Stuff that surprises you after losing weight

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Replies

  • veezybell
    veezybell Posts: 104 Member
    Anybody else used to have to do the "double get up"? The move where you have to rock and build momentum just to stand or roll outta bed?

    Yeah, I don't do that anymore. Oh yeah, and I was playing around with my son on the monkey bars and actually busted out some dead hang pull-ups...
  • mommy22alyns
    mommy22alyns Posts: 25 Member
    .

    Another thing - those feelings that you had as a fat person don't go away, just because you're a skinny person. It still takes a lot of work inside.

    This is so true. I was an "ideal" weight for a long time, gained 75 lbs in about a year, and was overweight for about 3.5 years. I'm back to where I was before, but I still feel fat.


    My surprise is that the portion sizes are actually quite a lot of food and I didn't need that grande Starbucks, the tall is plenty.
  • kk_140
    kk_140 Posts: 518 Member
    Yea, the realization that is probably never see myself as thin was not anticipated. No matter how small I get I'll always see myself as sort of chubby and shy lol
  • rosehips60
    rosehips60 Posts: 1,030 Member
    How much your aches and pains go away after you've even lost a little bit of weight! 10 pounds makes a huge difference on your body!
    This! I was on medication for hip pain which was exacerbated by the work I do, just losing 19 pounds has helped so much that I can't remember the last time I used it. My doctor will be so happy ( and the pharmacist so sad)
  • BreeeRN
    BreeeRN Posts: 38 Member
    1. less aches and pains!
    2. able to sleep WAY BETTER
    3. i can actually feel the bones in my butt when i sit.. less cushion
    4. my shoulders are boney.. not padded!
    5. alwaysssss so cold!
    6. so much more energy = more exercise = more endorphins = HAPPY! :)
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    I agree with others on the cold....I'm usually always cold and bringing sweatshirts into restaurants as I go in wearing tees & shorts (I'm in Tucson, AZ, its HOT here)

    That I actually am up & outside on my off days at 5 a.m to get my 10K steps in ...and after work I'm outside walking in 100° temp for >1 hr...and enjoying it.

    I can't sit, my tailbone is RIGHT there now and I discovered I really do have hipbones, collar bones and ribs. And I still sleep like crap but now it's not heartburn but rolling on my bones.

    The brain has NOT caught up with what I see in the mirror and the number on the scale.

    Bath towels got a lot bigger.

    Like others have said, the tiny pants hanging in the closet are actually mine & they fit (and i have to wear a belt!)

    I no longer take meds for hypertension, high chol/lipids & type 2 and my M.D says I no longer carry the diagnoses. I never thought I'd be off all my meds, let alone dump the disases.

    Seeing how much room there is now in restaurant booths-and not dreading when they lead me to that vs a table.
  • silencioesoro
    silencioesoro Posts: 318 Member
    I don't notice the cold more - I was already cold before losing the weight.
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,508 Member
    My legs get nicks when I shave because there are muscles to navigate around now lol Does that make sense? Also was shocked I could buy shorts in a size 4. Still haven't seen my collarbone yet though...
  • OhReally42
    OhReally42 Posts: 138 Member
    I'm not even done losing yet but I'm shocked at how quickly I lost weight in my face. I still have a long ways to go but I'm glad to see my ACTUAL face again!
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    yep, being cold. and not sweating much.

    The sweating surprised me a lot.

    I actually went all winter without needing deodorant. I used it most of the time, but some days I would forget because I just, didn't smell under there anymore.

    My knees don't hurt anymore. Ever. They used to hurt all the time. One would even lock in place sometimes.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    before-and-after.gif
    ^^ haha.. this, kind of, some days anyway. I think this started sinking in someway into the weight loss process. Realising that a lot of insecurities were not really about the weight, and on reaching my goal weight, I still felt insecure and self-conscious about a lot of things.

