Negative side effects to losing mass amounts of weight?

I am just curious if there are any negative side effects that the body goes through while losing weight. I'd imagine that a ton of changes are happening as my muscles and bones go from carrying 360lbs to my goal of 200lbs.

It's not something I've ever seen asked, so I'm just curious.

Only thing I can think of is loose skin but that is what it is.

Replies

  • sljohnson1207
    sljohnson1207 Posts: 818 Member
    I would think psychological changes far outweigh physical changes in this regard, because lots of folks talk about their brain lagging behind their body.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Much more apt to be chilly/cold.

    Frankly - it's a lot harder to find clothes that fit. Seems more and more stores tend to stock mostly (for example) L, XL and XXL shirts than S or M. Ditto for pants (much easier to find 36, 38 & 40 waists than 29-30)

    Those are the main two for me.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Loose skin.

    Facial wrinkles.

    Having to buy new clothes all the time...especially bathing suits, which just have to fit.

    The more you lose, the harder it gets.

    When I got really fat, the hair on my legs stopped growing in some areas. It sprouts anew!

    People spend way too much time talking about your body.

    There are so many good things, though. So many-many-many. :)
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I can't actually think of anything bar I've now got an addiction to running shoes
  • lkilton
    lkilton Posts: 105 Member
    Bump
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    I got HORRIBLE acne! After talking to my doctor about it, she determined that the cause was that I lost so much body fat that my hormones were completely out of whack and causing acne like a teenager (and I haven't been a teenager in a loooooong time!). It got bad enough that my doctor put me on medication to clear it up.

    Loose skin. Lots and lots of loose skin.

    Honestly, those are the only two negative effects I can think of. The benefits so far outweigh everything else. I don't necessarily care for all the comments, mainly because this has been a very personal and private journey for me and I don't particularly like talking about it, even though all comments have been overwhelmingly positive.
  • tibby531
    tibby531 Posts: 717 Member
    new wardrobe AND shoes. neither are cheap.

    the "wobbles" (loose skin).

    mentally... it's a whole new world, man!!! [insert fearful gulp here]
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I've heard people say they miss the big cushion on their butts when sitting for long periods. And they don't like getting cold easier. (I'd much rather put on a sweater than be stuck in a fat-coat 24/7, though.)
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    Going to low on your calories and losing weight drastically (not implying you are, just generalization) can cause you do actually lower your metabolic rate and lead you to potentially put back on what you lost at some point. I believe the statistic is actually 80% of people that lose weight drastically gain it back and a small percentage of that group put weight on in-excess of what they originally lost.

    Here is some good, and recent, research related to metabolic adaptation that might be of interest.

    Eric T Trexler, Abbie E Smith-Ryan, and Layne E Norton
    Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete
    Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2014, 11:7
  • triinityz
    triinityz Posts: 146 Member
    I would think psychological changes far outweigh physical changes in this regard, because lots of folks talk about their brain lagging behind their body.

    ^THIS - So TRUE!
  • violasmith85
    violasmith85 Posts: 274 Member
    at almost 30lbs now, I don't feel different. I got a lot more to go, but I've heard others say they still felt the same mentally even after losing it all and hitting their goal weight. I am 2 sizes down, but still even though I'm wearing pants I couldn't even have imagined I'd be wearing just two months ago. Still feel like I look the same. I have to pull out the pics and see the difference that way. That really helps.
  • hot4fitness2
    hot4fitness2 Posts: 528 Member
    I am not sure I would say there are negative side effects to losing weight. How can improving your health and the way you look and feel about yourself ever be anything but positive. Yes, there are those weird things that happen with the body after losing a large amount of weight. I agree with many of the previous posters as far as some loose skin which really isn't bad if you are adding strength training to your weekly routines. Yes, I tend to get cold easier, not as much padding t keep me warm..but got used to that LOL. Buying new clothes to me is a wonderful reward of my hard work. The weirdest and most annoying thing that happened was wha losing a large amount of weight does to your bowels. LOL yes, we are going to talk about bodily functions here. I developed what many others do… Irritable bowel, yes, urgent and loose and the gas that was passed.. oh baby my friends were in disbelief. But like most weird, annoying effects of weight loss.. It too shall pas and it did. My body has learned to love it's changes.
    so my dear do not think of anything as negative, just laugh and say " Hmmm, this is odd" and remember that it too.. will pass
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    circulation issues such as Raynaud's phenomenon

