What nobody tells you about losing weight
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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!!36 -
DaianaDiamond wrote: »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.
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!!
HAHAHAHA thanks for posting this!! It's something overweight people have a problem with but no one wants to mention it.....
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I lost 28 kg a decade ago and I noticed zero increase in energy. I was expecting perhaps a little change but nothing happened.8
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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....8 -
BruceHedtke wrote: »
They are right...thats like a whole toddler you lost. Or a large bag of dog food. Go to the store and look at a 50 lb of dog food and be happy with what you have lost!!5 -
.3rdtimelosesit 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.6 -
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.9 -
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.6 -
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 let 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.4 -
Annie42019 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 let 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.
This is so true. Through my years of yo-yo weights, I have learned that my natural tendency is to overeat, so counting calories is now my normal.
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One of my biggest things was learning how to nest my knees for sleeping at night.
What does this mean? Thinking it might be something I need to know.
Thanks1 -
One of my biggest things was learning how to nest my knees for sleeping at night.
What does this mean? Thinking it might be something I need to know.
Thanks
For me, losing a substantial amount of weight meant contact aches or pains where bones hit things - or each other.
Sitting on hard surfaces now is painful, because my sitz bones have no padding.
Same at night. I habitually sleep curled up like a possum. Knees and ankles knocking on each other is super uncomfortable.
I tried one of those H-shaped knee pillows, but all it did was force my ankles to bang together more. I found an ultra slim memory foam pillow on Amazon that fit between knees, shins and ankles pretty well. But if you toss and turn at night, taking a whole pillow with you every time you flip can be a real journey.
I’ve only recently given up the pillow, much to my dog’s delight. He immediately claimed the memory foam pillow for his self. 🐾7 -
I lost 55 lbs 2013-2015 and have kept 50 of it off
- As somebody else said, I have to lower my butt very carefully into the bathtub, or I will bang my tailbone. I used to have a lot of padding. Not now.
- I'm colder than i used to be, all the time. And I sweat less.
- My blood pressure is permanently lower (it was borderline hypertensive before, now not)
- My load-bearing joints hurt a lot less (I have arthritis in many joints)
- Losing weight gets harder because you're carrying less weight and feeding less cells. My weight loss curve looks like 1st derivative negative (down and to the right) and 2nd derivative positive (like a ski jump). If I wanted to lose another 10 pounds, it would be very hard.
- Of course I had to buy new clothes. Three times, because I went down three sizes. And I wear more clothes because I am colder than I used to be.
Overall, it has definitely been worth it.14 -
I lost 55 lbs 2013-2015 and have kept 50 of it off
[*] Losing weight gets harder because you're carrying less weight and feeding less cells. My weight loss curve looks like 1st derivative negative (down and to the right) and 2nd derivative positive (like a ski jump). If I wanted to lose another 10 pounds, it would be very hard.
The geek in me loves the reference 1st and 2nd derivative curves.5 -
One of my biggest things was learning how to nest my knees for sleeping at night.
What does this mean? Thinking it might be something I need to know.
Thanks
I do see you got a good reply explaining this, but I also had a period of time when my hips were hurting because my knees were in a weird place when I sleep.
I don’t use a pillow between my knees, I sleep in a fetal position, rolled into a little ball and I put both arms between my thighs, holding onto the bottoms of my feet, my calves or ankles. It just depends how tightly I’m in the little ball. It’s super comfortable and the space of my arms puts my hips back in a proper position so I don’t wake up in pain.
You’re just going to have to figure out how to get your knees to stay the right amount apart.
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It gets easier. Not easy. But at the beginning it was a struggle. My body craved the old way of eating. I felt crummy and exercise was hard. But 3 months into it it isn’t as difficult. I still need to be mindful. I still need to plan ahead and prep. But it is becoming a routine. My body is becoming used to my new way of eating and I feel SO much better that I want to get movement in. So it still takes focus but my body is working against me a lot less.13
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They'll tell you that you have to exercise, and they'll tell you that you can't out-train a bad diet. But I don't remember anyone telling me that exercising would make me WANT to eat better. It's so much easier to make good choices! Is it endorphins? Is it not wanting to mess up my hard work? Could not tell you. But I'm glad of it.20
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sargemarcori wrote: »They'll tell you that you have to exercise, and they'll tell you that you can't out-train a bad diet. But I don't remember anyone telling me that exercising would make me WANT to eat better. It's so much easier to make good choices! Is it endorphins? Is it not wanting to mess up my hard work? Could not tell you. But I'm glad of it.
That's definitely the way it is with me too. If I'm exercising, I end up wanting to eat better. I crave better foods. It's like a symbiotic relationship.8 -
bojaantje3822 wrote: »I prefer no comments at all on my body or weight loss but I can accept them from my mum and sister and from people I've known for at least 6 months who are themselves fat or used to be fat. Everyone else is a hard no, it makes me feel awful. And it can't be "you look good" either. It can only be "hey, you look slimmer/thinner" and "I see the lines of your muscles now!".
"You look good" just tells me you're fatphobic because you didn't tell me I looked good when I was gaining weight and reached this number so you just hated the way I looked when I was fatter more than you hate the way I look now. I liked the way most of me looked at my heaviest and the one thing I didn't like was also there when I was only 5kg overweight.
Here's my response because I felt it was an insult and yet a compliment when they say "You look good"
"You mean I didn't look good before?"
It stops them,, they usually stammer a little bit (I do it with such a great smile that's welcoming though at first first I'd CRINGE, but I am used to it now). They do go on to say some odd stuff, but after that they are still my friend, family and I realize I've done a GREAT JOB!! It has taken me time to get used to who I am now.4 -
Nobody tells you that you will find your weakest link. I thought I knew my weakest link, gluttony. But now I realize my weakest link is really: diligence. I struggle with laziness more than I struggle with overeating.
