To feel really embarrassed by the damage I’ve done to my body?

You shouldn’t feel ashamed at all. You haven’t sat around moaning about being fat, you’ve worked incredibly hard and lost 10.5 stone- no easy feat. If anything, you should feel proud.

Plenty of people have knee replacements by the time they’re 60! OP you’ve done amazingly to lose 10.5 stone, that’s an incredible achievement. Try to focus on all the future health problems you’ve saved yourself from, not the one negative one with your knees. You have really turned your life around and you should be very proud.

No good comes from self hatred, dear OP. Being horrible to yourself will solve nothing. You have given your body a tremendous gift by focusing on your health like this.

Well I needed knee surgery to the meniscus after playing too much tennis so sometimes you just can’t win!!

you’ve done so well to lose all that weight. Be kind to yourself.

Lots of people do, my dad did and he cycled most days, played rugby, wasn’t overweight it was just wear and tear.
Keep going, stop being so hard on yourself.

I think it's brilliant that you have tackled things in your twenties OP. To lose ten stone must have taken absolute dedication and perseverance. As others have said concentrating on your health and wellbeing for now is key.

See a physiotherapist.

Whatever the damage you can build muscle that supports your joints and improves and preserves your mobility.

My knees are shot, for other reasons, and the specific exercises to strengthen the muscles around them have worked wonders.

Anyone who has turned their life around as you have done with your weight loss can manage what is actually a mild exercise regime - it isn't a gruelling gym workout!

I've got dodgy knees - a meniscus tear and mild-to-moderate wear-and-tear arthritis. I think it started somewhere in my forties (which honestly in't that much later than 27, although I'm sure it feels like it at your age).

I caused it. Of course I did. That is in the nature of wear and tear -- it is the accumulated consequence of all the decisions you make to do this, not do that, etc.

It wasn't by carrying excess weight that I caused it. It was doing things like going jogging without paying proper attention to warm-ups and correct posture.

Why should you be ashamed of the wear and tear conditions that your weight has caused if I am not ashamed of what I have done to myself? If anything, I should be more ashamed, because it is much easier to make yourself exercise carefully and maintain good posture than it is to control overeating.

My sneaking suspicion is that your tendency to self-judgement means that you feel a bit wrongfooted and confused by your HUGE ACHIEVEMENT of losing so much weight. It doesn't come naturally to you to be proud of yourself and see how massively positive and constructive and successful you have been. So you find the negative thing, ruminate about that, and attach unwarranted feelings of shame to it.

xx

I agree with everybody else OP, you should absolutely be proud of yourself and what you've achieved!

We all take actions which are detrimental to our health at some time or other. I started smoking at 14 and carried on until I was 32 so no doubt I've shaved years off my life and fucked up my lungs! Of course I regret it now and feel stupid but you can't change the past. You're still so young and you've completely taken ownership of your health and lost an amazing amount of weight.

Honestly this could be the best thing that happens to you.

You are 27 ... 2/3 of your life(or more) is still to come

You've come an incredibly long way.
10stone is an insane achievement.

Lean in and focus on your health and wellness 💕

Try and focus on the positive. You’ve done SO well. Keep going. If you need knee replacements later on, so be it. But be proud of what you have achieved. Look forward, not back.

If it helps, I have irreparable damage to both my knees from regular running.

Stop. Addiction is an illness, a progressive disease that you have taken control of. It’s no different to drink or drugs masking pain. Even at the bmi you were, you were not disgusting. Your shell takes the damage.
I am very proud of you, your head needs to catch up. Would you consider joining overeaters anonymous, you’ll find a lot of like minded individuals who have the same struggles, a problem shared is a problem halved.
Your worst day will match some of their best day, the shame disappears.
It is a spiritual healing experience so I know that part can be hard to connect with.

Obesity is a disease and GLP-1s are the cure.
Why would you feel ashamed for having suffered from a disease?
Be thankful that the cure came along early in your life; it's a crying shame that so many people missed out on the miracle.

@pleasedontreinme My H has a torn meniscus from doing his sport. There’s no weight on him at all. There is an operation he could have but chooses not to.

Yes, it’s wear and tear but this happens for all sorts of reasons. It may have happened to you anyway even without the weight.

