Not strictly a diet question...

50andfabu
50andfabu Posts: 112 Member
edited November 23 in Health and Weight Loss
For those of you who have lost some weight already, did it help improve your self-esteem?

I have had a bad 24 hours in terms of eating and I'm sure it's because of stress and feeling not good enough, comparing myself to others and losing as I'm a 50 year old divorced fat woman. My thinking is that if I can lose enough to go down one size I will start to feel better, stay motivated and the snowball effect will start.

OK pity party ending...back at it tomorrow. But please tell me losing weight does help with this!
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Replies

  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    It made a huge difference for me. I wear styles I never would before and I do things I never would have in the past. You got this! Log your day and move on...feeling guilt won't help!
  • HikeCyclist
    HikeCyclist Posts: 153 Member
    50andfabu wrote: »
    comparing myself to others and losing as I'm a 50 year old divorced fat woman.
    What do you mean by this?
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
    It's like a dream feel 100% better. I've lost a total of 54lbs but you have to accept it's not just losing weight it's a new lifestyle
  • Madame_Goldbrick
    Madame_Goldbrick Posts: 73 Member
    I lost 60lbs, regained um 20lbs, feel better than I have in years!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Yes, feeling comfortable in your own skin helps tremendously. You can do this!!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    When I saw improvements to my mobility after my first twenty pounds, I started to believe I could have a different life. I treated my enterprise like a battle. I got referrals through my doctor. I attended all required classes offered by our health authority and I recorded all my progress, keeping my notes in a dedicated briefcase.

    When I was strong enough I started signing up for walks then runs that I had to prepare for.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    PS I am in my fifties too.
  • coco_bee
    coco_bee Posts: 173 Member
    After divorce I lost a lot of weight 25kg (55 pound) to be exact and I felt great when it came to shopping for new clothes, looking in the mirror, going out, attracting the men and then meeting a new guy so in that way yes, it raised my self esteem and gave me hope in seeing I could have a bright future ahead. But these things are external, important to us but external. What is more important I think is what goes on in your head, how you think about yourself which in turn determines how you will feel so try to make these thoughts positive as much as you can :)
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    H-e-double-ell yes.
    ( you have to love yourself first though)

    I woke up in my mid menopausal 50's to find I had sneaked on 30 lb in 5 year.
    Counted calories did some dreaded exercises lost the weight and most of the wobble.

    Now, I go on adventurous vacations and have the energy, strength, and self confidence to try almost anything.
    Zip lining, rappelling down waterfalls hiking through jungles, riding horses, snorkelling, dancing until 3am etc etc.
    I drew the line at jumping 10m off a cliff into a lake, my swimming skills are lacking, and I thought it was 10ft.

    I dye my hair happy colours, wear slinky dresses, and bikinis ( even when gardening) and don't give a rats *kitten* what any one thinks.

    Love yourself and lose the weight add a lump of exercise, and you will be thrilled at what you can do.

    ( my avitar pic is my 60th bd, I am 62 now. In my profile is a pic of me at 55 and out of shape)

    You can do it.

    Cheers, h.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2015
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    H-e-double-ell yes.
    ( you have to love yourself first though)

    I woke up in my mid menopausal 50's to find I had sneaked on 30 lb in 5 year.
    Counted calories did some dreaded exercises lost the weight and most of the wobble.

    Now, I go on adventurous vacations and have the energy, strength, and self confidence to try almost anything.
    Zip lining, rappelling down waterfalls hiking through jungles, riding horses, snorkelling, dancing until 3am etc etc.
    I drew the line at jumping 10m off a cliff into a lake, my swimming skills are lacking, and I thought it was 10ft.

    I dye my hair happy colours, wear slinky dresses, and bikinis ( even when gardening) and don't give a rats *kitten* what any one thinks.

    Love yourself and lose the weight add a lump of exercise, and you will be thrilled at what you can do.

    ( my avitar pic is my 60th bd, I am 62 now. In my profile is a pic of me at 55 and out of shape)

    You can do it.

    Cheers, h.

    What she said but I'm 48 and don't garden or dye my hair and I lost 56lbs :smile:
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Rabbitjb, I hope you weren't mid menopause either.
    h.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Rabbitjb, I hope you weren't mid menopause either.
    h.

    Ahh no ...just peri :)
  • wintersyve
    wintersyve Posts: 29 Member
    edited August 2015
    Divorced should not be seen as negative, you should see it as not being with someone who is not right or undeserving of you. So it's a good thing.
    I have lost 16.5lb. Some days I feel great, some days I don't but the good days get more frequent and the bad days decrease.
    I went for a 3 mile brisk walk this morning and now i feel amazing. Never ever thought I would do that. So you can have control over how you feel. But it takes work. Good luck, you can do it.
  • whiteblossom14
    whiteblossom14 Posts: 240 Member
    Take a look at the positives in your life. You want to lose weight That's a big part of this. Support on here will help that seeing what others are doing has helped me. I started off at 98kgs last May but couldn't get under 90kgs by this may. I did try but struggled weight went up and down. Came on here 2weeks ago today and have lost 4kgs and feel amazing. So yes it does help
  • cupcakesplz
    cupcakesplz Posts: 237 Member
    I have lost 6 kg's so far. That for me is one size down. I am so much happier with my self.
  • whiteblossom14
    whiteblossom14 Posts: 240 Member
    cupcakesplz wrote: »
    I have lost 6 kg's so far. That for me is one size down. I am so much happier with my self.

    Well done x
  • 50andfabu
    50andfabu Posts: 112 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    H-e-double-ell yes.
    ( you have to love yourself first though)

    I woke up in my mid menopausal 50's to find I had sneaked on 30 lb in 5 year.
    Counted calories did some dreaded exercises lost the weight and most of the wobble.

