Unexpected results of weight loss

Having not fallen in three years is huge to me. I know I am not graceful now but because the arthritis has more or less totally fused my entire spine to become one bone keeping my balance was really hard. Now that I am down about 60 pounds and have added some muscle strength I am so much more in control. I have been out walking on ice for over a week now successfully.

Being more mentally alert now when scanning news feeds the health related stuff just jumps off the screen at me. One health subject leads to another so I have more interests to learn and understand than I have time. I enjoy being a divergent but sometimes I just have to be more convergent to make application of the things that I am learning.

The funny part in 2014 I decided to stop trying to lose weight and just focus on recovering my health instead by researching how to recover health. While weight loss was not on the table it was just a positive side effect of learning and practicing how to fix underlying health issues.

Reading posts in this thread is very encouraging. Those who have started to focus on your health before being a senior citizen are smarter than I was. Now that I better understand how I think, eat and move is important the more I do it without overt thought.

Probably the only thing I truly believe is, I can now get a regular bath towel wrapped around me easily without gaping, everything else I make excuses for, I still see the same fat image in the mirror most days, clothes are just being made bigger, stretchier etc . I know it’s mad but I struggle with compliments too, always saying things like, I’ve still got a lot to lose! So far I’ve lost 67pounds.

I've lost 40 lbs so far and still a ways to go, but already I've noticed a few unexpected things-
I've lost weight in my cranium, not just my double chin- I was expecting that- I mean my dome itself, had to get my glasses adjusted, they kept slipping off my face, in fact, they still feel too wide for my nugget.
I feel like I'm going crazy, I look in the mirror and still see the SAME person who was 250lbs, but my clothes tell a different story. I have shirts that I couldn't even wear...now I'm swimming in them! What a mind trip!!
Pants are longer on me- this one is kinda infuriating because I'm a shorty and I take the time to tailor my own clothes. Well, because my gut and my butt are deflating, I have to hem my work pants AGAIN!
I can cross my legs...like a lady!...not like a dude. Ya'll know what I mean- at the knees, not the ankle on the knee.
I don't feel like I have to eat every hour or I'll diiiiiieeeee. I honestly thought I was hypoglycemic. Nope, just addicted to sugar. Now food isn't my master. I'm also not a gassy planet anymore either. I thought I was always like that-nope, it was all that doggone soda gassing me up.
My favorite is that I can wear my hubby's old AC/DC & Iron Maiden t-shirts. He complains that I've stolen them, but I tell him "If you can wear em- you can have em!" Yay free t-shirts for meeeeee!! LOL

muzichick wrote: »

-I can shop at 'regular' stores now. I still feel weird being in a store that doesn't have a plus section, like someone is going to come and tell me that I can't be there.

When I was a teen, I was afraid to go into Hollister because I honestly thought overweight people weren't allowed in their stores. LOL

My neck is beautiful and defined i love it,my legs and arms are so much smaller my waist is smaller overall i feel good and i have a new outlook on life and nutrition.

The amount of food I THINK will satisfy me vs the amount of food that actually DOES satisfy me are totally different! Last Saturday was quite an eye-opener...we had a surprise party for my aunt and I got a plate of food that old me would be like "you know I'm going back up for seconds". It just looked like a small plate to me. Welllll...that "small plate" filled me up so much I didn't even want dessert!! I even TRIED to have a little dessert after a while thinking oh I just need to digest...and I just picked at it! WHAT?! Oh and I'm definitely more picky too. Like they had rolls there which I grabbed one and would've gobbled up, but I took one bite and I was like nope-too dry, don't want it. Same with the dessert. They had cannoli filled cupcakes and where I would've eaten two no doubt- I could barely eat it, too full and the cupcakes were dry. yuck! Feels good knowing food doesn't have that power over me anymore.

