What nobody tells you about losing weight

There is hope!!!
I shattered my tibia in 10/15. Requiring 3 plates and 20+ screws to put it back together, in that joint area. I could not get down on my left knee for more than 2-3 seconds and excruciating pain with that. Now with almost 100 lbs off (was at 107 lbs off in April) I can stand weight on that knee a bit longer. At least long enough to do 10 knee type pushups or to get into a plank position. Should get even better with 35-40 more off!

Losing weight actually helped with my mat classes. If you’ll pardon, I no longer felt like a “fat dachshund” floundering around on the mat.

I used to get lots and lots bruises from wedging elbows and knees in tightly for various poses. Nowadays I only see the bruises for certain arm balances.

And I guess I was fortunate enough to have always had instructors who stressed good knee posture and knee protection, even back in the obese days.

But, these days bow and locust/Superman poses can be a bit painful on the pelvis and pubic bone areas, since there’s no fat there or on belly to pad.

dralicephd wrote: »

EliseTK1 wrote: »

It never occurred to me that I might dislike my body shape once I lost weight. I’m also seeing the age in my face and skin in a big way- I’m only 37 and have been wearing sunscreen daily my entire adult life so WTAF. I guess my genetics used to be hidden behind extra weight, and now I’m feeling exposed.

I still wouldn’t take back the extra weight. It was worth it.

I saw the same after first losing, but it is going away as I've gone into maintenance. Perhaps it will improve over time for you too?

Also a thing for me. I DO still have a lot of lose skin on my arms/stomach/thighs but the face/neck stuff looking too sharp/gaunt/wrinkled has faded a TON with time in maintenence. It's been about a year of maintaining for me and my face looks much better.

Or I'm more used to it but I look more like me to me now.

1. That standing on the scales is the biggest mind-bend you'll experience.
2. Its not been healthy getting obessing over numbers on a scale... measurements and a goal piece of clothing are much better
3. Mental health is more important than physical health... look after that more than your physcial health... They end up going hand-in-hand.

I knew my body would change. I just didn’t realize how much I would want to touch the changes. I love feeling my face and finding cheekbones. I love feeling how my waistline goes in now. I even like to touch my arms which are skinnier. So weird. But I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.

I've lost 50 pounds so far, I still have a long way to go, but I feel so different!

*I'm able to wipe my butt now. Couldn't reach before
*Shower towel wraps around me till the other end
*Fewer skin problems! stretch marks, acne, rashes, boils, etc!!
*can hold my pee longer. stronger bladder! couldnt go out anywhere without having to pee every 10'.
*food satiates me now, which also means I don't have to feel embarrassed at asking for more food in social gatherings or restaurants
*I've increased my range of movement. It was so difficult to bend, cut my toenails, turn, everything!!
*I feel more positive towards everything - knowing that I can manage my weight loss (which is so difficult) I feel I can acomplish everything I put my mind into!
*Clothes shopping is easier now
*I'm not afraid of taking photos now
*I can let go of "darker" colors in clothing that make you seem slimmer.
*I can actually enjoy outdoor outings now. Before everything revolved around going somewhere to eat because I just couldnt think about anything else.
*I can fully strap a backpack on my back now!
*I don't lose my breath when I speak anymore! and im so chatty!

List goes on. I'm so proud! Appreciate this thread so much because when we feel discouraged, it's esential to remember everything we accompplished after such hard work!!

I lost 28 kg a decade ago and I noticed zero increase in energy. I was expecting perhaps a little change but nothing happened.

threewins wrote: »

I lost 28 kg a decade ago and I noticed zero increase in energy. I was expecting perhaps a little change but nothing happened.

I'm sorry you didn't feel you had an increase in energy. After a decade maybe you're not remembering it. Please don't give up and maybe notice all the really small changes. For example....maybe not quite so many daily aches and pains, feeling more restless than normal. I know for me that just dropping 24 lbs has made a difference between wanting to sit all day and wanting to move around the house more. Don't give up....

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3rdtimelosesit wrote: »

threewins wrote: »

I lost 28 kg a decade ago and I noticed zero increase in energy. I was expecting perhaps a little change but nothing happened.

I'm sorry you didn't feel you had an increase in energy. After a decade maybe you're not remembering it. Please don't give up and maybe notice all the really small changes. For example....maybe not quite so many daily aches and pains, feeling more restless than normal. I know for me that just dropping 24 lbs has made a difference between wanting to sit all day and wanting to move around the house more. Don't give up....

when I got my first pedometer, I found I was walking maybe 2500 steps a day. Now it's a rare day I don't hit 7k. And I'm not really trying.

GSPsnBees wrote: »

wunderkindking wrote: »

Two things:
That at some point maintaining really does become very nearly automatic. I had some concern that what/how/how much I ate was going to always take up a lot of mental space. For me, it hasn't. There's still a need to check in and pay some attention, yes, both to my weight and what/how much I eat, but I don't really need to give it any thought anymore.

Also: I LIE having my picture taken/watching myself in videos. For a while it was just that I was fatter in reality than I 'felt'/thought I was, but even after the initial loss it was very surreal to the point of discomfort to see the change and I hated watching/seeing myself from the outside. These days, please bring it. I look fantastic.

I'm really nervous about the first part of your post. I really hope that at some point intuitively understanding what normal healthy eating is will happen. Right now I religiously weigh, measure, and log because if I don't, I start having problems.

For some of us unfortunately no. It’s like Monica’s line from Friends. “There’s a fat girl inside of me. I never met her eat”. As an always healthy food eater ( fish, roasted veggies, lean meats, few carbs) , it’s especially a challenge. I don’t eat differently than before my loss. I just eat different amounts.