How did weight loss change your life?

dbkyser
dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We all can say loosing weight would not change us but I do not believe that. I think anyone who has been more than a little overweight knows many things changed. Low self esteem, no confidence etc.

So those who shed the weight what all changed for you?
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Awesome blood work panels and blood pressure.
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
    I know for me sleep apnea is gone.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    I used to take meds for 7 different issues, today that's zero. My wife has cut hers down by 50%.

    Don't forget sex!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I had terrible sleep apnea, which is now under control. My physical health overall is much better. My self esteem and confidence have declined but I'm working on them.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Weight loss has not ,so far, changed my life. I changed my life and then I was able to work on weight loss.

    Anyway so far I do see an improvement in my knee pain now that I am 32 pounds lighter. Looking forward to losing the rest. Who knows maybe someday I will be able to run a little without pain.

    I also have recently been noticing a change in my center of gravity and how I move in general.
  • Kait_Dee
    Kait_Dee Posts: 176 Member
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    Weight loss has not ,so far, changed my life. I changed my life and then I was able to work on weight loss.

    Anyway so far I do see an improvement in my knee pain now that I am 32 pounds lighter. Looking forward to losing the rest. Who knows maybe someday I will be able to run a little without pain.

    I also have recently been noticing a change in my center of gravity and how I move in general.

    This is exactly it for me too.. I changed my perspective on life and what was important.. and weight loss became a part of that picture for me.

    Since losing an excess of 100lbs, my self confidence (while not really hampered when I was overweight) has really blossomed, my relationships have all improved as a result, my business took off and I've seen a level of success I believe can be linked back to the mental shift I had that led me down the path to a healthier lifestyle.

    My body fat % is down from 30% to 17%, I can rollerblade for hours with my kid or jump on the trampoline with her, I can really challenge myself in the gym (now lifting excess of 225lbs on my deadlifts), sleep better at night, therefore making me more alert and ready to work or learn during the day. I'm overall just more happy and productive on the daily ..

    This is a great thread - thank you for posing the question. I hope it helps those who've seen a measure of success look back fondly on their journey to realize how far they've come and will help motivate those who need the encouragement right now. :smile:
  • Citycat2015
    Citycat2015 Posts: 86 Member
    I have only lost 15 pounds so far but it has already changed my life as I only feel half the pain in my hips I did before. I can't believe 15 pounds made such a difference!
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
    Attention from girls for he first time ever is really nice..but now some people think I can be a dick sometimes, when I think they're just not used to me asserting myself..
    It's been a give and take =)
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Got rid of constant pain, better sleep, reports of less snoring, better skin and hair, able to walk faster and farther, can touch my toes, better balance, spending less time sitting, more housework and yardwork getting done, feeling more energetic. Being colder more often. Less spontaneous eating.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Awesome blood work panels and blood pressure.

    This for me too. I got my glucose number stabilized into the 80s, down from the pre-diabetes range.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    I definitely have more energy and I'm strong, which I like (thanks weight lifting!!). I am more adventurous and have more confidence, I think because of the new energy and strength. I always felt so down about being fat, like it just showed everyone that I was lazy and lacked self control. That was all in my head of course, not like anyone said anything like that. So now I'm just more secure in myself when I meet people or interact with people in some ways. I'm proud of how hard I've had to work to lose 85 lbs and I think knowing I've done it makes me feel like I can take on just about anything. That's a good feeling!
  • Budjola
    Budjola Posts: 148 Member
    made me healthy, more confident, made me bitchy about junk food
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited April 2016
    The main things that changed for me: being able to buy clothes at normal clothing stores, and overall fitness. My resting heart rate has fallen by almost 20 beats per minute since losing weight and doing a lot of cardio, and today I hiked up and down a 500-foot bluff and felt great, while a year ago a ten-foot flight of stairs would leave me gasping for air.

    Less joint pain and no more gastric reflux, either.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,226 Member
    *Way* less knee pain (torn meniscus, arthritis). Noticeably improved general sense of well-being, physically & psychologically - I don't know why . . . maybe reduced inflammation? Formerly high cholesterol/triglycerides are now solidly normal, and borderline blood pressure is now also fully normal.