JillianRumrill wrote: »

The amount of food I THINK will satisfy me vs the amount of food that actually DOES satisfy me are totally different! Last Saturday was quite an eye-opener...we had a surprise party for my aunt and I got a plate of food that old me would be like "you know I'm going back up for seconds". It just looked like a small plate to me. Welllll...that "small plate" filled me up so much I didn't even want dessert!! I even TRIED to have a little dessert after a while thinking oh I just need to digest...and I just picked at it! WHAT?! Oh and I'm definitely more picky too. Like they had rolls there which I grabbed one and would've gobbled up, but I took one bite and I was like nope-too dry, don't want it. Same with the dessert. They had cannoli filled cupcakes and where I would've eaten two no doubt- I could barely eat it, too full and the cupcakes were dry. yuck! Feels good knowing food doesn't have that power over me anymore.

I know what you mean. I went to a restaurant for a meal with family to celebrate a special occasion. I chose a dish I have had before, something which I would have happily enjoyed a dessert afterwards in the past. This time, however, I was too full to even finish the main. It felt good to feel that full and satisfied! I have also had plenty of times where I have been eating something which I haven't enjoyed for whatever reason (too sweet, too dry, etc.) and I found myself offering it to someone else or throwing the rest away rather than waste my calories on it.

Appreciating every little "routine" thing. Excited to wake up, to do some yoga, to have fun at the gym, being friendly and positive (not feeling insecure), looking forward to carefully prepared fool and to go to bed tired and knowing the day made a difference. Anticipating another good wake up. Pondering ways to do more.
It's a confidence and feeling of positive personal control.

Bahah. I'm totally OCD I'll sit here just playing with my collarbone. I always thought it was lovely on people when you could see it, not in like the skin and bones way, but just being able to see the angles. And now mine are always there, not just when I arch in a certain way! LOL.
I'm ALWAYS cold. I used to get cold often, but now I'll have the space heater on at work almost year round...
I can actually just wear a sports bra now to work out. No need to double up with a sport bra OVER normal one anymore. I mean yeah, I miss them... But still.
I started a new job recently, whereas at my old one people knew me when I weighed 70lbs more and their opinions never really changed. And here, everyone is always interacting with me. I definitely think I give off a generally more happy and positive vibe now, but also, I'm not very overweight anymore and it's a totally different experience.
Yay life!!!

I have found that I sweat significantly less and I realize that I determine a lot of my effort based on how much it made me sweat. For example, I'd feel good about my effort in a sport if I ended up dripping in sweat at the end. Now that I've lost 59lbs, I sweat much less and it's thrown this off. I feel like I should be sweating more but I'm not, so did I put forth my best effort?! Is this too easy for me? How many calories did I really burn? I am just at an in between where I think I can push it more but it's out of my 'new less fat' comfort zone.

Ok I’ve got an unusual one: I live in Holland and use my bike to get everywhere. Today I noticed that my cheeks don’t bounce up and down anymore when I ride over cobblestones!

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

Oh and tending the lady bits no longer involves really awkward positioning and fat shifting. That's pretty amazing.

Just thinking of that one today, and how nice it will be when I get to that point!

JillianRumrill wrote: »

The amount of food I THINK will satisfy me vs the amount of food that actually DOES satisfy me are totally different! Last Saturday was quite an eye-opener...we had a surprise party for my aunt and I got a plate of food that old me would be like "you know I'm going back up for seconds". It just looked like a small plate to me. Welllll...that "small plate" filled me up so much I didn't even want dessert!! I even TRIED to have a little dessert after a while thinking oh I just need to digest...and I just picked at it! WHAT?! Oh and I'm definitely more picky too. Like they had rolls there which I grabbed one and would've gobbled up, but I took one bite and I was like nope-too dry, don't want it. Same with the dessert. They had cannoli filled cupcakes and where I would've eaten two no doubt- I could barely eat it, too full and the cupcakes were dry. yuck! Feels good knowing food doesn't have that power over me anymore.

I'm in the middle of my weight loss and I'm noticing this. I still serve myself my old portion sizes, but a lot of times I don't finish them. Even when I have the calories, and I'm reaching the point where I refuse to waste my calories on crappy food. Like your dry cupcakes, nope. If it's not worth it I won't eat it, most of the time.