What nobody tells you about losing weight

Getting hugged by my husband and him telling me I'm all skin and bones. (Which I'm not). How good it truly feels to hear a compliment again.

LAMCDylan wrote: »

derkin2005 wrote: »

I personally find the new "positive" attention insulting. I was interesting when I was heavy but now... Just shows how shallow people can be. That being said you will amaze yourself with the things you can accomplish.

Exactly. Makes me feel uncomfortable at times how some people treat me and it's because I am fitter now. I feel my size/weight should not matter. I get more positive attention from women and intimidate more guys. My purpose was not for this it was just to be healthy. I just told myself it is something I will have to get used to.

man you never get used to it I've found. Hell maybe I'm just not good at taking compliments...the other thing is they all want to know your "secret" When I tell them to watch their diet wake up at 3:45 am go to the gym then run, shower and work your normal 12 hour shift I am called crazy.

I hear people commenting on the jealous friends. I can totally tell my weight loss makes some people jealous. It just really bugs me because I am doing this so I can be healthy not look better than them. It's just amazing to me that others feel threatened all because you want to be healthier and not die at a younger age. Just goes to show where peoples' priorities are.

Pipsg1rl wrote: »

A few comments:

Knees - For every pound of weight you lose you take 10 pounds of pressure off your knees.

Men - For every 10 pounds of weight loss you "gain" an inch. This is because the "fat pad" is smaller and allows more of your barbell to show.

I think the common thinking is 6lbs of pressure from your joints for every pound lost, and its 1/2 inch for every 35 pounds. If it was an inch for every ten pounds, there would be NO fat men.

catherinefjord wrote: »

Another surprise is how embarrassed I sometimes feel about the past. My family has seen me gain and lose, gain and lose, but never really stick to anything. Now that I live across the world from them, I find myself not sharing that I'm on a new training program or even sharing my concrete successes because they've "heard that before". "How long with this diet last?" No one says it but if the roles were reversed this is what would be going through my mind. I thought I would love the comments from them about how great I look, but I would almost rather they didn't say anything. It forces me to see AGAIN how rock-bottom I was!

This resonates with me. All my attempts in the past I'd say to my husband "I'm going to start xyz". I've stopped telling him what I'm doing now because his (lack of) reaction hurts, and I don't want to feel that way.

It was kind of cool to sit him down the other day and show him pictures of me 'now' versus 'then' (20 lbs down so far). He hadn't really seen just how big of a difference it's made

- watching your arms and legs get smaller. it's not really about my stomach because while i've noticed that definitely shrinking a LOT, it's so weird to me watching while laying down my legs and arms move and seeing how thin they're getting - and seeing my muscles grow. it's been tripping me out ever since it first started.
- watching what you eat, which makes you feel better/healthier! no processed foods, indulging when you get a craving but not overeating (or for those of us with EDs, a binge).
- watching your chest, back, and face contour and shift fat.
- feeling your metabolism skyrocket.

there're many pluses. these are some i've experienced.

- That losing weight isn't always an instant fix to my problems.
- That I can get tired of hearing compliments on my weight loss, just treat me like you always have!
- I can't afford buying a new wardrobe every couple of sizes so I literally have one pair of jeans that somewhat fit right now lol
- That I have been on the losing side for the last couple years and I still surprise myself when I look in the mirror, I still see myself as being heavier than I am.
- I ordered uniforms for college in too big of a size (size I thought I was) now Im stuck with them for the next year.
- How much energy I have now, I used to sleep 8-10 hours every night, now I'm good with about 6.
- How bad I feel if I skip my walk/jog for the day.
- I don't even know that Im being hit on because it never used to happen.
- That the compliments have went from, "You look great, keep up the good work!" to "Don't get too skinny that you start to look sick!" Come on people! I'm still technically 30lbs from my goal and that will put me in the higher end of a normal BMI...
- The list could go on for pages....

sparklyhippos wrote: »

Loose skin .. I only lost 40 pounds as opposed to people who have to deal with huge amounts of loose skin due to 100 pound, etc. weight losses, and it took a good 2-3 years of working out to snap things back (mostly) into place lol

Thanks, for sharing your experience. Skin elasticity is an issue that many have on their minds. It is especially helpful that you shared the amount of time it can take to regain a level of tautness to skin.
Personally, one of the best feelings is going shopping for clothes. Subconciously, I would reach for the largest sizes...then suddenly remember I don't need the 3X or size 26. Pure magic!