Finding your weakest link is a hard thing, but I guess if you are able to work on your weakest link at all - that is pretty much the amazing Mt. Everest climb that makes it epic. I really thought it would be the eating... I am generally happy with my eating, even when in a deficit - last weigh in 7 lbs till normal BMI. (129 lbs down since 2013!! 5'3" 277 to 148) Pfft, I remember when I was making a plan and I was all like "Imma lift weights when I get to 160 because that seems like tradition" Nope. I am just sad because me at goal weight and sedentary is 1500 cal per day. So, if I can get any kind of diligence with fitness I can do this! I just feel exhausted all the time, just like when I was gaining weight in my late teens. I think exhausted is just my situation.13 -
look at your body and like it. not get angry because i blew it. feel great3
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justanotherloser007 wrote: »Nobody tells you that you will find your weakest link. I thought I knew my weakest link, gluttony. But now I realize my weakest link is really: diligence. I struggle with laziness more than I struggle with overeating. I think exhausted is just my situation.
Maybe discuss the exhaustion with your doctor. There could be an underlying medical reason for hit. Something that sleeping more just won't aleviate.
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Dianedoessmiles1 wrote: »bojaantje3822 wrote: »I prefer no comments at all on my body or weight loss but I can accept them from my mum and sister and from people I've known for at least 6 months who are themselves fat or used to be fat. Everyone else is a hard no, it makes me feel awful. And it can't be "you look good" either. It can only be "hey, you look slimmer/thinner" and "I see the lines of your muscles now!".
"You look good" just tells me you're fatphobic because you didn't tell me I looked good when I was gaining weight and reached this number so you just hated the way I looked when I was fatter more than you hate the way I look now. I liked the way most of me looked at my heaviest and the one thing I didn't like was also there when I was only 5kg overweight.
Here's my response because I felt it was an insult and yet a compliment when they say "You look good"
"You mean I didn't look good before?"
It stops them,, they usually stammer a little bit (I do it with such a great smile that's welcoming though at first first I'd CRINGE, but I am used to it now). They do go on to say some odd stuff, but after that they are still my friend, family and I realize I've done a GREAT JOB!! It has taken me time to get used to who I am now.
That sounds mean to me. They're trying to be nice and acknowledge that they notice a difference in your appearance that they hope is on purpose (and not due to illness). To make them stammer is just mean. People who comment are damned if they do comment and damned by others if they don't comment. What are humans supposed to do to be kind?40 -
I also learned that if I wanted to enjoy still tracking my calories that I had to jump and delete “The Fitness Pal” app and switch to Lifesum for a scanner after October 1, 2022. My Fitness Pal App stopped being enjoyable and became bloated, slow and not anymore for weight loss oriented to me. Now I am happy again keeping track of my calories by a much simpler and easy to use app with a scanner to scan barcodes! 😎5
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I use to overeat whenever I felt anxious and food helped me calm down. Nowdays, its the opposite. I get major anxiety whenever I do overeat. Then I have to remind myself that it's not going to make a big difference so I should calm down and return to eating normally. I wonder if others go through this too8
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They don't tell you that your goal should be long-term and not merely to reach a certain weight or a certain waist size. So consequently, many people get to the desired size or the desired weight and they rejoice and celebrate and they end up going back to those old habits and the old size. The better way is to employ healthy food choices and healthy habits over all. When you do that long term, your body ends up at the right place. Focusing on a specific number usually results in short term progress.21
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My belly shrunk and I was like ‘hey my boobs are bigger than my belly, yay!’ Then I had a whoosh and I’ve clearly lost weight from my hips, thighs and boobs cause once again my belly is bigger again 😞
Here is a rollercoaster of my emotions: 🤞😊😞12 -
I realize that some persons have hormonal or other biological challenges to losing weight, and I assumed this was my case after I suddenly started gaining a ton of weight. (Well - not a ton - but I was 85 pounds heavier than my comfortable weight). A diagnosis of diabetics woke me up. With the help of a great nutritionist, I have been gradually losing weight (57 pounds as of today) and I want to say that two things do work for me: a) careful monitoring of what I eat, every day and every meal, and b) daily exercising. I am fortunate that I have access to both a heated city pool and a safe walking environment. But if you don't have this, you can still walk in front of your TV while watching....an hour a day will help immensely! For those of you just starting on your journey, don't give up! The daily walking WILL start taking the pounds off and you will feel better. I am off my blood pressure meds now and the doctor said that my blood sugar levels are so good that she will start tapering off my diabetic meds as well. We only have one body and one life. My mental well-being was so awful when I struggled with my weight and my fear of going on dialysis or going blind (both very real for diabetics) and now I feel free and happy again. Walking will help with your joints, too - I no longer have to pop a Tylenol into my mouth at breakfast just to endure the joint pain. Just start the walking! It works!16
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happimess01 wrote: »I use to overeat whenever I felt anxious and food helped me calm down. Nowdays, its the opposite. I get major anxiety whenever I do overeat. Then I have to remind myself that it's not going to make a big difference so I should calm down and return to eating normally. I wonder if others go through this too
@happimess01 I have an anxiety disorder and I used to overeat for comfort. When I first began cutting calories, I would get anxious if I went above my goal by more than 100 calories. I weigh daily and watched the trends and realized salt was affecting my weight more than an excess 100 calories here or there. I also noticed no matter what, the trend weight is always decreasing, even if there are bumps along the way. I think weighing daily can be a slippery slope for some. If you have significant anxiety around your eating you should see a medical professional. Anxiety is not fun or helpful while trying to better ourselves, hang in there!
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