What nobody tells you about losing weight
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That the only body part I loved when I was fat (my boobs) would be my least favourite now (so deflated!) This happened the last time I lost weight and time + chest exercises helped perk things up a bit but this was 8 years ago, I am older now and not sure my skin is still as elastic.
My butt too is sad now but I know with weight lifting it can be back to it's nice rounded shape eventually.8 -
What nobody tells you about losing weight? That you can lose 25 pounds, compare yourself to your "before" photos, see no change and get totally discouraged and ask yourself where you are going in life.36
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That it's not a magic button that you can press and all of a sudden women will flock to you. I had anxiety before, and still do. Was lonely before, and still am to this day. Don't get me wrong, i'm super pumped about the muscle gain/weight loss, but too much day dreaming causes unrealistic expectations. Ugh.34
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Since I've lost weight and become much fitter, I get ill less often and less severely.
It used to be that if I caught a cold, I'd have to take two or three days off work. I'd get feverish sometimes to the point of hallucinating (yes, that's for a cold, not 'flu), my nose would run like a tap and prevent me sleeping, it would be so stuffed with gunk that it hurt and stay completely blocked for a week after, and I'd have to take proper behind-the-counter Sudafed for days just so that my Eustachian tubes would occasionally drain and I might avoid the follow-up ear infection. It would take me a couple of weeks to fully recover, even if I didn't get a chest infection.
Now, I only have half a day of feeling really rough before recovery begins. My temperature doesn't even reach hot-and-cold levels, never mind hallucinations. On the second day of the cold I can even breathe through my nose again (albeit with lots of sniffling).
Is this what a cold has always been for most people?
Yikes! Your old colds sound terrible. I still have to take proper, behind-the-counter sudafed to avoid ear infections but the rest of your "now" colds sounds about right. I wonder, do you think some of it might be tied to better nutrition, or did you always eat well, just in greater quantities than necessary?
I didn't always eat well, but there were long periods where I was overeating good, nutritious food, and my colds were just as bad.
I spent years believing I was somehow pathetic, judging from how people reacted to my taking days off work for a cold. I didn't realise that other people just weren't suffering the same level of illness.4 -
That when you lose weight by dieting, that diet needs to become a permanent thing to keep the weight off. Maybe not exactly that diet, but if your caloric needs are 2500, and you lose 50 lbs, your caloric needs are going to be much lower, probably around 2000-2100, so, either you need to begin eating a lower amount of food permanently, or actually consistently exercise.
tl;dr dieting is not a one time occurrence, once it's started, it has to continue. You will never be able to go back to your old habits.17 -
I have to put my jeans in the dryer instead of hanging them to dry, they are too baggy if I don't!15
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I have to put my jeans in the dryer instead of hanging them to dry, they are too baggy if I don't!
I'm glad I'm not the only one that's been throwing clothes in the dryer (that I normally wouldn't) to shrink them. I would have balked at throwing my sweaters in the dryer last year, but now I do it so I can get more wears out of them before I give them up.7 -
sorchestra wrote: »That when you lose weight by dieting, that diet needs to become a permanent thing to keep the weight off. Maybe not exactly that diet, but if your caloric needs are 2500, and you lose 50 lbs, your caloric needs are going to be much lower, probably around 2000-2100, so, either you need to begin eating a lower amount of food permanently, or actually consistently exercise.
tl;dr dieting is not a one time occurrence, once it's started, it has to continue. You will never be able to go back to your old habits.
This is me, and I'm just getting to the new eating is now the way or "old habit"5 -
sorchestra wrote: »That when you lose weight by dieting, that diet needs to become a permanent thing to keep the weight off. Maybe not exactly that diet, but if your caloric needs are 2500, and you lose 50 lbs, your caloric needs are going to be much lower, probably around 2000-2100, so, either you need to begin eating a lower amount of food permanently, or actually consistently exercise.
tl;dr dieting is not a one time occurrence, once it's started, it has to continue. You will never be able to go back to your old habits.
That's why I had to figure out how to eat candy and pizza while losing weight, because if I couldn't figure it out now, maintenance wasn't going to work.26 -
I'm scared of maintenance. I'm still 35ish pounds away but I think I'll have to continue tracking. It's so easy to go from 1600 to 2000, it's a blueberry muffin at Panera. I know that I gained back half of the weight I lost the first time. I do NOT want to do that again. It's harder and slower losing at almost 50 than it was when I was in my 30s...14
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I'm scared of maintenance. I'm still 35ish pounds away but I think I'll have to continue tracking. It's so easy to go from 1600 to 2000, it's a blueberry muffin at Panera. I know that I gained back half of the weight I lost the first time. I do NOT want to do that again. It's harder and slower losing at almost 50 than it was when I was in my 30s...
