Looking forward to being IN the photo with my husband and 2 boys instead of taking the photo.
I used to love getting my photo taking (slightly vein) lol but since having children and going from 8st to 12st I haven't had a photo since that I can actually look at or not make my husband delete. Sad really but this is my motivation
The things that surprised me were how few people commented on the weight loss (but when they did, how sweet it was!), the confidence I gained (YEAH!), that I started to like exercise so much (was only doing it to be able to eat more initially). Also, now someone close to me keeps saying that it's not easy for him like it is for me. It's like he's dismissing all the hard work and discipline that it took for me to lose my 20 pounds.
since having children and going from 8st to 12st I haven't had a photo since that I can actually look at or not make my husband delete. Sad really but this is my motivation
Take photos with your kids, I have hardly any pictures of me with kids when they were little, I really wish I did now though firstly because I can't ever get that time back and secondly there aren't many pictures I can do good comparison shots with now
What no one told me about being on MFP is how I would trade a food addiction for a forum addiction. I find myself checking in on the threads waaaaay too much during my work day!
What I wasn't told about losing weight was, that eventually I would not need will power to avoid lousy food choices. The thought of sacrificing all the things I loved to eat was the biggest reason I carried the weight for so many years. Let face it pizza rocks, however after 11 months and 43 pounds, I am well on my way to my goals, and I am enjoying the food I eat. Using M.F.P. helped me take a real tough look at what I was considering putting in my mouth. To sum up my point, choosing wisely doesn't mean losing out on good food, and there is nothing wrong with a slice of cheese pizza every now and then. (260 cal) I can walk that sucker off in less than an hour
What no one told me about being on MFP is how I would trade a food addiction for a forum addiction. I find myself checking in on the threads waaaaay too much during my work day!
-how bad you actually felt before. You get used to not feelin good but when you lose weight your realize what it actually means to feel good.
This. If you'd asked me 2 thanksgivings ago if I was winded on our stairs, I'd said "no". I'd have been lying to myself, too.
Amen!! just started my journey a few weeks ago and man o man I feel good! I didn't realize how unhappy I was until I started eating right! I am so excited to see what the future has in store for me, I am ready!
Being ACTUALLY handicapped, I get really annoyed when large girls take the handicapped stall. It's NOT for you...it's for us who really need it. Please...a little respect.
With all due respect, as the daughter and niece of longtime wheelchair bound women (advanced MS), you are incorrect in your statement. The only handicapped-related facility that is exclusively for handicapped users (and is thus protected by law) is handicapped parking. Ramps, toilets, elevators, support bars, and so on are available for use by anybody, including the able bodied. They are made available because some handicapped people are not physically able to use the regular facilities or entrances, stairs, etc., but they are not reserved for the exclusive use of disabled people. If the handicap bathroom stall is the only one available, I will use it with no qualms or guilt whatsoever, and I know that my mother and aunt would not begrudge that in the slightest. Now, if there is a disabled lady waiting for a stall, I would certainly leave the handicap stall open for her, but only in the same way as I would encourage an elderly lady to go ahead of me in line. It's common courtesy, not entitlement. I'm sorry, but as one who lives closely with disabled people, I find your attitude disappointing.
Well said. Plus the OP lists arthritic knees being cause for 'difficulty getting around' - this isn't the same as being in a wheel chair. Plus... Obesity IS considered a 'handicap' depending on the severity.
On the positive side... I reflect back to when I had lost 90 lbs, I remember laying in bed and feeling my hip bone and was startled. After my knee surgery I gained back quite a lot, and over the last 5 years, I've gained back even more. Now I have 60lbs to lose to get me back to where I was before I inexplicably lost my mind and gained back what I'd worked hard to lose. Reading so many of people's experiences here gives a person an extra push to reach those milestones. Thanks peeps!
How irritating it would be to see overweight and obese people insist that being overweight has nothing to do with food choices, CICO, and activity levels. It drives me nuts to see folks online or in person insist that CICO isn't true because they're overweight despite not eating too much.
On a serious note - I lost a lot of weight and ended up having a gall bladder issue. Two years ago I dieted pretty hard which resulted in me developing gall stones. I ultimately had to have my gall bladder removed. This doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.
Maybe that's what caused my gall stones. I read that there are so many potential causes, weight loss included. I see a surgeon in three weeks and hope it comes out.
Best of luck! I feel immeasurably better now that it's gone. I always felt like I had a pit in my stomach. If you do have it removed, try not to laugh too hard - it'll hurt!
How the effort and mindset of the act of losing weight becomes a blueprint for other things in life you want to achieve.
I keep hoping this will happen to me... I really need a kick in the butt to clean the house, and I _know_ that if I approach it like I have weight loss it will eventually show great improvement.
