For those that lost a lot of weight, have you noticed any changes medically/ health wise since losin

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Losingthedamnweight
Losingthedamnweight Posts: 540 Member
in Health and Weight Loss

I have heartburn sometimes, aches and pains, my back hurts, etc. wonder how different I would feel at a lighter weight

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  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,606 Member

    Not really, though I was only ever just above normal weight. But being busy with nutrition for me also means that I exercise more. Thus that's good.

  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 2,224 Member

    since losing 40+ lbs my CRP went down, cholesterol went down.. my sleep is better and I have more energy since I’m not being dragged down by excess weight.

  • herblovinmom
    herblovinmom Posts: 509 Member

    Yeah. With my weigh loss came better health for sure. Or maybe with better health came the weight loss. Either way, I have less headaches and less body aches and pain. My cholesterol has come done. I reversed my pcos. My blood pressure is in the green zone. My hair is growing thicker. There’s probably many more health benefits I have failed to list. Like increase in energy, not needing naps, good blood sugar, no more itchy gallbladder/liver,etc.etc…

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,920 Member

    I lost about 50 pounds, which for me was from just over the line into class 1 obese, down to a healthy weight.

    What I also lost: High blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.

    What I reduced (quite dramatically): Frequency and intensity of pain from osteoarthritis, torn meniscus.

    What I gained: Lots of things, including a somewhat mysterious overall improved sense of well being. (I've wondered if that has something to do with lower systemic inflammation). Better mobility/flexibility, just from having less fat interfering with movement. Seems like I'm sick less often - the common cold and that sort of thing - and I recover faster/better from any injury or illness that still might happen.

    Most of the negatives above had been in my life for multiple decades. There was also a sub-recreational year back then of being diagnosed with and treated for a cancer type that's more common among people who are overweight. If I'd lost weight earlier, maybe I could've avoided that?

    I'll add this: You mention back pain. For sure - from talking with my osteopathic doctor - fat on the body can distort posture, cause strain and trigger pain.

    On top of weight loss, becoming more active can help. In my case, I got active routinely after cancer treatment, which I hadn't really done consistently in my adult life (for decades, at that point). I stupidly didn't commit to weight loss until a dozen years later.

    Becoming gradually, manageably more active made me stronger and fitter. Being stronger and fitter noticeably improved my quality of life, even though I stayed overweight/obese for those dozen years. In particular, joint pain was reduced, I was able to function better and do more physically in daily life, and more. One thing I didn't have when obese was high blood sugar: It's possible that regular cardiovascular exercise in those years helped avoid that.

    Improved fitness had big quality of life benefits. Reaching a healthy weight (and staying there) had big quality of life benefits. The combination is gangbusters. I'm sticking with both, and am approaching year 10 of the combination. I don't want to go back.

    It's hard to tell you what you'll experience or feel. People differ. But from reading all of these replies, it seems the most common theme is that people feel better in ways meaningful to them. I'd bet you will, too. It takes time and patience, and some of the benefits might not even kick in until you've been moving through the world for a while at a healthy weight. But I'd bet improvement will happen.

    Best wishes!

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,676 Member

    With my first ten or fifteen pounds lost, my GERD From Hell disappeared. That alone was life changing.

    It has never returned to that degree, although it gently reminds me if I over eat to the nth degree, or, unfortunately, dabble in things like lovely, salty, super hot Calabrian peppers. Dang.

    I’m actually glad for the small, infrequent flare ups, because it reminds me of how easily I could go back. I never again want to be the woman who totes a spare change of panties and a sick bag in her purse.

    In fact, I haven’t had to even carry a purse in years, thank you weight loss.

    My energy level is through the roof, higher than when my 30-something kids were, well, kids. I feel bad I didn’t (ie, I chose chocolate over them) give them the best of myself, as they deserved, but am grateful I can now get on the floor to play with granddaughter, or chase my dog around the coffee table on my knees with his beloved squeaky bear.

    My V02 reading is excellent for my age, my bone density stats improved, I’ve been in “normal” BMI for several years now, and my collision course with diabetes is a moot point now.

    My yoga practice improved a hundred-fold. I started -and discovered I thoroughly enjoy- weight training. I finally- after dreaming of it since a wee kiddo- took a couple of flying trapeze classes. I learned how to swim tolerably decently a couple years ago and now don’t consider it a “good” swim unless I’ve done a mile. I ran for the first time since middle school, and can now run a 5k, although it ain’t my favorite thing to do, tbh.

    I’ve gained confidence. I’m still shy, but not shrinking, “don’t look at fat me!” shy. That’s as life changing as eliminating GERD.

    People often tell me I’m “inspiring”, which freaked me out at first, til I realized, if I “inspire” someone, maybe I’ll inspire them to better health, same as me.

    Weight loss means different things to different people. Maybe a better chance of finding a relationship. Maybe better health. Maybe staving off what you see your own parents or friends coping with. Maybe just better satisfaction with life, period.

    Yeah, there’s a part of me that sincerely misses gomping through a whole family sized bag of M&Ms, Chocolate covered Reisen, or a couple bags of Geneva cookies (after all, they were buy one/get one….) while I peruse an entire magazine, but there’s a new part of me that can only read a few pages before the urge to get up and move takes over.

    TL:DR. You have to sit down and weigh the benefits and the gains you hope to make for yourself, versus maintaining your status quo.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,676 Member

    oh, and one of the reasons I decided to lose weight was exhaustion and joint pain. Both have improved with weight loss. I do a lot of yoga, and make sure info a good stretch before weight training or cardio classes.

    If everything else went to hell in a handbasket, I’d still make every effort to keep stretching.

    It doesn’t have to be fancy. I used to have four dachshunds and stretch time was pet-pet time, as soon as I got on the floor. Hip circles? I could pet everyone as I swung around. Forward folds? Someone would try to snuggle underneath for an ear scratch. Shoulder shrugs? There was always a couple warm bodies fighting to be the ones under each hand.

    We enjoyed it so much, stretches became such a joyful experience, it often lasted thirty minutes.

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