Does/did losing weight change your personality?

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  • JanieJack
    JanieJack Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Losing weight didn't change my personality.... until I started hearing what thin people really think of heavy people. They never made those kinds of comments around me when I was heavier.

    Because of that, I've become WAY more self critical than I EVER was. I used to love myself no matter what my size and be very confident no matter WHAT my size. NOW, though, when I gain weight again (usually temporary things like vacations or eating bacon) I totally freak out and until I lost it. Last time I went on vacation (Italy and Germany and then a cruise) I gained 23 pounds. My friends said my personality was totally stressed, freaked out, and unpleasant until i lost it. I know they’re right because I was so stressed about what my coworkers thought of me.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
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    Meh. Maybe a little.
  • 40andFindingFitness
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    Nope. I've always been a happy, sarcastic kinda chick. But I have noticed some folks who have lost weight and turned into super self-absorbed crazy people hell bent on revenge against people who teased them like 10 years ago when they were fat(ter). Seriously? Who has time for that?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Losing weight didn't change my personality.... until I started hearing what thin people really think of heavy people. They never made those kinds of comments around me when I was heavier.

    Because of that, I've become WAY more self critical than I EVER was. I used to love myself no matter what my size and be very confident no matter WHAT my size. NOW, though, when I gain weight again (usually temporary things like vacations or eating bacon) I totally freak out and until I lost it. Last time I went on vacation (Italy and Germany and then a cruise) I gained 23 pounds. My friends said my personality was totally stressed, freaked out, and unpleasant until i lost it. I know they’re right because I was so stressed about what my coworkers thought of me.

    That's interesting. For me, I never realized how much flak slim/fit people catch until I was one and started hearing "bones are for dogs" and such. Thankfully I haven't made an upsetting discoveries about what people I know think of heavy people.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I really do not think it has changed my personality. I am still assertive yet a people pleaser. Aside from changes that have taken place in my life (not weight-related)...I think I was just as happy and just as confident when I was at my heaviest (100+ lb ago) and I think I'm still just as frustrated by certain uncomfortable situations as I ever was.

    I do think it has lessened some of my anxiety. I have GAD and have always had it. But I think being very obese added another layer to my anxiety due to things like not knowing if I'd fit in a booth, airline seat, bath tub in a hotel, etc. There are now fewer things for me to feel worried about and that has helped me out tremendously and made me more likely to try new experiences.

    I also think my interests have changed somewhat. In the past I was far less interested in nutrition and exercise than I am now. I try to keep away from crossing that line and being the boring person who only talks about calories, physical activity, etc. But I don't shy away from those topics like I used to.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
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    I felt better about myself when I took off the 126 lbs. I didn't feel like I stuck out like a sore thumb when I entered a room full of people. I didn't feel like people were staring at me because of my weight. But, I can't say it changed my personality. It just made me feel better.
  • doodlebeats
    doodlebeats Posts: 11 Member
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    I love this response!
  • doodlebeats
    doodlebeats Posts: 11 Member
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    Take this how you will but I am a bit more selfish. I am no longer carrying m excess baggage around, you can be Damn sure I am not carrying anyone else's. I was a total pushover. Desperate for people to like me. Now my priorities are different. And I like myself enough for everyone too!
    I also find my mood swings easier to manage as long as I can get to the gym.

    I love this response!
  • tlcarolinagirl
    tlcarolinagirl Posts: 1,700 Member
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    More relaxed, more confident, and less likely to allow others to treat me like shiz. Once you learn your own worth, you're less likely to allow others to devalue you.
    pretty much this.

    Definitely this.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    Honestly, I like the anonymity, looking more "normal", whatever that is. I am still the same person I have always been though.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
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    Im actually more anal/insecure/stressed now that I lost weight.
    Weird right?

    Though now I have a weird shopping for boots obsession?
  • schonsdragon
    schonsdragon Posts: 102 Member
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    No, I am still the same goofy person I was. The only change is that I am more confident and I dress more stylishly.

    People treat me differently with my weight loss. I have found that when I am out and about people will pay attention to me and listen to me. Unfortunately I have also found a downside, when I am working, people take me less seriously because I don't fit their image of a woman in my career. My colleagues do take me very seriously in a very good way and treat me, as always, as a valued and talented peer.
  • msravelli
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    Like many others in the thread, I've definitely become more assertive and unwilling to allow others to walk all over me. A couple of people who are used to me having no backbone have actually used the phrase "you've changed" in dramatic, huffy tones. This newfound self-confidence has extended to most areas of my life; from having the nerve to wear the clothes I've always longed for to believing in myself enough to go back to college (and killing it so far), and (soon) moving to a new city for the first time. Not all of it is directly related to knowing how much better/healthier I look though, because a lot of it also comes from a feeling of accomplishment. I guess I figured that if I did one thing I'd told myself for years it was impossible to do, then maybe I could tick off some more "impossible" goals while I was at it.

    Aside from that, there are lots of little things like not speaking in hushed tones in public to avoid drawing attention to myself, enjoying going out more in general, being more comfortable with making direct eye contact or smiling at strangers, not being self-conscious about what judgments others might be passing about me when I order food or eat in public, not taking criticism as the end of the world, accepting more responsibility for my life, and just trying new things. People who knew me before (the ones who don't prefer me to be a terrified doormat like the aforementioned idiots did) have repeatedly told me that I've become a radically different person both inside and out in the best way possible. Oh, and I'm finally starting to become comfortable the idea of dating for basically the first time in my life, which is pretty big! The weight, in my case at least, had really placed an emotional wall between me and the rest of the world and I couldn't be happier about gradually demolishing it.
  • hellomanen
    hellomanen Posts: 96 Member
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    More relaxed, more confident, and less likely to allow others to treat me like shiz. Once you learn your own worth, you're less likely to allow others to devalue you.
    pretty much this.

    Definitely this.

    All of above plus:
    I'm WAY less sleepy and I don't get as angry as I used to be... with a few exceptions of course. (I'm a matchstick, smallest friction possible and BOOM trouble)