    -I'm cold a lot of the time
    -shaving legs, armpits etc is a lot more hazardous
    -my feet went down about half a size, don't know why that was a surprise but it was
    -my glasses feel loose on my head
    -prominent veins and tendons all over the place
    -sitting and leaning against things is less comfortable
    -still feeling like a fat person. I still feel like my inner fat self is just trying to burst out all the time. Having to accept that the way other people see me does not always match how I see myself
    -the fact that I'm skinnier than I'd like in some places while still being fatter than I'd like in others. I never realised my ribs would end up being so prominent.
    -although much improved, my slightly dodgy relationship with food & emotional eating hasn't completely been fixed. The fact that even healthy looking people struggle with eating issues
    -I actually like being physically active
    -I'm actually interested in fashion (that was a big shock)
    -noticing how much other people talk about other people's bodies, and how critical they are. I think I just tuned it all out before
    -noticing how diet obsessed a lot of people are around me, and how much talk is focused on calories, losing weight, "fattening foods", slow metabolisms etc... all from people who are still yo-yo dieting. Again, I think I just tuned it out before, embarrassed about my own weight.
    -loose skin
    -the fact that I'm not as self-conscious about said loose skin as I would have expected. I'm now much happier to show off my arms, despite residual wobbliness in the skin
    Bath towels got a lot bigger.
    Ha yeah - I used to love a really big bath towel that wrapped around me. It's weird to find I actually prefer a small towel now.

    ETA: biggest surprise is probably that I actually did it, and have maintained for so long. I sometimes wake up with genuine surprise and relief that I'm actually slim now, and that I've taken away one of my big stressors in life.
  • Journeygirl
    Journeygirl Posts: 40 Member
    I can't tell you all how good this was to read! I have sooooooo far to go, and I've been trying to lose weight since I was in elementary school. It's good to see what's real and what's the wrong thinking in my head. I wish that I could save this thread for later. Thank you so much!
  • I remember when I first started losing weight, I was always so concerned about seeing my collarbone, to me... that was too skinny. But now, I realize it's not, it's normal. But now, at a normal weight, I still find myself rubbing at my collarbone all self-consciously.

    Another thing - those feelings that you had as a fat person don't go away, just because you're a skinny person. It still takes a lot of work inside.

    Oh my gosh! I'm rubbing my collar bone right now! I've been completely reintroduced to certain parts of myself! :)
  • HereWeGoAgain7
    HereWeGoAgain7 Posts: 163 Member
    Being told by my hairstylist that I had to get a different style because my face was now an oval versus being round. She said that my hairstyle was making my face seem too long now, instead of thinner.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member

    I doubt anyone who hasn't been overweight wouldn't ever even consider if a table was attached or not. For me - it was a selling feature of a restaurant.
    even though I am morbidly obese I still find I prefer to bring the table closer even if it digs in a bit. I have always been super clumsy and the further the table is the further my fork has to go to reach my mouth and the longer it has for me to accidentally spill my food all over myself.
  • jasneet12
    jasneet12 Posts: 239 Member
    before-and-after.gif

    -my glasses feel loose on my head

    my glasses have been slipping off my face! and I kept thinking time to change, these have gone old and no longer hold their shape! not realising it could be because of my weight loss
  • HaibaneReki
    HaibaneReki Posts: 373 Member
    - cold
    - bones - knees, ribs, facial features (a lot)
    - now I actually enjoy tighter T-shirts. I would NEVER EVER have thought I would fit US34 sized pants and loosely fit M sized T-Shirt
    - sweat - a lot less in warm weather but when I workout I get this kinky kick out of it dripping down from me :embarassed:

    - when I look at overweight people now I try to imagine how they would look if they'd lose weight (NOT judging though!)
    - I have several MFP "padawans" now. When I started people laughed or chuckled at me, now some follow!
    - people compliment all the time - to that extent that it's sometimes embarrassing and I don't know what to say :smooched:

    - I also love the meme posted here. So true, though all of the above applies, my being-fat attitude to myself is departing way slower than I would previously think.

    ETA: my wedding ring almost falls of when I shake my hand! :bigsmile: I can fit it on all other fingers except my thumb.
  • Rosie_McA
    Rosie_McA Posts: 256 Member
    1. Feeling cold.
    2. Cycling uphill is way easier now.
    3. People from the online world think I have long legs based on my photos. In reality I'm not that tall but being much slimmer creates that illusion I guess.
  • hekate89
    hekate89 Posts: 28 Member
    I see a lot of people are colder after loosing. Living in Norway, I'm not looking forward to that one:p

    But some of mine are:

    1. It is way easier walking in stairs
    2. Moving my body around is genreally much easier (bending over, crossing legs ect)
    3. How long it takes for the brain to follow. I'm almost halfway to my goal weight, but so far I don't really feel that much smaller yet, even though people compliment me on it all the time and my clothes fit better. Guess it will come with time=)

    Looking forward to more surprises =D
  • kk_140
    kk_140 Posts: 518 Member
    Someone said that their biggest surprise was that they actually lost the weight and kept it off.

