To remind you not to worry about a few extra lbs

[skinnylaminnie]

Earlier this year I was the heaviest I've ever been. I'm naturally slim but good old-fashioned eating rubbish and sitting on my bum, had meant I'd started to pile on the pounds. Lot of dinners out, snacking in front of the TV, nice holidays with delicious breakfast buffets. Not a lot of moving around. They were definitely a reflection of the lovely, comfortable, lovely-but-slightly-lazy life I was leading.

For the first time in my life I was definitely carrying some extra weight. I DESPERATELY wanted to lose the weight. I wouldn't throw out my old clothes as I was determined to get back into them although that seemed an impossibility.

A few months into the year I went through a significant personal trauma. It's been unimaginably awful and it still continues now.

With all the stress, I lost a ton of weight. Those lbs I wanted to shift are long gone, along with many more.

The clothes I wanted to slim back into, now hang off of me like old sacks. My face looks all weird and skinny and my boobs have pretty much disappeared.

Now, if you're planning to lose weight because you want to be healthier and more active then you absolutely should.

But if you're lamenting the few extra lbs you've put on because you're content and loving life, by all means lose them, but don't hate the fact you have them.

Can't tell you what I'd give to be back to my old 'few extra lbs' size and have my old life back.

Not looking for sympathy and certainly not a stealth boast....I just strongly feel that other ladies should hear this as I so desperately wanted to lose some weight and now I'd give anything to go back to how I was before!

I agree op.

I'm constantly shocked at how grown women can be so weight obsessed. Surely they must have bigger problems in their life?

Weight does NOT matter in the grand scheme of things.

It does to some people.

Yabbers - perhaps a personal trauma is of more importance than worrying about one's weight? This thread is designed to make people realise there is more to life than how much we weigh. Unless you're clinically obese and at death's door.

Thank you OP, so sorry to hear about what you and others on here have been through. I've been feeling very self pitying for the last few days, carrying more than a few extra lbs after DC2 who is 5 months, still don't really fit in anything but may clothes and finding it hard to exercise and eat well running after toddler DC1 and the baby. BUT you are right, I will get there eventually and no point wasting my time being miserable when nothing else is wrong. for you.

Unless you're at either extreme of the scale (excuse the pun) fretting about a couple of extra pounds is ridiculous.

I've noticed from being on these boards that many women see being thin as a badge of honour. Being thin doesn't make you morally superior. It's bizarre.

Nope. No.

Not worrying about the first few pounds is how people end up morbidly obese. If you notice you’re putting on weight and take easy steps to curtail and reverse early on, its a lot easier than ‘not worrying’ until you need to shift stones and stones.

OP

Blue - if you read my post it says

'But if you're lamenting the few extra lbs you've put on because you're content and loving life, by all means lose them, but don't hate the fact you have them.'

I'm just giving perspective, that's all.

perhaps a personal trauma is of more importance than worrying about one's weight?

I’m sure it is to the person who is going through it.

This thread is designed to make people realise there is more to life than how much we weigh.

Like, there are starving people, so finish your dinner? Telling a mother struggling with a newborn to enjoy the sleepless nights because some people can’t have babies? Telling me how lucky I was that we only had 6 weeks in NNICU, some babies are there longer, or never come home. That there are children who are way more disabled so I should count my blessings that DD has only had 3 surgeries and I shouldn’t really be upset when she struggles with things because at least she is here, and has a future.

Of course it would be great not to worry about weight. But just simply saying “I used to but something shit happened to me and now you shouldn’t worry about weight” isn’t helpful at all.

Yabbersyou sound bitter about the state of your child's health, That's understandable. What isn't easy to swallow is your using it to discount the OP--it's not relevant, and you're veering into misery oneupmanship.

skinnylaminnie I'm so sorry about your encountering what sounds like a very rough patch; I hope there's an end to it in sight. Prolonged stress is absolutely wretched, and there just aren't any silver linings to it. Good luck.

OP sorry for whatever it is you are going through I hope you are through the worst and the sun starts shining again soon!

I have also suffered a serious trauma last year - and the opposite happened, I have gained over two stone Safe to say it is the least important thing wrong with me at the mo but it's not helping! Sucks whichever way you slice it!

I think there are some unnecessarily harsh comments. The OP is saying don’t put off living because you’re waiting to lose the weight.... live life now. Buy the nice dress for the body you have now, go out, have fun with friends, go dancing. Don’t think that if you drop 2 dress sizes that everything in life will magically be fixed. Don’t sweat the small stuff

Yeah I agree op and am going to try and feel that way. I wanted to lose about a stone (I could lose a bit more but that would have ok) before my holidays this year but the reality is I get up at 6 every morning, do an hour yoga class, go to work until 5.30 and then 2 nights a week a couple of weekend days go and do another job and then go home to sort out the kids and all that goes with running a home. I eat well but I love nice food and so will have an ice cream when out with kids or spend a Sunday at a lovely market in a local park trying different foods or make a big roast or buy nice breads and desserts so my fatness is all happy fat if you get what I mean. It's not sad fat it hasn't come from a place of sorrow or dispair. I enjoyed every mouthful of my fat so there is not much point getting to upset about it going on holiday. It's definitely good to keep things in perspective.

Yabbers - I'm not quite sure how to answer you and I think you've missed the point I'm making but I hope you are ok.

I have a dear friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She was a couple stone overweight, but she was discouraged from losing any before treatment because if/when she lost her appetite, she wouldn't go too low in weight, which could make her weaker. She didn't lose lots of weight, but if she was already thin, she'd be skeletal!

It’s helpful to me, Yabbers. It seems it is to many others here too.

I so get this. 2015 was annus horribilus for me. I remember someone commenting on my weight loss which I hadn’t even noticed. Hope your life improves, OP. 💐

Sorry to hear OP, and others who've been through similar

For me it was the other way around, extreme weight loss led to fertility issues which wrecked me emotionally. I went from 2-3 pounds overweight to a normal bmi, but I starved myself to get there and it was 20% of my body weight and that seemingly messed up my periods. It took regaining the weight and then some from emotional eating, then losing a bit again healthily, to start to regulate my cycles. I was at the top end of my bmi when I finally got pregnant, but was fit, strong and eating healthily, and although I'll probably still have an extra 3 stone on me after the baby is born which will take a while to shift, I will never starve myself again.

Thanks for sharing a nice message out of what has been a hard time for you.

I’ve been giving myself some real grief about my weight at the moment, your nice message has relieved some of it.

Xxx

I'm not quite sure how to answer you and I think you've missed the point I'm making

I haven't missed the point at all. I'm just not a fan of belittling people's problems with a "cheer up it could be worse" attitude.

Absolutely. Thank you for posting.

This is KIND of relevant, I think-

This thread just made me remember discussions I've had with friends/clients (I work in a gym) in the past.

People- women especially, are so focused on weight loss, that they often tell friends/colleagues "OH YOU LOOK GREAT!" when they see they've lost a few pounds.

Please remember- that person might have lost that weight due to so many illnesses. If someone looks well, I tell them that, I ask how they're doing first. I remember a couple of years ago I had a UTI that I thought was going to be the end of me (it just felt horrible) and I ended up losing about 7 kg- everyone told me I looked wonderful!

I FELT LIKE UTTER SHIT and while I'm hyper aware due to my job that people are just trying to be complimentary, I did explain to each one to maybe be careful the next time they equate weight loss with aesthetics. Hope this makes sense.

Oh, and the one time I slipped last year, with a good friend (he really needs to lose a lot of weight) -- I found out he'd been basically starving himself for a holiday then absolutely planned to put it all back on. I felt terrible for helping enable that.