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they are not reserved for the exclusive use of disabled people... It's common courtesy, not entitlement
The larger space is for whoever needs it.
If you don't fit in the smaller stall, you need it.
What do you want the fatties to do, pee in the sink??
Yes, if there's someone who can't use the smaller stall they should have first dibs.
Otherwise, whoever gets there first is perfectly fine.
.
when people offer you seconds or say you "deserve" a treat
O.M.G. yes...
I went with a friend to pick up his new car, and they had fresh-baked cookies. I had a couple, and the salesman tried to push more on me, even wrapped one in a napkin & put it in the hood of my coat!! I put it in the trash & told him that I've lost a lot of weight, am trying to lose more, and already had more cookies than I probably really should.
.
I understand that the boobs would get smaller. In a way that was a relief. But why do they have to look so awful! There really is no discernible shape to them unless I have a bra on.
If I ever have the money for cosmetic surgery, that's one thing I'd change. I don't expect to look 18 again, but removing the excess skin & putting them at least _near_ where they belong would be nice.
(The other 2 things would be the bingo wings & lower belly excess.)
.
how bad you actually felt before... when you lose weight you realize what it actually means to feel good
Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. I feel _SO_ much better (and I'm still about 40 lb from goal).
I wish I had realized this & either not gained weight or started losing it 10 years ago, so I wouldn't have to suffer so much!
.
How silently frustrated I will get with others who claim to be trying to lose weight but are doing it in a completely unhealthy way
There are 2 gals at my gym who wrap their abdomens in plastic wrap before working out. I've never said anything to them, but I so very much want to.
And one of the employees (!) said something about doing a "detox". Again, I didn't say anything.
.
I was not prepared for the extremely nosey questions.
I don't mind the how did you loose it, what's your secret - what diet are following. These are to be expected.
But how much weight did you loose (sic)
I actually don't mind that. I'm proud of it. And it's not like people who knew me "before" didn't see how fat I was. Nobody has asked me what I weigh, though I did explain to a couple people that dying my hair was my reward for getting below 200.
.
No, it's not. I wish people would stop spreading this myth.
2 lb of carrots is $1.80 (IIRC... just bought some today).
That's less than (or maybe about equal to) a 7-oz container of pringles.
Go look at rice, beans, fresh produce, less-expensive cuts of meats...
On a serious note - I lost a lot of weight and ended up having a gall bladder issue. Two years ago I dieted pretty hard which resulted in me developing gall stones. I ultimately had to have my gall bladder removed. This doesn't happen to everyone, but it does happen.
Maybe that's what caused my gall stones. I read that there are so many potential causes, weight loss included. I see a surgeon in three weeks and hope it comes out.
Best of luck! I feel immeasurably better now that it's gone. I always felt like I had a pit in my stomach. If you do have it removed, try not to laugh too hard - it'll hurt!
Thanks for the support!!! A "pit" is a very apt description.
What no one told me about being on MFP is how I would trade a food addiction for a forum addiction. I find myself checking in on the threads waaaaay too much during my work day!
Your shoes may no longer fit.
Don't be too quick to resize your wedding bands, most jewelers won't do it more than twice.
Find and make friends with your local consignment shop, don't splurge too much on clothes until you reach (and have stayed for a while at) goal.
Some of your friends and family members will not be supportive.
It's not a linear process (especially for us girls)! Some days/weeks you will not lose anything and that's okay. Stick to your plan.
Very true all of it. Especially some of your friends and family members may not be supportive. How do you work around that?
I'm still pretty much at the start of my long-term journey (I'm making small and measured changes instead of yo-yoing for the rest of my life) but I can remember when I was a lot thinner (read: ill) the cold thing was oh-so very true! Fat is an effective insulator!
The best bits about my loss so far using MFP...
- has to be that I feel so much more free with my food choices. Like, if I eat/drink something more calorific one evening I can readjust and it doesn't mean any feelings of 'deprivation'. From someone who has spent their life obsessing about food - what's good and specifically what's bad - this is a big deal!
- being more empowered to make those choices around food and drink. I know where my calories are coming from. It's in my power to minimise them whenever I want.
- actually enjoying exercise, specifically cycling. I hadn't ridden in nearly 20 years this time last year, absolutely never thought I would like riding in my lifetime and now I'm planning a 60 mile ride in September raising money for MacMillan Cancer care!
how your focus eventually shifts from weight loss to fitness. i have always told people that the only use for running would be to get away from a hungry bear. i am now gearing up for my first race in the fall...
how weird people think you are when you want them to feel your new muscles.
