are you happy now?

Yes. My arthritis has improved in leaps and bounds. I'm 5 pounds short of my goal, and before losing 24 pounds was experiencing horrible bouts of sciatica. I took a size 6 outfit into a dressing room on the weekend only to discover that I needed a 4. Did I feel good, you bet your life I did. I've worked darn hard to get the weight off and the boost in my self-esteem and improvement in my health are better than any junk food could ever taste.

Overall I am much happier. I feel better, have more energy and have much more motivation to get things done. People are happy for me and I get noticed more, which is nice and I feel a lot better about my appearance. It wasn't a fix all, cure everything though.

No. I'm still as f**ked up as I was 162# ago. Losing weight did not change my problems for the better.

I am definitely happier now.. i don't believe it's just the weight loss.. but how i managed to lose it... the routine of my day and the order of my life.. The wholesome food and activity invested in every day... The ability to look at seemingly unavoidable problems as opportunities to grow stronger. Everything in my life has changed, Even though everyone and every tangible thing in my life is the same. It's the way i look at the world, and the way i move about in it. Every day i get stronger, more efficient, more capable of running my life the way i always wanted to. On top of this, my self esteem has grown, and the beauty i always coveted in others, is visible in the mirror. I know that's not just from the weight loss.. But from the new abilities i have.. the successes i have on a daily basis and the happiness i bring to others around me by doing the best job i can do in everything i do because of my strength and stamina. Testing my strength every day, and making myself proud on an almost daily basis. That.. is why i see beauty.. and that is why i think i am happy now, when i was so desolate and ugly when i was unable to do these things before.

135 lost

I am happy that I have lost 50 ish pounds. I am happy to fit into the clothes I used to fit in, and look like I used to look. I am happy to fit in one chair when I sit on the bus, and don't have to squish to fit.

I still have health problems. Loads of them. I am not happy about that. Losing the weight did nothing for that.

I am happy that my blood pressure and cholesterol are normal, especially with my inactivity. I am happy that my situation is not causing weight related health problems.

I have many many many (too many) problems in my life right now that I am unhappy about and working through. Losing weight did not fix my problems or my life. It did fix my bmi from obese to normal.

I would say it makes me extremely happy to put on my old clothes and look exactly like I used to look. I feel sick, but I look like me again. At 192 pounds and sick I didn't recognize myself. At 140 pounds and sick I am still sick, but at least I look like myself.

My identity has been in question for some time related to the many many many changes I am going through, and it helps to look like I did. It might sound shallow, but to me it means the world. I used to see myself and cry at what I had done to myself (meds, depression, bedrest, poor food choices with the illness). Now I see myself and cry because I look normal. And that feeling, that happy feeling of being myself with a body that matches me (the me that I believe I am and what I believe I should look like), is priceless.

With my ever changing abilities, or lack thereof, to be successful with small choices I make everyday has meant the world to me. If you lose the excuses and find a way to accept that you are responsible for your weight, you will be able to do whatever it is that you set out to do.

I highly recommend losing the weight if that is what you are seeking to do. It is a way to be responsible and accountable, as well as successful. That (not the weight) is what will make you the happiest Knowing that you took time and care to achieve a healthier body to live in!

I've got my self esteem back. It's priceless!

zyxst wrote: »

No. I'm still as f**ked up as I was 162# ago. Losing weight did not change my problems for the better.

^^^Truth! Losing weight didn't solve all my problems, it just eliminated one of the contributing factors Now I can work on the 'other' stuff.

yes. i'm a little more confident now but still an introvert. i don't think that'll change regardless of my weight lol

Absolutely I am. I have tons more confidence now and it makes a world of difference in how I approach life. Of course, we all still have our problems!

I have always has great self-esteem (measured over a 50 year period)...this is mental. I am happy with my weight loss and working out daily (as this is mental and physical). For me, I have to keep the mental working properly so that I don't lose all the gains that I have achieved. The mental propels me to the physical.

Thanks to those that posted their health related gains. I did not have any issues there, but know that if I continued on my previous path I would had them. Lots of high blood pressure, heart disease in my family.

Chaelaz wrote: »

Jruzer wrote: »

Truth.

I was happy, but disappointed with my health
Now I am happy and feel better about my health.

Totally me!

Yes, I'm happier than 20 lbs ago, but no, I'm not satisfied at all.
Wanting to be healthier and stronger can be addictive!

Oh, yes. It's part of the package of taking care of myself.

Whilst losing weight doesn't/didn't magically make every single thing in my life better, it changed alot of things for me. I got more confident and eventually applied for a job i wouldn't have before, and got it. I also found love whereas before I was too shy/lacked confidence to even try.

Jruzer wrote: »

I was thinking of this exact cartoon when I clicked on the thread to reply.

I though that losing the weight would fix my self esteem and lack of happiness. For some reason I feel even worse now.

Don't get me wrong, I feel great physically, just it didn't fix all I thought it would.