Did losing the weight make you Happy?

So far I've lost 35 pounds and I have about 40 more to go till my goal weight. I feel like the weight is flying off and even though 40 is still a lot it's also not. I'm afraid once I hit my goal weight I won't be happy. Like after you reach it won't it be like" okay Now what?" Has anyone who reached there goal weight no what I'm talking about..

I think when I started losing weight I thought this would fix everything.. I'll be more attractive, which means i'll get a boyfriend which means i'll be one step closer to getting married and living happily ever after lol but lately I've been thinking, what if i reach my goal and nothing changes! what if I put to much expectation on the way I look and deep down once I get there I 'll still feel not good enough? I'm not sure if this makes sense or if anyone else has felt this way but If you have please leave me a comment!

thanks =]

The "problem" with associating weight loss goal and happiness is that if you're not happy when you hit that number, then you will put the weight back on again. Like you said, you are hoping your whole life will change when you reach goal weight. It won't. Your life is what you choose to make of it regardless of what the scale says.

I am very self-conscious and shy, my weight being only one aspect of that; however, I'm trying to focus my goal on what I want from myself and not how others will perceive me. I want to be able to wear cute clothes and go shopping with my sister. I want to prove it to myself that I am capable-- that if I stay dedicated and strong, I can succeed. I relish the control I can have over my own diet and use it to improve my body.

The only reason that doesn't "count" for that is for my dad: I want to show him that if I can do it, then he can too!

In any case, I anticipate being at least a little happier, if not simply more comfortable, at a more ideal weight. I've even found that just forcing myself to reevaluate my motivations in this way has slowly started to effect the other aspects of self-consciousness as well. I'm not only changing my body, but my mind too!

For me personally, no.

Being fit will allow me to do things I used to be able to do 10 years ago, like run 8 miles and jump on the bike to the grocery store and bike back with 60 lbs of groceries on my back and keep up with my bf and his friend when we go hiking.

Being able to do those things will fulfill a part of my life I think it necessary, but simply losing the weight and being skinnier absolutely will not make me a generally happier person. I think my happiness has been pretty much the same whether I've weighed 130 lbs or 170 lbs...

No, it didn't make me happy. It has definitely been worth it. I have less to worry about regarding health and there are other little things like not hating having my picture being taken, or just having a bit more fun clothes shopping. It doesn't "fix" everything though. A lot of people find that their confidence improves with the weight loss, but deep seated self esteem issues are never going to be solved just like that. If you don't like yourself bigger, then chances are you're not going to like yourself smaller either.

If you think about it, there are a lot of overweight people who are happy, and lots of overweight people who are attractive to other people - fun, confident, sexy, charismatic or whatever. There are also lots of slim people who are socially awkward, have low self esteem, lack confidence etc. Losing the weight helps, but it's never going to be a magical solution to everything.

This is the best answer I've read so far. Back when I was 5'1 and 210 lbs, I thought I would be ooooodles happier by the time I was 130 lbs. But deep-seated issues with self image don't go away with weight loss. That's a brain problem, not a weight problem.

I'm happier.

But I think it depends on why you are dissatisfied before and how much loss you have. For me... I like me, have a great family, great job, great house. I'm very content. But the one thing I wasn't satisfied with was my weight and resultant bad health. And I really hated huffing up a single flight of stairs.

So in my case losing weight filled me with joy. I'm more comfortable in public, and doing everything is easier and more fun.

But if my negatives had been different before then they wouldn't be better now.

Losing weight is a great goal to have for your fitness and health that can cause you to feel more confident in other areas of your life. However, just because the weight is gone, the magic fairy doesn't wave her wand and give you a perfect life. What I recommend is that you find things to do that make you happy. Take a class that interests you, learn a language, make some jewelry, whatever interests you. Work on developing yourself as a person overall that you would be happy hanging out with. Ultimately, we hang out with ourselves every day. It helps if we like who we are.

