To say getting down to Size 8/8 stone is my greatest achievement?

[Strubger]

A few years ago I went through quite a difficult lonely time - I felt I'd messed up a relationship etc. Things have improved for me overall now compared to then. However I felt so lonely back then I felt I needed to draw strength from somewhere - draw strength from within - and I thought that my greatest achievement had been losing 7 stone in weight to get down to a very svelte 8 stone - well 7 stone 10 to be precise.
I was wondering why it was that I considered this my greatest achievement and came to the conclusion that it was because weight loss tends to be associated with emotional control - if you can stick to your diet - you're in control emotionally. I value this achievement more than getting a university degree - everyone's always taken for granted that I've been academic - I feel my parents only valued me if I performed well academically. But losing weight means so much more to me. AIBU?

Doing my first "proper" on my toes press up was a major proud moment for me. Ranks up there with birthing my children and far higher than any work or academic achievements.
I think because it took A ALOT of consistent work to get there.... a bit like losing a lot of weight.
Well done you.

Well done OP, that’s a huge achievement. I lost 8 kg a few years back and I’m still really proud of myself. I made a plan, motivated myself to start, put a load of hard work, time, effort in. I fell off the wagon a few times but was determined to hop back on. Feels a different achievement to my educational achievements as they were done within a support framework which I worked within, rather than something that, really, no one else gave a crap about whether I kept at it or not so it was all on me.

I don't think there's any mystery to why it's seen as an achievement to lose a shed load of weight. It's about discipline.
Losing a large amount of weight requires discipline and determination. It needs you to keep your head down and keep dragging yourself through hell towards your end goal.

Training for a marathon requires the same level of discipline. So does putting yourself through one round of professional training after another to become something like a doctor. So does getting to grade 8 in an instrument, for example.

I'm one of those people who ticks over in life.
I've always been a size 10 and find moderation easy - but could NEVER diet. I wouldn't even be able to successfully give something up for Lent, or for January.
I also run 5-10k a couple of times a week and have done for years - but could NEVER train for a marathon. I'd quit the training programme in week 1.

So I massively admire people who have a level of discipline I could simply never muster.

Can you give me some ideas of your daily eating and exercise routine please 🙏🏻
A typical day/week xx

My great achievements include swimming 25m at 16, learning to ride a bike at 19 and my first ever 8min block of running during C25k in my 30s. They're achievements to me because I could have accepted that I couldn't do those things by those ages, but they're things that I decided to work at that lead to greater things like swimming a mile and marathon training. It's the mindset, self-belief and working through the process that's the great achievement and then other opportunities can open off it. Exactly the same can be said for changing your lifestyle and reaching a healthy size that enables you to live with more energy and options.

A dress size in itself isn't an achievement, but the process to reach a healthy size is.

Excellent achievements you list there - well done !

Sure - 1400 calories a day - this is the bit I may get flamed for - I ate a lot of pre packaged food as the calories are all counted out of you already on the packet - makes calorie counting much easier so a lot of pre packed sandwiches, pre packed salads and Sind crisis and chocolate - as long as it didn't exceed 1400 cals/day. I typically did aerobics / swimming /treadmill - swimming in less keen on but did it in the band of losing weight !

In the name of losing weight - not band aargh typos !!!

Thank you - and it is achievements like yours also which mean a lot

How long have you been at your target weight, OP?

I'm currently trying to stay at target while phasing out sweeteners.

It's a challenge! I have good reason to maintain, I have a chronic illness, but if I take my eye off the ball I return to old bad habits.

Well I'm currently pregnant but have otherwise been at this weight since spring 2019.

This was my problem in the past tbh - it was so easy for me to take my eye off the ball and fall into bad habits unless I'd decided to put a definite stop to it and put my foot down. Good luck - you can do it 👌

I feel a bit like this with regard to stopping drinking alcohol, OP.
It's still early days for me.
The sense of control though, is very nice indeed especially for someone with an addictive personality. Dropping 12lbs without trying was a bonus.
Good for you, you've done something great for your health.

Well done Strubger!

I look back on my previous attempt where I came close with such frustration.

I'm going to do a bit of journaling about what went wrong, and hopefully avoid those problems in future!

It is an incredible achievement. Losing weight is so much more than simply losing pounds. I have lost around four stone in the last year which has been quite hard at times, but it also involved me giving up my almost nightly bottle of wine (which I knew was too much), not eating chocolate, cakes or crisps and counting calories religiously. It’s hard work and I fought many demons along the way.

well done to you for losing so muchweight: a healthy self esteem is important however we achieve it. Well done too for your academic achievements. You sound as if you have come a long way. X

I think journaling what went wrong is an excellent idea!

It’s definitely an achievement and I can understand being proud of losing a significant amount of weight. The health benefits are probably immense. However, the idea that losing weight is a greater accomplishment than a university degree is quite depressing IMO. Not to mention the motivation of attracting a man’s attention. It demonstrates exactly how this culture values a woman’s appearance more than anything else about her.