Keep going with losing weight as it will just take the overall pressure off all your bones.

I would try to reframe your thoughts . You had a problem that you have nearly fixed, just a bit to go. To my mind, you are lucky that you had a fixable problem ( sorted by your hard work ).

When I was your age I couldn't walk easily due to a leg deformity and had shot knees with tears and arthritis because of the way I walked. Many years later I am in the same mess.

Nonetheless I think I am lucky as I am not in a wheelchair yet.

It may be trite but I find it helps to reframe things to what is good about your situation.

If I were you I would be delighted with myself. You obviously have massive will power to achieve the weight loss - you just need to turn that attitude towards your knees and think how fortunate you are to be where you are now as so many others would not have been able to achieve what you've been able to do.

You are an inspiration, be proud @pleasedontreinme

I’m a physio. No one can predict how your knees will feel at 60.
keep normal BMI
build muscle around knees and hips
walk / cycle
stay flexible
you may never have a problem.
plus there are very good injectables now for knee arthritis- hyaluronic acid and arthrosamid which can help if needs be
Better your knees than your heart

@pleasedontreinme firstly massive well done on the weight loss.

Second have you seen an osteopath? They can give special exercises that may help? I have an amazing one near me. Did the GP offer physiotherapy?

Do you like swimming? It's good all round exercise that takes the strain off as you're doing it. Strengthening ligaments may help support your knees.

See how your knees feel at 11 stone OP. I went from 16 stone to 11 stone three years ago. I had a lot of knee pain at 16 stone that’s gone at 11 stone. The loose skin pulls in a bit too, it’s not as bad as it was when I first lost the weight.

You’re doing so well. The PP who mentions strength training for your knee (yoga or Pilates) is right. You couldd see excellent improvement if you strengthen the muscles around your knee.

good luck!

You are amazing and you are YOUNG.

Even people at the peak of fitness develop problems that need surgery. Look at all the elite athletes who need surgery - Andy Murray had hip surgery in his 30s,
So many young footballers need knee surgery, Paula Radcliffe has had loads of procedures. On another level entirely my 28yo niece who is slim and teaches yoga and aerobics developed a stress fracture in her foot from running.

See a physio for advice on what you can do to strengthen the rest of your body to support your knees as much as you can and then concentrate of toning up.

I am in my 60s and lost quite a bit of weight 5 years ago. Sadly, like you I have a lot of loose skin which I'm embarrassed about but in clothes I now look amazing. I do low impact Pilates/reformer/yoga 4/5 times a week and am stronger, more energetic and more flexible than I was 20 years ago.

You are lucky that you have been able to make changes at a young age. Your weight loss is amazing and like others have said by losing so much you have made changes that will benefit you in the years to come. You need to be congratulated by us all on MN and you need to congratulate yourself.

look at all the love and respect on this thread for you OP 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻if strangers feel this about you people you know in real life do too- and your doctor too I am sure !

OP i think you are inspirational TBH - and other people will too ! we are taught -especially women - to hate ourselves no matter what we look like - self hatred is bred into us - if we are very unlucky by our upbringing as well as a male driven capitalist society . When i look at my preschool daughter she is completely at one with her body and what fun and learning she has in the world through it - that feeling i lost for many years between puberty and menopause - now i am out the other side i realise how wonderful my completely imperfect body is and how it works . i look after it for me, not for anyone else . You will get healthier and fitter and do great fun and fulfilling things - give the shame back to where it came from - it’s not yours to carry !!! and if you can have a chat with a therapist who supports people in weight loss journeys you will start to feel better as what you are feeling is nothing unusual . i have done a bit of therapy occasionally and the one thing that has really helped me is that the therapist has always said - about any issue - that she has heard it from other clients many times before - none of us are alone or shameful - everyone is doing their best and you are too - to great results I may add ! x

You can’t now change the fact you got to a morbidly obese weight, that has been and gone so don’t think of ‘what you did to yourself’ however you are changing your weight to get to a healthy weight range. You should be so happy with yourself for your efforts so far!!
My relative was in a similar position to yourself and really suffered with knee pain that was put down to excess weight and wear and tear. She has now lost a great amount of weight and her knees are not half as painful as they were. I’m not saying you will be the same but it may give you hope that if you keep going it could get better