The Side of Weight Loss No One Talks About

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  • sammirust
    sammirust Posts: 83
    i WANT my chest to shrink, but while losing weight, everywhere else is slowly dropping but not my chest. i wish someone would have told me that this might happen. its one of the big reasons i wanted to lose weight. le sigh.
  • Willowana
    Willowana Posts: 493 Member
    Rolling over on my side and my stomach looks like a butt crack. I get a red line between the two halves.

    The thin, crinkled, crepe-yness of my skin now that it's looser without as much fat to keep it tight. Especially my boobs.

    I offered someone a piece of food and their response was, "No, you need it more than I do." -and I STILL have over 100 lbs. to lose!

    People thinking I'm sick or my diet is deficient.

    The alarmed look when my mother saw me without my shirt on.

    The jealousy and snide comments from friends and acquaintances that need to lose weight, but haven't really attempted it.

    Wearing baggy clothes because I refuse to buy a whole new wardrobe every few months. (Thrift stores are awesome)
  • shadowkitty22
    shadowkitty22 Posts: 495 Member
    No one ever told me that I would get cold a lot sooner (i.e. when it's in the 60s I want a light sweater but it used to take me until the 40s or so before I'd really notice it). Of course, it makes sense seeing as how I'm losing my "internal heater" in the form of fat.
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
    constipation
  • cedexvegan
    cedexvegan Posts: 20 Member
    Being afraid to buy new clothes that fit because in a few months they won't fit so nicely. I hate to waste money, but I also hate looking homeless when I wear my worn out, three-sizes-too-big clothes.

    Too true. Got my jeans belted in but the bottom is baggy! But NOT buying any new ones until I drop a bit more weight ;)

    Agreed! I am somewhat used to the baggy bottom bit, because my rear and legs seem to gain less than my upper body. But, until my waist drops a couple of inches, I'm sticking with what I have and using smaller belts.
  • kluvit
    kluvit Posts: 435 Member
    The most interesting thing is that I still see myself as me!
    I don't see myself as thin as I am.
    I didn't see myself as thick as I was.
  • cedexvegan
    cedexvegan Posts: 20 Member
    Make sure you keep hydrated. That is my biggest challenge. As I increase my fiber intake by eating more fruits, veggies, and grains, I get in trouble because I don't drink enough water.

    I got one of those insulated BPA free tumblers with a straw (16 oz). I find I can drink more water if it's ice cold and I use a straw. My goal is three a day minimum.
  • GaiaGirl1992
    GaiaGirl1992 Posts: 459 Member
    Another experience I had – and this could just be my experience and not happen to everyone – was that, while nobody talked about my weight when I was at my heaviest, once I started losing the flood gates opened and nearly everyone suddenly thought it was ok to comment on my weight.
    This!!!! Except mine was passive-aggressive, or fairly negative.
    Such as....
    "Thank god you've lost weight!"
    "Don't eat that, you're looking so good! You don't want to ruin everything you've done!"
    Sadly, to get this to stop, I ate as much as I could for weeks until I gained everything back.....poor 7th grade, over-emotional me....
  • yoyonomore2013
    yoyonomore2013 Posts: 9
    One thing that bothers me is people telling me that I have lost enough weight and should stop. I think that it is between me and my doctor.
  • LindaEmrys
    LindaEmrys Posts: 73 Member
    I learned that I can change my body however I like, but it's the mentality behind it that counts. I won't be slim or healthy until I don't feel fat and unhealthy any more. If you feel fat, you think you are fat, that's the issue... Sadly, the mindset is a lot harder to change than the body, in my case anyway.
  • seanezekiel
    seanezekiel Posts: 228 Member
    Well 100 people have said the first in this thread so i guess its talked about but I guess I didn't think it would happen to me.

    1. Feeling fat and being self conscious no matter how much the scale and tape says I have lost and how many compliments I get. Some days iI actually feel good but honestly 7 out of 10 i just feel fat and think I look gross. That use to be 10 out of 10 mind you so I guess there is progress.

    2. Taking lots of protein causes protein smelling flatulence. Also lots of vegetables can make this unpleasant as well. This does go away over time it seems.

    3. The belly on men is usually the last thing to go and thighs/bum on women. I lost 60lbs and gut still looked the same, lose 30 more and its vanishing.

    4. Back pain. So many years of my weight causing me to hunch over then losing it quickly the spine stretches itself out and the muscles around it isnt ready for it.
  • cedexvegan
    cedexvegan Posts: 20 Member
    You fart a LOT during the transition towards a healthy diet.