I already know I'll have to track forever to keep the weight off, whether with MFP or with some other tracker. I just think of it like brushing my teeth or doing laundry - just another habit to stay healthy. I don't have the capability to eat intuitively, my natural eating pattern is disordered, so I will have to work my entire life to keep it in check, just like someone with any other behavioral health disorder (gambling addiction, ocd, etc.).12 -
I'm scared of maintenance. I'm still 35ish pounds away but I think I'll have to continue tracking. It's so easy to go from 1600 to 2000, it's a blueberry muffin at Panera. I know that I gained back half of the weight I lost the first time. I do NOT want to do that again. It's harder and slower losing at almost 50 than it was when I was in my 30s...
I'm finding daily weight tracking helpful in this regard. I did it while I was losing as well, so I'm used to my standard fluctuations. Now when I see my trend creeping up, I can easily adjust to get back to where I want to be.6 -
I'm scared of maintenance. I'm still 35ish pounds away but I think I'll have to continue tracking. It's so easy to go from 1600 to 2000, it's a blueberry muffin at Panera. I know that I gained back half of the weight I lost the first time. I do NOT want to do that again. It's harder and slower losing at almost 50 than it was when I was in my 30s...
Maintenance can seem daunting but you will quickly fall into a rhythm of continuously making healthy choices and intuitively eating foods that allow you to have more volume for your calories. And yes, you will eventually find a balance where you are able to remain healthy but allow yourself a little room in your calories for treats.
There are days where I waste an entire 500 calories on a frappaccino from Starbucks or Moka. But the rest of my day is carefully constructed around that so that I still hit my macros and I never feel guilty about it. It can be scary at first, but as you get used to it, it becomes second nature. It's not any different than tracking your food now, except you have more calories to work with. You'll find that balance.13 -
Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments. I weigh daily now, so I think if I keep that up it will help. I'll say it again if you're not using these groups on MFP you're not getting the full experience.9
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My underwear falling off. I don't want to buy new underwear yet, as I'm averaging a 2-3 lb loss per week... so I'm stuck with droopy drawers I have to surreptitiously hike up all day long.14
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brittanystebbins95 wrote: »I'm scared of maintenance. I'm still 35ish pounds away but I think I'll have to continue tracking. It's so easy to go from 1600 to 2000, it's a blueberry muffin at Panera. I know that I gained back half of the weight I lost the first time. I do NOT want to do that again. It's harder and slower losing at almost 50 than it was when I was in my 30s...
Maintenance can seem daunting but you will quickly fall into a rhythm of continuously making healthy choices and intuitively eating foods that allow you to have more volume for your calories. And yes, you will eventually find a balance where you are able to remain healthy but allow yourself a little room in your calories for treats.
There are days where I waste an entire 500 calories on a frappaccino from Starbucks or Moka. But the rest of my day is carefully constructed around that so that I still hit my macros and I never feel guilty about it. It can be scary at first, but as you get used to it, it becomes second nature. It's not any different than tracking your food now, except you have more calories to work with. You'll find that balance.
Yeah I hear you. But the thing is, it's not so much a change from your weight loss plan than you might think. And you've established some good habits by then. I still log in...ok maybe not completely but being aware of my eating every day has kept me on track 2 years later!2 -
Lesssambytheday wrote: »My underwear falling off. I don't want to buy new underwear yet, as I'm averaging a 2-3 lb loss per week... so I'm stuck with droopy drawers I have to surreptitiously hike up all day long.
I'm the same! I told hubby I needed new underwear and he said yes you do, I look at your underwear sometimes (while he does laundry) and think there's no way these still fit and not fall off!
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Lesssambytheday wrote: »My underwear falling off. I don't want to buy new underwear yet, as I'm averaging a 2-3 lb loss per week... so I'm stuck with droopy drawers I have to surreptitiously hike up all day long.
This is great and a nightmare right?!0 -
BattyKnitter wrote: »Lesssambytheday wrote: »My underwear falling off. I don't want to buy new underwear yet, as I'm averaging a 2-3 lb loss per week... so I'm stuck with droopy drawers I have to surreptitiously hike up all day long.
I'm the same! I told hubby I needed new underwear and he said yes you do, I look at your underwear sometimes (while he does laundry) and think there's no way these still fit and not fall off!
I got new underwear when I realized that I was stuffing them into my pants and it was creating this weird false fat roll where they bunched up. My husband encouraged me to get fancy ones but I was like not gonna pay high dollars for something I *might* have to replace again. So I grabbed good ol' fashioned cheapies at Target. Man. I no longer have this weird lump anymore!
Nor are they trying to crawl out of my pants like some fabric version of the swamp thing.18 -
Boba_14626 wrote: »What nobody tells you about losing weight? That you can lose 25 pounds, compare yourself to your "before" photos, see no change and get totally discouraged and ask yourself where you are going in life.
But I think I must’ve been hiding the pounds I’d been putting on. (My back my legs? Visceral fat?) I know I’m heading in the right direction, my body thanks me for not having to carry that extra around. I’m about half way there .. and I know the next half will be slower ... but I know I will get there!
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