Weightloss doesn't always lead to happiness.

I dunno, if I had to live off of the tiny amount of food that people with gastric bypass are supposed to eat, I'd be pretty miserable too.
However, I've found that exercising more has definitely helped with my depression, and hopefully it will keep it away.

Each person is different, but one thing I do agree with... losing weight does not lead to instant happiness... It's kind of like some people think that once they lose weight, all of their problems will magically disappear - and I want to mother bear them all and tell them that it doesn't quite work that way... not that everyone will listen though... and a little piece of me aches when I hear people say "I want to lose weight and be happy" - but what can you do, really?

People equate lower numbers on the scale with better health which can cause so many problems. See it all the times on the forums, scale-obsessed people eating 1200 or fewer calories a day.

Thanks for sharing this story. It's a real issue that many of us face in our weight loss journey yet don't open to share because it goes against the groove.

While this can be the case, absolutely, I don't think using the example of someone who got weight loss surgery and just went from morbidly obese to still obese is the best example to uphold here as a cautionary tale.

The funny thing about happiness is this...only you can make yourself happy...external factors can aid in that but in reality weight loss, money, partner etc does not make you happy. That is an internal thing.

So true.

But those aids, if well employed, sure can help. I know that being slimmer has definitely had a profoundly positive effect on my life, and continues to the lower I go. But you have to allow the changes to affect you positively, or they won't do much to aid you in an overall greater sense of well being.

Loosing weight won't make one happy. Nothing can make you happy but yourself. If you don't like yourself and how you look you aren't going to be comfortable and won't be happy. It's all about excepting and liking yourself for who you are. Just like until you decided you are loosing the weight for yourself you won't loose it, long term.

The exercise will release endorphins that will lift your mood as well as build muscle. But I seriously recommend the guy get back on the bike as soon as he can, Maybe get something smaller. A good ride on a bike is one of the best ways to clear the mind that I know.

I agree. Nothing leads to instant happiness. However, as someone else said, the endorphins I gain through exercise every day improve my mood significantly. I suffer from depression (or used to) and I find that although sometimes I have a low mood or feel irritated, exercise really helps. I also find it quite meditative. I also feel better about myself. Proud of myself. But no, I'm not ecstatic or anything all the time.

To be clear...when losing 3 figures worth of weight. fast or slow, there is going to be excess skin. Contrary to myth, skin does not magically resorb itself. How could it?

Happiness is a choice. If you are unhappy at 350 pounds… you'll be unhappy at 150 pounds (just throwing out numbers here!). And vice versa. If you're happy at 350 pounds, you'll be happy at 150 pounds. Don't get me wrong… there are many benefits to losing weight, exercising, and eating healthy. But happiness is available for anyone who chooses it…. regardless of the number on the scale… and regardless of muscle tone or loose skin.

I dont think I understand the concept of being happier after weight loss. You can be happy large or small, I think its up to ourselves some how to get to the right frame of mind regardless of size. (not saying its easy though)

I do.

When I first became aware that I was fat, in the 6th grade, it felt wrong. I wasn't picked on, bullied, or verbally abused at home. I was never pressured to lose weight. Yet being fat felt like a violation. I hated every single moment of it.

Slimming down definitely aided considerably in upping my personal sense of well being, and confidence, which lead to greater happiness. Why? Because I am not, and never will be, a person who feels comfortable in a fat body. It doesn't feel like "me" whatsoever. It distorts my sense of self perception, and makes me look alien to how I feel inside.

God bless the people who can feel "happy" about their appearance regardless of their size. It just ain't me. Being fat didn't make me an unhappy person, but being slimmer definitely helped make me a happier one.

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Do you think the problem is more to do with how he lost weight rather than the actual weight loss itself? I am far from very knowledgable on this so please excuse any ignorance on my part but I would assume that someone having a gastric band may not always have the same outlook in the first place or along the journey vs someone who challenges themselves to lose the weight through diet and exercise alone over a longer period of time? The sense of achievement, change in overall lifestyle, the healthier "buzz" from exercising (no matter how minor that is to start) surely all adds to a sense of well-being which you may not achieve when having surgery and losing weight forcibly and so quickly? I hope for me at least that by the time I have lost the weight that I need to that I will by then have changed my entire outlook towards food and exercise so that I don't feel that I am going to live a life of misery and deprivation - isn't it ultimately about reconditioning what you perceive to be living a full and satisfying life? I know for me that eating what I want hasn't really made me happy so far.

anything done without a bigger reason can be very pointless.

i know people that pursue advanced degrees because it's what their parents want, or it's what society says you're supposed to do, or because you think it'll lead to a higher paying job. but if it's not something that you're happy doing, then you won't be happy when it's done.