    Now, I go on adventurous vacations and have the energy, strength, and self confidence to try almost anything.
    Zip lining, rappelling down waterfalls hiking through jungles, riding horses, snorkelling, dancing until 3am etc etc.
    I drew the line at jumping 10m off a cliff into a lake, my swimming skills are lacking, and I thought it was 10ft.

    I dye my hair happy colours, wear slinky dresses, and bikinis ( even when gardening) and don't give a rats *kitten* what any one thinks.

    Love yourself and lose the weight add a lump of exercise, and you will be thrilled at what you can do.

    ( my avitar pic is my 60th bd, I am 62 now. In my profile is a pic of me at 55 and out of shape)

    You can do it.

    Cheers, h.

    You are my new hero!

    Thanks to everyone for the messages. I am starting a particularly stressful time at work and worried about stress/emotional eating, but I am feeling more positive after reading your posts!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Yes. I feel better. But I'm the same person and still have my fat days, feelings of doubt, etc. True confidence has to start from within, as cheesy as it sounds. But when you look and FEEL a lot better, it definitely helps your self-esteem.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    50andfabu wrote: »
    For those of you who have lost some weight already, did it help improve your self-esteem?
    No. I don't define myself in terms of my weight, whether I was obese class II or a normal weight.

  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    50andfabu wrote: »
    For those of you who have lost some weight already, did it help improve your self-esteem?

    I have had a bad 24 hours in terms of eating and I'm sure it's because of stress and feeling not good enough, comparing myself to others and losing as I'm a 50 year old divorced fat woman. My thinking is that if I can lose enough to go down one size I will start to feel better, stay motivated and the snowball effect will start.

    OK pity party ending...back at it tomorrow. But please tell me losing weight does help with this!

    Yup, snowball effect happened for me :)

    I'm like arditarose, have good & less good days/moments - more good than less good - but overall I'd say losing weight has made a huge difference in terms of how I dress, interact with people, feel about myself in general. I'm participating more in life, freer.

    Beyond body stuff - achieving goals in any domain has a positive effect, it has def been self-empowering.

    BTW congratulations on the divorce. I know it must have sucked but it's probably better than staying married (since you are divorced). Now you're free to figure out a better way to live.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It can, but won't necessarily. often there are underlying issues that need to be dealt with...losing weight does not fix those underlying issues.
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
    I'll be the downer here. Lost 50 pounds and have kept it off and still have zero self esteem. It's not a magic fix. It won't repair you if something is broken inside. If anything I'm more awkward and uncomfortable now because people pay attention to me. Sometimes I wish I was still overweight so I could be invisible again.

    Debbie Downer, over and out.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Lifting improved my self esteem!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    pincushion14 wrote: »
    I'll be the downer here. Lost 50 pounds and have kept it off and still have zero self esteem. It's not a magic fix. It won't repair you if something is broken inside. If anything I'm more awkward and uncomfortable now because people pay attention to me. Sometimes I wish I was still overweight so I could be invisible again.

    Debbie Downer, over and out.

    Just smile and say, "Thank you" when you are complimented. And I bet you are receiving a lot of them. And deserve every single one! Don't ever, ever wish you were still overweight! Surely you feel better now than you did before?
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
    I'm 51 and made the decision two years ago to start my health journey. I went from 243 pounds down to 191 -- (size 22 to a size 16 for me) and, while I still have about 30 pounds to go, I feel fabulous! Part of that comes from working with my trainer to build muscles and tone so that i look even healthier. For me, it has been a bit of a snowball effect -- the more I lose and tighten, the more I want to lose and tighten more...Just remember, that no matter what, you are worth MORE than your body size/weight!
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
    Absolutely. I feel much much better about myself post weight loss :)
  • serasmommy
    serasmommy Posts: 61 Member
    pincushion14 wrote: »
    I'll be the downer here. Lost 50 pounds and have kept it off and still have zero self esteem. It's not a magic fix. It won't repair you if something is broken inside. If anything I'm more awkward and uncomfortable now because people pay attention to me. Sometimes I wish I was still overweight so I could be invisible again.

    Debbie Downer, over and out.

    I'm struggling with this! !!!!! Some days yeah, I feel fantastic! Then I get the hey you look fabulous now and I'll get all awkward and self conscious and wearing the clothes that fit , that i was just loving, feels scandalously revealing and uncomfortable!
    I'm down about thirty five pounds since February. So not much time to get used to it.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    I'm almost 57 and single after a bad breakup almost 2 years ago (which helped pack on more lbs). After a year-plus pity party, I decided to get it together. I have lost 52 lbs since Jan 19. I am finding that the time I'm spending going to the gym, fitness classes, long walks & hikes plus meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking really helps fill the otherwise lonely evenings & weekends. Keep up the great work!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It improved my self-esteem in the sense of, "Hey, look at this hard thing I accomplished." It hasn't improved my body image as much as I had hoped, but I still have a ways to go.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    50andfabu wrote: »
    For those of you who have lost some weight already, did it help improve your self-esteem?

    I have had a bad 24 hours in terms of eating and I'm sure it's because of stress and feeling not good enough, comparing myself to others and losing as I'm a 50 year old divorced fat woman. My thinking is that if I can lose enough to go down one size I will start to feel better, stay motivated and the snowball effect will start.

    OK pity party ending...back at it tomorrow. But please tell me losing weight does help with this!

    Divorced? Isn't that like losing 180 (give or take) of unwanted pounds right away? :) Just stay the course, you'll find yourself feeling better as you start feeling better physically.

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