If we have a fulfilling life, when somebody comes into our lives, we still have a life, and our life does not revolve around the new person in it. We then will also have an opportunity to share more of ourselves and our interests. Not to mention that if we get out and do things that are interesting, we will have more opportunities to meet people that have similar interests!

When I was 145 I thought I was fat (even though I was curvy and turned heads) and was very unhappy with myself. Now I'm 195 and my GOAL is 140. I hope that once I fight my way back into a size ten I'll appreciate my body more and be more confident than I was in high school.

My biggest confidence boot came after my high school sweetheart of four years left me. I got over him and realized I was stronger than I thought and could do anything I wanted to without a guy to guide me. I became my own rock. I didn't love myself until someone tore me to bits and made me rebuild. But sadly, I eat my feelings the most when I'm happy and I slowly gained weight for another four years.

So for me, confidence and weight are two totally different areas and don't have a lot to do with each other. I hope I get a surge of smiles when my scale says the magic number and the cute dresses fit. But I put my confidence in my mind, not my tummy.

Congrats on your success this far!

For me, I got to my goal and went lax and gained 10 lbs, now that I've gotten it back off, I find to maintain is just as hard as losing...so it gives me something to focus on. I have also made some new goals that aren't scale related.

I wanted to comment on something that stood out to me in your post - When I was with my kid's father it was rough for some very big reasons, I thought when we broke up and I lost the weight it would be a shoe-in for a great guy. Not saying it won't for you, but for me, that's when I really started to realize that there was a lot more for me to work on then my weight. It's almost like my weight hid a lot or made me blind to other things - it was protection. I under covered so much I had to work on - not only self confidence, but self esteem, self worth, etc. It was a hard road, I cried a lot - it was painful, I smiled a lot, but I am still working away. I have come along way. I had no idea that that was coming when I embarked on this journey!

With respect to my self esteem and confidence, losing the weight did wonders for that. It feels so good to feel comfortable in your own skin and in any clothes, and I wouldn't change that for the world. Working my *kitten* off daily to maintain and keep this lifestyle, is one worth fighting for.

Good luck!

I have not lost a large amount of weight...in fact Im morbidly obese and just starting this journey, but i can offer you some relationship advice. You have to learn to love what you see when you look deep inside yourself before you can ever love what you see in the mirror. Love and accept yourself EXACTLY the way you are now, and then begin to make it even better. You wont be able to have a healthy loving honest relationship with another person (including all of their flaws) unless you first allow yourself the same. Good luck on your journey!

Of course, for those ppl wanting to shed weight, that when they start to actually notice a difference in themselves then that does create a sense of achievement and this leads to happiness. Although such happiness can be short lived as we are our own worst critics....I personally, 14 months ago weighed in at 15 stone and this week have just entered into the 9 stone range. In 2013, I probably achieved the biggest physical change that my body will ever experience. This makes me happy, v.happy....but I still see chunky thighs and love handles and that's not to mention bingo wings! But for those of us on this journey we have to find a satisfaction which goes beyond happiness. Happiness comes from our own identity and how we live everyday not just from looks.

During my weight loss I took time off work and after two months on leave (personal reasons) I went back and that's when ppl noticed...the compliments were lovely and yes I did draw some attention from the male variety (although this for me wasn't why I lost weight btw!) but I still had issues in my own mind that I needed to address....losing weight is maybe for some people just scratching the surface of an entirely long journey. I, for what it may be worth, am on a life detox- weight, career and relationship... All these things that I want to change will be beyond the rule of the bathroom scales. There is always going to be something niggling at us to discontent our happiness.

If you feel you are struggling with confidence or the eternal pursuit of happiness then maybe try this- the journey with your weight is your method of expressing who you want to become. Look at other things going on in your life, what can you do besides your focus on becoming healthier, to better yourself and reach not your full potential but your best potential. Give yourself time. A life change does not happen overnight as I am learning, take time out to think about you and eventually you should reach your own "happy place" but remember-YOU CAN BE THE ONLY ONE TO BE MERITED FOR YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS, you are in control...