    Amen to that!
  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
    Hernias. About a month ago and almost 92 pounds into this with 24 to go, I got a tummy ache and thought I was coming down with something till I felt a hard spot in my abdomen that told me this wasn't your average, ordinary, garden variety tummy ache. So I went to the ER where the emergency doctor takes one look, tells me I have a hernia and that this is common when people lose alot of weight. Followed up with my doctor and a surgeon who said it is "incarcerated" so I qualify for the surgical repair, which is happening this Wed. But yeah--definitely nobody ever mentioned that LOSING weight could cause or aggravate a hernia. It's probably been there a while unbeknownst to me but the possibility never once crossed my mind in all of this until it was staring me in the face. Everything I've read since the diagnosis says that obesity is one common cause....OK, so I am 26 lbs. down from "obese" at this point, and only 3-4 lbs. from "healthy" so my question is WHY NOW of all times, just as I'm almost healthy?? Definitely something no one ever talks about for sure. At least I can get it fixed so I can eventually go back to my normal exercise routine (restricted to walking and cycling right now) and make these last 24 disappear!!
  • shierrarobin
    shierrarobin Posts: 181
    Everyone talks about how, when you lose weight you supposedly get your confidence back. I'm 5'8" and between 152 and 158 lbs and I still fret over the few fat rolls I have left. I'm also afraid to walk outside in a two piece bathing suit because of stretch marks and the fact that my belly still pooches and my thighs still jiggle. Weight loss is not all daisies and posies. :laugh:
  • StevenKHubbard
    StevenKHubbard Posts: 9
    I've been overweight since at least middle school.

    I have no clue how to accept a compliment. I don't see changes in my appearance because I see myself everyday. But when someone hasn't seen me since I started my weight loss (over 2 years ago), I don't know how to react when they say something about a change they can see.

    I'm looking forward to the day when I feel the change and see it in the mirror.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    People pay a lot more attention to you when you're skinny, which has been unnerving for me. I've always been fat, and very used to people not giving me a second glance. It's not that people even find me more attractive now, they just pay more attention instead of just completely bypassing me once they see the vague shape of my body.

    I've noticed this too. It bothers me that I get more attention when I'm thinner. It makes me question the motives of those that only pay attention when I'm thin.
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    1. Feeling like I need new friends. My best friend is snippy with me all the time, and once she confessed it's because we have so much less in common. We can't share clothes or shoes anymore. I enjoy totally different things now. She can't even keep up with me at the grocery store anymore. She is moving three hours away next month (has been my roommate for three years) because she "needed a change". She never talked about leaving before until I lost weight.

    2. Never knowing what size you are, and never believing it once you figure it out.

    3. Being treated differently by people who I used to dislike. At Wal-mart Friday night, these two young, thin girls walked by me and my best friend and said, "God. I would hate to be so fat. I would kill myself." I walked over to them and said, "you know, that was really rude. You don't know me or my story. I've worked hard for what I have." The blond one replied, "oh not you, her," and pointed to my best friend. I didn't know what to say back.
  • cityjaneLondon
    cityjaneLondon Posts: 12,785 Member
    It's good to read the comments from other people about loose skin. I thought it was because I am 63. It is mainly noticeable on my arms, especially on the arm which had lymphodema, which is much improved. No one told me it would improve with weight loss, but I hate my old lady skin. My neck has a turkey wattle. But in general the results are wonderful, especially healthwise. One of my knees is still a bit dodgy, but when I was fat I could hardly walk.
    I find now I want more and more perfection. I have to remind myself I am not 35.
  • bwnorton
    bwnorton Posts: 100 Member
    The emotional side effects that come when you stop allowing yourself to eat as a coping mechanism.... Unpleasant feelings and issues come out And you have to face them

    I agree with DoriGaga. I have been addressing some of the reasons why I maintained a healthy weight before, and why my weight became a huge problem this winter. We need to be thin on the inside not just on the outside. I've gone 4 months without stress eating. And, I feel that I am facing my issues in a more healthy way.
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    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?

    The misguided belief that my booty butt will transform it's self into a perky gym bunny butt because I'm doing squats, when in fact I had booty before I started losing weight, I have it now, and I will always have a big @ss.
    Thanks. That's what I meant. Not that what you're doing isn't great for your body and overall sense of well-being. But exercise does not bring about miracles.

