The Side of Weight Loss No One Talks About

Options
1…34689…26

Replies

  • heidihorton
    heidihorton Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    I'm going to add something positive to this incredibly depressing thread.

    Cool thing about weight loss for me that no one ever talked about was how incredibly empowering it is. I feel like going through this craziness of losing weight makes me feel like I can pretty much accomplish anything now. Cheesy, but good stuff.

    Awesome! And so true
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    Options
    That being thin was the answer to happiness. - UGH man was I naive!

    Me too.. Yes my self esteem has increased 10 fold but my man issues haven't - I have grown alot, and have worked alot on my self worth. That didnt come simply by losing weight :)
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Options
    I LOVE this thread. Jus' sayin'.

    Making me a little teary eyed, to be honest. Not sure why. :embarassed:

    Same here.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
    Options
    I'm going to add something positive to this incredibly depressing thread.

    Cool thing about weight loss for me that no one ever talked about was how incredibly empowering it is. I feel like going through this craziness of losing weight makes me feel like I can pretty much accomplish anything now. Cheesy, but good stuff.

    Awesome! And so true

    VERY EMPOWERING!! and who knew that exercise was such a stress reliever!!!
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
    Options
    Not mine, but the belief that you can completely change your body shape through weight loss and exercise and that everyone who works hard will end up looking like a fitness model. The idea that your fat distribution pattern and goals have no bearing on how you work out, especially if you are close to your goal.

    huh?

    There is no reason anyone who works hard enough shouldn't look like a fitness model. Provided you are doing the right kind of exercise and have the right nutrition.
    You are a little naive if you think that fitness models are not chosen with a certain body type in mind, just like any model. Some people will never attain that 'perfect' shape because their bodies are simply not shaped that way. Even buff and at an ideal weight, I will never look like Jillian Michaels (for example, I know she's not a model), because she has a different body type than I. I will look like a fit me. Short, with short skinny-ish legs, unusually short arms, and somewhat thick around the middle with a rather flat behind. Even at my most fit, this is what I looked like. Not unattractive, but certainly not 'cover of Fitness Magazine' attractive.
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    That, unless your problems really are caused by weight, they'll still be there whether you're fat or thin.

    This is very true!

    Overall I'm thrilled with having lost what I've lost, so I'm not complaining. But I've found the insecurities I had when I was obese have not melted away as quickly as the fat. I still fear clothes shopping like I might walk into the regular sized section and be turned away or that by some evil magic nothing there will fit me. And I still feel like the fat girl in my head. With time I imagine these things will change, but for me, my brain is taking it's sweet time catching up to my outsides.

    Oh, and the wrinkles I didn't have before are a huge bummer. Fat not only stretches out skin, it holds skin taut. My cheeks and neck are wrinkling now that they're less fat. Blerg.

    But on a positive note, I don't get hot anymore (I was like a furnace before), I can run, I don't get tired, I sleep better, I'm healthier, happier with myself, and feel at peace with food now. All that feels awesome.
  • Serena_Kitty
    Serena_Kitty Posts: 38
    Options
    Realizing that the only reason you got fat in the first place was to disappear. Then as you lose the weight, you lose a great protective shield and have to deal with the many things you were hiding from.
  • mikey1976
    mikey1976 Posts: 1,005 Member
    Options
    for me it was the emotional stuff going though rough changes and heart ache the first time i lose the weight and how fast the weight hit me the seacond time
  • sdstirrat
    sdstirrat Posts: 3
    Options
    All the extra clothes you have to buy in order to continue looking somewhat professional at work, or not looking homeless. What to do with those clothes you shrink out of, because in my experience it tends to come back.

    Yes! Like when I lost weight before and thought, I will never gain it back so why don't I just get rid of all my "big" clothes now...of course I gained it all back plus much more. Now that I am starting to lose weight again, I am afraid that if I get rid of my big clothes this time, I will jinx myself and gain it back again!
  • katedevall
    katedevall Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    my biggest issue is dealing with being "Mentally fat", Its so much more than just needing to lose weight but also a personal journey. I started in 2010 and i am still trying to emotionally deal with everything. One day at a time is my motto!


    This I struggle with this everyday and hope someday i will catch up
  • TurquoiseSky
    TurquoiseSky Posts: 42 Member
    Options
    Here's a positive one:

    Thanks to the weight I lost and muscle I gained, I am now able to sustain a healthy weight while eating more calories than when I was overweight (highest was 160, now at 127). Muscle burns more calories than fat and also takes up less space --- talk about the gift that keeps on giving!

    I should also mention that I've maintained around 125-133 for about 7 years.
  • Nacho12
    Nacho12 Posts: 164 Member
    Options
    I don't know how many times I started a diet but didn't stick to it. It seemed like the hardest thing to just stay with it and actually start losing weight, So when I finally stuck with the diet and did everything right (under my calorie limit and exercise) it was a surprise to me that it took so long to lose weight. I am older now and closer to my goal weight, but it has taken me six months to lose 20 pounds!
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    Not mine, but the belief that you can completely change your body shape through weight loss and exercise and that everyone who works hard will end up looking like a fitness model. The idea that your fat distribution pattern and goals have no bearing on how you work out, especially if you are close to your goal.

    huh?

