As you much happier after losing weight?

My happiness is the same as when I was heavy.

My improvement is better blood test results (all normal now), more energy, sleep better, feeling stronger, etc.

I think it depends on why you are unhappy in the first place. For me, I was in horrible pain nearly every single day. Don't get me wrong I'm still have bad days (fibromyalgia) but better food choices and daily exercise has made it much better, therefore I'm happier.

If you start in a position of sadness and disappointment with yourself then you may well feel better losing weight - I know that's true for me, I hope to like myself enough that my happiness doesn't depend on a number on a scale however getting healthier my be a cheering experience. I think that if a person can master the art of contentment in any circumstances and not put off doing the things they want to do "until I'm thin" then happiness is available to all. I don't think that happy is the human default setting for life. Contentment, now that would be lovely.

Before losing weight I was unhappy with my reflection, I loved shopping for clothes but could never find anything that looked right on me which upset me and lots of things were uncomfortable, even just sitting, because of the extra rolls!

Having lost some weight I feel more confident, I like my figure in the mirror and in clothes which makes clothes shopping much more fun again and I don't find myself as uncomfortable in day-to-day life any more however... my purse is unhappy with all the new clothes and now it is winter I miss my extra insulation!!! But overall I'm much happier having lost weight!

This is a great question that I've often asked myself. I've lost 25lbs and toned up quite a bit and before I began I felt that if I lost the weight it would make me happier. I wouldn't have to feel self conscious and my physical relationship with my husband would improve, I would be more outgoing and just in general be... happier. Well you want to know what? I'm not. Weight loss isn't some magic cure all, or at least it wasn't for me. All the insecurities are still there and I still want to avoid people for fear of what i look like. It's taken some time but I've realized that happiness doesn't come from the number on the scale, it's up to me personally to fight my demons and hold my head high. I can say that I have more energy now, and I do go out more than I used to but am I happier? No.

I have tons more confidence.

I had to find a balance. I'm not depressed about being "fat" anymore, but for a while I lost sight of what was important and got so obsessed with having a perfect body that I was miserable and felt like a failure every time I slipped up. I let working out get in the way of just about everything else and when I hit my ideal weight and leanness, I was a total wreck (emotionally and in my personal life). I've gained a few pounds and a little "squish" since then and I'm much happier living a more balanced life. That said, I'm grateful to be at a healthy weight and be strong enough to pursue other goals.

gotanda wrote: »

I am happier but many of my friends are not my friends anymore. Those friendships did not sustain 64lbs weight loss

This is kind of sad. I still have the same friends as I did 200 lbs ago... same romantic tangles, same everything.

Claire8614 wrote: »

Do you think losing weight can improve your life, your relationship etc?

I'm already happy, so no, I don't think losing weight is going to make me happier.

It'll help me swim faster. I'll be able to run up the stairs easier. I'll need less fabric when I want to make a dress and knitting myself a sweater will take less time. My IQ is the same, and I'll still love video games and swimming and knitting and writing and going on cruises and Christmas and my family and learning about weird esoteric stuff. That's who I am and who I'll always be. Those things aren't dependent on whether I am fat or not.

I used to be a weight loss counselor and the tragic ways in which people mistakenly thought that weight loss would improve their lives could really hurt if I allowed myself to dwell on it.

• I remember an anorexic Marine Corps captain who I begged to try to get treatment.
• I remember a woman who was 5'2" and 110 lbs who thought that her husband would stop cheating on her if she lost ten pounds.
• I remember a boy who thought that his mother would be nicer to him if he lost weight. She started bugging him worse about something else.
• I remember a woman who thought her mother in law would finally approve of the marriage if she lost the weight. It didn't happen. Then she was just "vain" for wanting to be thin.

Everyone had this vision of the perfect life when they lost weight, but they still had trouble paying bills, or got frustrated when a tire blew out or whatever. Sometimes they did get treated better, but it felt a bit hollow when they realized how nice guys were to them was based on whether or not they were an appropriate sex toy.

The people that were genuinely happier were people who had goals outside of the scale and how people treated them -- lower blood pressure, or increased physical capability, or that sort of thing. Yeah, the little size 2 dress made her eyes sparkle, but not as much as the fact she didn't have to sneak in naps to get through the day, or that she was able to go off blood pressure medication and was able to get into ballroom dancing with her husband and feel energetic enough to dance the night away.

Claire8614 wrote: »

Do you think losing weight can improve your life, your relationship etc?

There is absolutely no comparison. Everything improved in my life. In general people just treat me better. I have more energy, vitality and passion for living.
And this may sound strange, but I can sleep a whole night instead of waking up 7 times per hour choking on throat blubber. At my heaviest I had to sleep with a C-PAP just to get through a night.
As for my relationship, that too is miles higher in every way, including physical intimacy.
My life transformed, and this is my motivation to maintain.
I never want to go back to the miserable guy who pretended everything was jolly.