What is the biggest unexpected surprise after losing weight?

Mine too..had not thought of it as related to weight loss until now.

The realization that I was FAT! When I was bigger I managed to convince myself that I looked OK but now when I see old photos I realize how deluded I was.

i wouldnt say i was delusional but more along the lines of didnt care

After a couple years and thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant I decided to hold off and lose weight and focus on myself. 3 months and 30lbs later I found out I was pregnant. Best gift ever.

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Loving myself again. I love myself more than I ever have... its because I am feeling more comfortable with myself, in my body, and in my clothing.

Great thread...

For me, losing weight resulted in lots of cool surprises. My sex drive went through the freaking roof, and so did the sex. Having more physical stamina made the sex not only more enjoyable but more abundant and more adventurous. Clothes shopping became fun for me. I would actually try stuff on at the store just to see how things looked on me. And being able to shop in the "regular" person's section instead of the Plus size type section was also a major thing for me.

Also, like some others have said, I noticed my feet seemed to get a little smaller and I started realizing I was colder more often. I also had an explosive amount of energy and, any time there was time or opportunity, I would go out and walk, run, hike, play at the park with my kids... anything just to be moving. That amount of freedom was probably to coolest surprise of losing weight... just wanting to move all the time.

Apparently, if you're an overweight executive, people think less of you. So, presumably, fit executives are regarded more highly.

From a recent Wall Street Journal article:

New research suggests that a few extra pounds or a slightly larger waistline affects an executive's perceived leadership ability as well as stamina on the job.

"Because the demands of leadership can be quite strenuous, the physical aspects are just as important as everything else," says Sharon McDowell-Larsen, an exercise physiologist who runs an executive-fitness program for the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership.While marathon training and predawn workouts aren't explicitly part of a senior manager's job description, leadership experts and executive recruiters say that staying trim is now virtually required for anyone on track for the corner office.

Executives with larger waistlines and higher body-mass-index readings tend to be perceived as less effective in the workplace, both in performance and interpersonal relationships, according to data compiled by CCL. BMI, a common measure of body fat, is based on height and weight.

While weight remains a taboo conversation topic in the workplace, it's hard to overlook. A heavy executive is judged to be less capable because of assumptions about how weight affects health and stamina, says Barry Posner, a leadership professor at Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business. He says he can't name a single overweight Fortune 500 CEO. "We have stereotypes about fat," he adds, "so when we see a senior executive who's overweight, our initial reaction isn't positive."

CCL staff detected the correlation after collecting hundreds of peer-performance reviews and health-screening results from the CEOs and other senior-level managers who participate in its weeklong leadership workshops in Colorado Springs. A pair of university researchers, using data from 757 executives measured between 2006 and 2010, found that weight may indeed influence perceptions of leaders among subordinates, peers and superiors.

Tim McNair, a general manager at Nazareth, Pa.-based guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co., says he was inspired to make some changes after spotting his "gut" on camera during a recent public-speaking exercise while attending the CCL workshop.

He wondered whether his colleagues had the same reaction to his appearance, he says, adding: "Would they think, 'If he can't keep his hand out of the cookie jar, how can he do his job?'"

So the 44-year-old, who says his peers' evaluations were somewhat harsh, recently rejoined the local gym, where he heads after work at least three days a week to run on the treadmill, cycle or stretch. He has also given up double cheeseburgers, steak, ice cream, Coca-Cola and Tastykakes, opting for a healthier diet of grains and vegetables. In four months, he has shed about 25 pounds.

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I freeze all the time but I love my new shadow!!!