to see that so many of you are comfortable sharing your weight. Yes its clear when you see my full body picture that I'm overweight but I think most would be surprised by how overweight I really am. My Mom and my sister weight under 250 combined and are a source of discomfort when it comes to my weight. Maybe thats part of where the discomfort in sharing my actual weight comes from. I do have support within my friends and neighbors, but for some reason sharing that number with 'real life' friends just makes me feel anxious and uncomfrotable. Very grateful for this site and the support here and even put my weight numbers in my signature. Feels good to let it all hang out...literally!

raevynn

I'll play another round of this game, lol.

I don't totally like it, but i don't mind so much if people know I'm down to 318. I've lost 88lbs, and 50 through MFP.

So do the math, i started at 406 at 28yrs old. I know people can see that I'm overweight, that's not the issue. The issue is more about when they want to talk about it and ask me questions. So I'm much more comfortable talking about it on a pretty anonymous forum here. And there's LOTS of encouragement from everyone here.

You are my hero! Thank you for sharing :happy:

I occasionally will say it out loud... I even did it once at work. "See this? this is what 250 lbs looks like" I was probably within 3 lbs of that when I said it.

theonlychuck

i figure i am embarrassed about the weight so if i tell everyone if i lose it i wont feel so bad it would b more embarrassing if i kept it on!

Hoppymom

Not at all. If you want to fix it you have to OWN it. Sigh. I guess it's time to post a photo. I like the anonimity of the message boards. Not posting a photo has allowed me to not be "all in" and I need to step up.

radfordjwhite

I think I was surprised at first but there it feels safe to tell MFP because everyone is here with the same goal. I happily will post my weight why because I am never going to be that weight agian!!

NeuroticVirgo

I wasn't surprised, I'm pretty open. But when I started really putting the information out there, I was surprised to find out that I apparently don't look as fat as I am. (guess that could be a compliment). Just the other day I was talking to my cousin and mentioned I'm 230, and I thought he was going to drop dead in shock. He didn't believe me, and really didn't believe I started this at 272lbs. :0/

crikee15

For me, I think it was easier to share on here because I have the (perhaps false) sense of anonymity, and I know that everyone on this site has the same goals as me (healthier lifestyle, etc.) I still won't actually tell my best friends what I weigh, but I keep them updated with how much I've lost. Maybe when I hit my goal weight I'll tell them how much I really weighed.

treesha450

I have not posted my weight. I'm not sure if anybody is able to view it here, obviously I have a ticker that shows what I've lost. The only person who knows what I weigh is my boyfriend. I'm surprised that I posted my picture on here. I know.. I need to get over it.

VVEXVVEX

I guess that me admitting where I am to myself and to you demonstrates how serious I am about changing my situation.

I think that's it exactly. Hiding it doesn't get you anywhere. Stating the issue and asking for support are two major steps toward behavior change and success.

Spitcan

I guess that me admitting where I am to myself and to you demonstrates how serious I am about changing my situation.

I think that's it exactly. Hiding it doesn't get you anywhere. Stating the issue and asking for support are two major steps toward behavior change and success.

like button? YES!

Even though it sort of sounds like AA, the first step is admitting there IS a problem.......

susanswan

i don't get the whole thing about being secretive. people can see i am over weight, i am what i am, just like size. its obvious i am not a size 8, so its not like its a big surprise kiwm?

I agree. But I think the problem is when we say how much we weigh, we can no longer "pretend" to ourselves that we don't know. And they know we know. I guess it is like "if you say your birthday wish out loud, it won't come true" type thinking. It is very shameful to admit to people that we are as heavy as we are.

But....the flip side? "How much have you lost?" "What was your highest weight?" No problem! I was so happy to have lost 5 pounds because that meant I was really getting somewhere. I wasn't just "trying", I was doing. Then when 10 pounds, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35......63 pounds were lost, I just jump up and down! "Hey, I used to weigh 205 pounds! I decided that was enough and I lost the weight." I am very proud of that fact. Every time I tell someone that, it reminds me of the work that I must continue to do in order to be able to say that in the future. The most depressing thing for me was to say, "well, I lost 53 pounds but 15 came back." That was so much harder to say. I have no problem showing people my old fat pictures. Look on my profile for me in the purple shirt with my husband. That was before I made it all the way up to 205. Possibly 195. I was miserable. I never believe anyone who says about their weight, "Well, I'm healthy and happy." I sincerely doubt if they are happy and I am pretty sure they will not be healthy for long.

You see quite a few here who have lost their weight, gotten into the best shape of their lives, and are now personal trainers. I understand that completely. It would be the most rewarding thing to help others to accomplish their goals, too.