    There is no reason anyone who works hard enough shouldn't look like a fitness model. Provided you are doing the right kind of exercise and have the right nutrition.
    You are a little naive if you think that fitness models are not chosen with a certain body type in mind, just like any model. Some people will never attain that 'perfect' shape because their bodies are simply not shaped that way. Even buff and at an ideal weight, I will never look like Jillian Michaels (for example, I know she's not a model), because she has a different body type than I. I will look like a fit me. Short, with short skinny-ish legs, unusually short arms, and somewhat thick around the middle with a rather flat behind. Even at my most fit, this is what I looked like. Not unattractive, but certainly not 'cover of Fitness Magazine' attractive.

    Thank you. Just because no one wants to pay you to model fitness outfits does not mean you're ugly or that all the work is meaningless. But ridiculous expectations can lead to disappointment and recidivism.
  • hayleymc3
    hayleymc3 Posts: 128 Member
    Options
    Not mine, but the belief that you can completely change your body shape through weight loss and exercise and that everyone who works hard will end up looking like a fitness model. The idea that your fat distribution pattern and goals have no bearing on how you work out, especially if you are close to your goal.

    huh?

    There is no reason anyone who works hard enough shouldn't look like a fitness model. Provided you are doing the right kind of exercise and have the right nutrition.
    You are a little naive if you think that fitness models are not chosen with a certain body type in mind, just like any model. Some people will never attain that 'perfect' shape because their bodies are simply not shaped that way. Even buff and at an ideal weight, I will never look like Jillian Michaels (for example, I know she's not a model), because she has a different body type than I. I will look like a fit me. Short, with short skinny-ish legs, unusually short arms, and somewhat thick around the middle with a rather flat behind. Even at my most fit, this is what I looked like. Not unattractive, but certainly not 'cover of Fitness Magazine' attractive.

    Glad a select few are responding to that comment.

    No, not everyone who works hard enough will look like a fitness model. I started at 300 pounds, my goal is 150. I'm already prepared for the loose skin I'm facing in my future. I'm not gonna look like any kind of model - and I'm totally cool with that, because that isn't the goal.

    I do think it's silly to say anyone can look like a fitness model.
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
    Options
    bump
  • preetsangha
    preetsangha Posts: 13
    Options
    Can I recommend a short book that helped me?

    It's called "Hungry" by Alan Zadoff. I read it one sitting and it chronicles his journey over expectations that he had over what would happen when he lost weight.

    This is was what drew me to reading the book in the first place.

    From the Back Cover
    "I sought help not to control my weight but to deal with the emotional turmoil that was lurking just beneath the food. Over the course of a year, more than 100 pounds fell from my body, and my thin life, the one I'd been waiting nearly thirty years for, finally began. It was nothing like I expected. For starters, Calvin Klein did not call with a modeling offer. The gifts of the thin life, which I'd always assumed included a beautiful wife, gorgeous house, and handsome Labrador retriever, did not materialize. My life was not suddenly perfect. It was a lot more interesting than that. It turned out that losing weight was only the first step in a much larger and more amazing journey."
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    Options
    As I'm going through my weight loss journey, I'm realizing there are so many things that people don't talk about. I thought I heard it all, but the reality is until you go through it - you know nothing.

    What's something that you learned in your weight loss that no one talks about?

    The amount of time it takes for ones mind to catch up to their physical size. I still see myself as huge and fat, t-shirts feel like face cloths in my hands before I put them on .... It's really not easy the only way I can really tell is by the size of my T-shirts vs each other or by lining up my belts next to each other or jeans... that's when I really notice.... day to day when I look in the mirror I see fat *kitten* yet I wear a large size T-shirt now.
  • Mischieviousme777
    Mischieviousme777 Posts: 190 Member
    Options
    I expected my clothes to shrink but nobody told me my feet were going to shrink!

    ^^^^ THIS!!! I am a shoe addict!! Last year when I dropped 43 lbs, the VERY first thing to shrink was my feet. My 60.00 size 9 running shoes started giving me blisters. I am grateful for the size decrease any and everywhere I can get it- hell, I don't even care if "the girls" shrink a bit.. It just would have been nice to know about the foot thing.
  • Elisirmon
    Elisirmon Posts: 273 Member
    Options
    How differently I would be treated.I kind of resent it sometimes.

    I'm the same person with the same personality and the same brain.

    Yet I was with the same company for 14 years and didn't get any of the promotions I put in for until I lost weight.

    P.S no longer with that company and have a much better job!
    Good company wasn't worth it!
  • Celeigh12
    Celeigh12 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    Can I recommend a short book that helped me?

    It's called "Hungry" by Alan Zadoff. I read it one sitting and it chronicles his journey over expectations that he had over what would happen when he lost weight.

    This is was what drew me to reading the book in the first place.

    From the Back Cover
    "I sought help not to control my weight but to deal with the emotional turmoil that was lurking just beneath the food. Over the course of a year, more than 100 pounds fell from my body, and my thin life, the one I'd been waiting nearly thirty years for, finally began. It was nothing like I expected. For starters, Calvin Klein did not call with a modeling offer. The gifts of the thin life, which I'd always assumed included a beautiful wife, gorgeous house, and handsome Labrador retriever, did not materialize. My life was not suddenly perfect. It was a lot more interesting than that. It turned out that losing weight was only the first step in a much larger and more amazing journey."

    Sounds really interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!

Categories