That you might start focusing on other flaws on yourself
That laying on your stomach in bed is actually ridiculously uncomfortable (ouch on the hipbones)
People can be annoying with the "are you done yet?" comments
Some people won't know how to hang out with you anymore (some people are uncomfortable that I stay sober while they're drinking)
That you will love yourself that much more
Confidence, confidence, confidence!!
Replies
3. That after doing abs, it hurts to cough the next day, and thats the day when you seem to need to cough most...[/quote]
It hurts to sneeze too. And I'm an all year round sneezer.
I used to love getting my photo taking (slightly vein) lol but since having children and going from 8st to 12st I haven't had a photo since that I can actually look at or not make my husband delete. Sad really but this is my motivation
Good luck to you all we'll get there :-)
Take photos with your kids, I have hardly any pictures of me with kids when they were little, I really wish I did now though firstly because I can't ever get that time back and secondly there aren't many pictures I can do good comparison shots with now
So true!!
Amen!! just started my journey a few weeks ago and man o man I feel good! I didn't realize how unhappy I was until I started eating right! I am so excited to see what the future has in store for me, I am ready!
Well said. Plus the OP lists arthritic knees being cause for 'difficulty getting around' - this isn't the same as being in a wheel chair. Plus... Obesity IS considered a 'handicap' depending on the severity.
On the positive side... I reflect back to when I had lost 90 lbs, I remember laying in bed and feeling my hip bone and was startled. After my knee surgery I gained back quite a lot, and over the last 5 years, I've gained back even more. Now I have 60lbs to lose to get me back to where I was before I inexplicably lost my mind and gained back what I'd worked hard to lose. Reading so many of people's experiences here gives a person an extra push to reach those milestones. Thanks peeps!
Best of luck! I feel immeasurably better now that it's gone. I always felt like I had a pit in my stomach. If you do have it removed, try not to laugh too hard - it'll hurt!
. The larger space is for whoever needs it.
If you don't fit in the smaller stall, you need it.
What do you want the fatties to do, pee in the sink??
Yes, if there's someone who can't use the smaller stall they should have first dibs.
Otherwise, whoever gets there first is perfectly fine.
. O.M.G. yes...
I went with a friend to pick up his new car, and they had fresh-baked cookies. I had a couple, and the salesman tried to push more on me, even wrapped one in a napkin & put it in the hood of my coat!!
. The only people whose opinions matter are yours, your doctor, and _maybe_ your significant other.
. If I ever have the money for cosmetic surgery, that's one thing I'd change. I don't expect to look 18 again, but removing the excess skin & putting them at least _near_ where they belong would be nice.
(The other 2 things would be the bingo wings & lower belly excess.)
. Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes. I feel _SO_ much better (and I'm still about 40 lb from goal).
I wish I had realized this & either not gained weight or started losing it 10 years ago, so I wouldn't have to suffer so much!
. Yep, me too. At least it's only in my head, and I realize I'm doing it.
. There are 2 gals at my gym who wrap their abdomens in plastic wrap before working out. I've never said anything to them, but I so very much want to.
And one of the employees (!) said something about doing a "detox". Again, I didn't say anything.
. I actually don't mind that. I'm proud of it. And it's not like people who knew me "before" didn't see how fat I was. Nobody has asked me what I weigh, though I did explain to a couple people that dying my hair was my reward for getting below 200.
. No, it's not. I wish people would stop spreading this myth.
2 lb of carrots is $1.80 (IIRC... just bought some today).
That's less than (or maybe about equal to) a 7-oz container of pringles.
Go look at rice, beans, fresh produce, less-expensive cuts of meats...
Thanks for the support!!! A "pit" is a very apt description.
I feel you.
Very true all of it. Especially some of your friends and family members may not be supportive. How do you work around that?
The best bits about my loss so far using MFP...
- has to be that I feel so much more free with my food choices. Like, if I eat/drink something more calorific one evening I can readjust and it doesn't mean any feelings of 'deprivation'. From someone who has spent their life obsessing about food - what's good and specifically what's bad - this is a big deal!
- being more empowered to make those choices around food and drink. I know where my calories are coming from. It's in my power to minimise them whenever I want.
- actually enjoying exercise, specifically cycling. I hadn't ridden in nearly 20 years this time last year, absolutely never thought I would like riding in my lifetime and now I'm planning a 60 mile ride in September raising money for MacMillan Cancer care!
how weird people think you are when you want them to feel your new muscles.
That laying on your stomach in bed is actually ridiculously uncomfortable (ouch on the hipbones)
People can be annoying with the "are you done yet?" comments
Some people won't know how to hang out with you anymore (some people are uncomfortable that I stay sober while they're drinking)
That you will love yourself that much more
Confidence, confidence, confidence!!