    Is this basically like when people say "I'm fat. You're ugly. At least I can diet!"

    What point exactly are you trying to make? That people should dwell on their negative qualities and embrace the idea that they will always suck? :ohwell:

    ^This...and I hope the answer is no and people try to learn how to think more positively...especially about themselves.

    I don't think it's an issue of dwelling on negative qualities or learning to think more positively, but more of learning to embrace reality. None of us are identical, and even on the exact same diet with the exact same exercises we wouldn't come out looking the same.
  • determined_erin
    determined_erin Posts: 571 Member
    Starting to see and feel my bones is uncomfortable and feels different. When I lay on my side, my hip bone sticks out and actually hurts! I am really not used to it.
  • LisaInUP
    LisaInUP Posts: 63 Member
    I am kinda old, but still I didn't think this would happen to me because I wasn't that fat-- This morning I notice that the slab of fat that was covering my abdomen is less, but now the skin is unpleasantly wrinkled and I don't think that will go away. So my bikini years are over, even if I get to my goal weight. :cry:
    and the "bat wings" *sigh*
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
    Being afraid to buy new clothes that fit because in a few months they won't fit so nicely. I hate to waste money, but I also hate looking homeless when I wear my worn out, three-sizes-too-big clothes.
    This exactly. I also don't throw away clothes up to two sizes larger simply because I'm afraid I'll get back to that point and don't want to have to re-buy them again! I have three closets.... /facepalm
  • al369
    al369 Posts: 170 Member
    I've discovered that you can get addicted to the feeling of success when you lose weight. So when you get to a weight where you shouldn't lose any more weight, it can be hard to stop wanting to do it. At first I felt skinny, but after a while I started feeling fat again, even though my measurements were all the same.

    OMG. I'm there. And I had no idea it was normal. Thank you.
  • mjharman
    mjharman Posts: 251 Member
    The emotional side effects that come when you stop allowing yourself to eat as a coping mechanism.... Unpleasant feelings and issues come out And you have to face them

    OMG - YES!! I went through a terrible depression when I began my journey, couldn't figure out why or find any info about it on the internet. Then I was watching The Biggest Loser and they were all crying about stuff...and a lightbulb went off. Once I understood why I was feeling so sad, it made it easier. But it still took a little longer to get through it.
  • allifantastical
    allifantastical Posts: 946 Member
    Bump
  • VitaBailey
    VitaBailey Posts: 271 Member
    TONS of things! My worst problem was boob sag. Ended up getting a lift. Also, being colder in the winter and the *kitten* hurts from sitting too long without all the padding. I'm not complaining though. I'd take any of these over obesity.
  • mjharman
    mjharman Posts: 251 Member
    Being afraid to buy new clothes that fit because in a few months they won't fit so nicely. I hate to waste money, but I also hate looking homeless when I wear my worn out, three-sizes-too-big clothes.
    This exactly. I also don't throw away clothes up to two sizes larger simply because I'm afraid I'll get back to that point and don't want to have to re-buy them again! I have three closets.... /facepalm

    I'm there, too! I'm thinking I'll have to start shopping at thrift stores and the Goodwill...(sigh!)
    However, I refuse to hold onto the big clothes...I am never going back there!
  • ksuetorres
    ksuetorres Posts: 139 Member
    I've discovered that you can get addicted to the feeling of success when you lose weight. So when you get to a weight where you shouldn't lose any more weight, it can be hard to stop wanting to do it. At first I felt skinny, but after a while I started feeling fat again, even though my measurements were all the same.

    I can totally relate to this. I reached my goal weight but have lost another ten pounds. Which is fine, but I'm having trouble adding calories back into my diet because I'm so paranoid about gaining. Sure don't need to lose any more weight, though.

    I also have the wrinkly skin problem. I'm 62, so at my age I probably can't recover much elasticity (and the triceps - fuhgeddaboutit!) Still, it's better to be thin! And I'm lifting weights to try to recover what I can.

    I went from busting out of a size 14 to size 6 is sometimes too big, and wasted a lot of money on interim sizes because I didn't stay that size very long.
  • boricua3177
    boricua3177 Posts: 192 Member
    My husband is not a healthy eater & refuses to eat healthy foods. He likes the processed stuff. So now I am cooking 2 separate meals....one for my toddler & myself, another for my unhealthy husband. He also doesn't have any weight problems what so ever, this is why he believes he doesn't need to eat healthy. Sigh....this is an everyday challenge.

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