    I agree! My original goal of 140 pounds (only a loss of 27 pounds) Seems SOO impossible for me (and I know that that probably sounds stupid to all the people that lose an entire person in pounds lol)! But once I hit 140 I started aiming for 130 lbs. And once I got there I changed it to 125 lbs. The idea that I'm still going for it and motivated 6 months later is astounding to me!
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    My legs get nicks when I shave because there are muscles to navigate around now lol Does that make sense? Also was shocked I could buy shorts in a size 4. Still haven't seen my collarbone yet though...
    Oh yes this does. And it slightly sucks - I look down the next day and see this nasty razor burn like cuts :frown:
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  • sarahsc31
    sarahsc31 Posts: 24
    I have only lost 4 pounds since I started, but I have lost about 28 inches all over my body. I notice my muscles now when I didn't before, and I notice how simple movements...like taking a gallon of milk out of the fridge, makes my biceps move, etc. It is amazing how I just forgot about my body, or took it for granted, when I didn't work out and just sat on the couch watching junk tv. I feel so aware of my body now.

    I also don't feel as limited. My kids wanted to go out on the paddle boat on the lake, and they are only 6 and 4....not much help with the paddling! LOL! I didn't let it stop me when before I would have come up with some excuse. And let me say...paddling those boats is a lot of work! I had just done the lower focus workout of T25, and I was feeling it!

    Now, I want to get back out on the nature trails at the state park and we enjoy ourselves outside a lot more.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    How much your aches and pains go away after you've even lost a little bit of weight! 10 pounds makes a huge difference on your body!

    oh yeah! agree with this ^^
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
    I've lost a ton of inches off my chest & shoulders. I used to think I had some muscle there. Nope, it was just chub. Also freezing all the time. And I'm not sure but I might get flirted with more.
  • Eli716
    Eli716 Posts: 262 Member
    1. I can also feel/see bones that I never felt before.
    2. You can drop clothes sizes faster than losing weight at times.
    3. It appears that I bruise a lot more often, even for the littlest things.
    4. I get colder a little easier than I did before.
    5. I'll stare at new clothes that fit me and think, "Wait, THIS fits ME?"
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
    1. less aches and pains!
    2. able to sleep WAY BETTER
    3. i can actually feel the bones in my butt when i sit.. less cushion
    4. my shoulders are boney.. not padded!
    5. alwaysssss so cold!
    6. so much more energy = more exercise = more endorphins = HAPPY! :)

    ^^every single one of these - and I seem to have acquired better posture.
  • Booda101
    Booda101 Posts: 161 Member
    I started donating blood again and can fill a bag in about 4 minutes with my improved cardiovascular system.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,289 MFP Moderator
    My biggest surprise came the other day. I sat down in my truck and realized that the seat setting was completely uncomfortable, and I couldn't see very well out of the windshield to drive. THEN I realized that my butt had shrunk, so in order to drive safely, I'd need to adjust the seat. LOL!

    Also - those really tiny clothes in my closet actually fit me. And walking stairs is easy. And running is FUN again. And I LOVE fresh veggies and fruit. And I'd MUCH rather be outside with my kids than plopped down in front of the TV eating popcorn (though we DO still do that sometimes - family movie nights cannot be discounted). AND I've been surprised at how over-the-top some people are with commenting on weight loss.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I'm always cold! It was so uncomfortable that I actually had bloodwork done to make sure I wasn't anemic or hypothyroid.

    It hurts to sit/lie on hard surface because my hipbones, shoulders and pelvis have less padding.

    My narrow feet are now even narrower and I have a hard time finding shoes that fit!

    I thought I'd get used to these things. I've been at my goal weight for 2+ years now, but these things still surprise/annoy me. There are too many positives to list!