    I've been very active, as a rower, for a dozen years. My boat goes faster with 60 fewer pounds of me in it. Flexibility, which was already good for someone my age, is really excellent now, and improving. Now that I'm working on maintenance, I have more energy than before, and seemingly more mental clarity. Though I could walk pretty fast before (3.5-4mph pretty easily), I kind of lumbered. I now kind of scamper - I feel more spry and lively in how I move.

    Unfortunately, I still seem to have sleep apnea - just not as severe.

    And the clothes thing: It was super hard to get specialized active wear in plus sizes, like good bike shorts or kayaking wetsuits. Now it's easy. But regular clothes: I went from it being hard to get anything I liked because I was plus-sized (in plus, you can dress like a matron or a slut, but nothing in between!), to still kind of hard to get anything I like because I'm on the low end of what mainstream stores here stock. Maybe I'm just picky.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I can run. My acid reflux is gone. I'm faster going up hills and find it easier. My girlfriend is happy with the changes to my body. Everyone keeps telling me I look skinny.
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
    I am so close to buying close in EVERY store. The problem is that even when I was very fit and in the Air Force I was a L, XL or even XXL. I was just a big guy even when in fighting shape. Take that size and then get fat and you just pile on the X's and really have to order online.
    The larger sizes also meant they would fit you through 15-20 lb weight fluctuations they were so baggy.

    I love being able to fit into booths and not have to request a table, sitting down and putting shoes on and not getting food all over my shirt because I cant lean over my plate. :)
  • lauracups
    lauracups Posts: 533 Member
    It has DRAMATICALLY relieved my pain due to pressure on L4, L5 .
  • mzfrizz15
    mzfrizz15 Posts: 135 Member
    I am far from even my half way goal, but I've noticed some good things:

    - I have more energy/endurance. A year and a half ago, walking 3 blocks would have worn me out. Now, I can walk multiple miles and still be raring to go when I get back home. I can even jog for part of it!
    - I have much less knee pain! As a result, I take much less medication for pain.
    - I feel a little bit more confident. Due to the confidence, I've been able to say yes to dates and am dating a very wonderful guy now.
    - I've finally lost enough weight where I can find some clothing in the plus size sections in some stores instead of having to get everything but socks online.
    - I've not needed my asthma medicine as often when I exercise. 90% of the time I take it, it's for allergen exposure instead of just over exertion.
  • HaleCry
    HaleCry Posts: 387 Member
    zyxst wrote: »
    I can buy clothes I want rather than what is in my size.

    I can fit through doorways without having to turn sideways and really suck in the gut.

    I make a better window than I do a door.

    People aren't afraid to touch me for fear of the fat rubbing off onto them.

    This really made me chuckle :D Congratulations on the weight loss though, it's a great achievement!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It's actually a bit tough to answer because I've been this weight for 2 years now.

    I'm more active than I used to be, and I can bend over without losing my breath, for sure. It's also nice to be able to shop in the normal size section (and wear Small! Crazy), have way more endurance (I can walk for hours without being tired), and I also cook now, which I never did, and it's actually fun to make tasty meals. I also occasionally find an outfit I think that I actually look nice in.

    But overall my life hasn't changed that much, I think. My social life hasn't changed one bit, for one (I didn't have much of one and I still don't). I mean, you think that everything's suddenly going to be awesome when you lose the weight, but it's really not true. I don't think that my confidence and self-esteem have improved much because I'm still not happy with the way I look and don't think I will ever be, even if it's obviously better.

    So yeah. Losing weight unfortunately doesn't fix everything.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    HaleCry wrote: »
    zyxst wrote: »
    I can buy clothes I want rather than what is in my size.

    I can fit through doorways without having to turn sideways and really suck in the gut.

    I make a better window than I do a door.

    People aren't afraid to touch me for fear of the fat rubbing off onto them.

    This really made me chuckle :D Congratulations on the weight loss though, it's a great achievement!

    It's true and it hurts. I have a friend who I only see once every 2-3 years because she lives in Australia. When I weighed 300+, her hugs goodbye would be minimal touching, aka "please don't let her think I like her". Saw her a year ago and she had no problem putting her arms around me in a "I really miss you" hard hug.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Strangers (men and women) seem to be talking to me more. It is weird and I'd like them to stop.
    Maybe I seem more cheerful and approachable?

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