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud's_phenomenon

    I know like 3 people who have symptoms of this, including myself, and we've all lost over 100 lb. For me it's more of an inconvenience than anything.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    How it's lost (speed) is more the resulting side effect described here, but best to know ahead of time to make maintenance, and actually reaching goal weight, more successful.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A


    And then many have commented they liked how much easier it was to burn much more calories moving around more mass, like for walking where they can only go so fast. So you gotta add incline or weighted vest to keep stuff like walking as good a workout as it was at the start.
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
    Loose skin is my only fear as I wouldn't be able to afford the surgery to remove it.
  • NoMoreBlameGame
    NoMoreBlameGame Posts: 236 Member
    I haven't lost massive amounts of weight (just 50 lbs). But...at the risk of sounding like I'm nutso...the only negative I've experienced so far is that sometimes I'll look in the mirror and think I look bigger than I was 50 pounds ago (instead of 50 pounds less). I don't think that's a negative side effect, I'm not sure what it is, exactly. lol! Sometimes I'll see more fat rolls than are really there (instead, I see what was there before I started losing weight)...it's weird (and hard to explain). Most of the time that doesn't happen...just some days...and I'll catch myself freaking out and feelin' around my waist to make sure what I'm seeing isn't really what's there. Heck..maybe I am nutso, I don't know. If I could explain it better, I would. :)
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    I am just curious if there are any negative side effects that the body goes through while losing weight. I'd imagine that a ton of changes are happening as my muscles and bones go from carrying 360lbs to my goal of 200lbs.

    It's not something I've ever seen asked, so I'm just curious.

    Only thing I can think of is loose skin but that is what it is.
    I've lost quite a bit and loose skin is the major negative. I was fortunate enough to not have a bad case but some people get profoundly loose skin. Other than that its mostly been positive side effects!
  • attybell
    attybell Posts: 81 Member
    my stretch marks itch all the time...
    and I stay cold
    but hey I will take that over staying as big as I was any day
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Gallbladder issues are somewhat common from a drastic change in diet.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Gallbladder issues are somewhat common from a drastic change in diet.

    Excellent reminder, especially I recall if fat intake is massively reduced like it used to be done with low fat diets.

    But then fall off diet and go big on fats again, back and forth constantly was the worst offender it seemed.
  • RicoMittens
    RicoMittens Posts: 11 Member
    So far I've lost a little over 30 lbs. What I've noticed is 'things' are looser and I've bought compression items to help. I do Piyo and some 'things' are now in my way in a different way and it feels odd to move them so I can move deeper. :)
    Also, I have a lingering disk problem in my back that started in a couple of weeks ago such that I had to have my roommate tie my shoes to go for our walk. My doctor thinks it might be a symptom of the 'load' being rebalanced.

    But, I can now keep up with my roommate when we are walking AND I don't sound like a wheezing steam engine. And I just plain feel better.
  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
    Nothing "negative" but my wife jokes about missing my extra "biscuit cushions" that kept her feet warm at night.
  • chouflour
    chouflour Posts: 193 Member
    I lost 50lb in about 5 months, not completely intentionally. At that speed, you're at risk for gallbladder problems, especially if you used a low fat diet to lose weight. I had some gallbladder twinges, but nothing that was actionable. We're keeping an eye on it, but now that I've managed to slow my weight loss, it's less of a risk.

    I've become b-12 deficient, and will need b-12 injections monthly for the forseeable future.

    My A1c has dropped to levels that mean I have an increased risk of mortality, liver failure and heart disease.

    My resting heart rate ocassionally drops to 35-40bpm, and I sometimes I have a bp below 100/70. When my blood pressure is low, I just have to be careful standing up or turning my head too far, because I'll get dizzy and my vision goes black.

    Oh, and I'm still 15lb overweight.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    my list:

    gallstones
    attention
    loose skin
    lack of an emotional outlet or my best friend aka food
    coldness
    maintenance
    boring
    others waiting for you to put it back on
    getting comfortable in your new body'
    correcting your center of balance
    finding clothes when you are in transition
    feeling your face looks older as you lose fat from it