I lost (ha! Read: worked fucking hard to get rid of!) 9 stone a few years ago and am now part way through loosing 3 stone of regain after a shitty year. These are some of my benefits…
Knowing my friendships aren’t based on my size making others feel better about themselves being slender. Fortunately I haven’t lost any to that but my insecurities did get me wondering at times if any of my friendships were relying on that.
Eating in public not being excruciatingly embarrassing.
Sweating in hot weather not being embarrassing because I’m not just sweating because I’m fat - I’m still a sweaty person when exercising and in hot weather but I feel better knowing it’s not just because I’m fat.
Not feeling I have to cover so much in hot weather and being able to wear looser and cooler skirts/dresses in summer without fearing chub rub.
Loose skin feeling like a badge of achievement when I’m wearing a swimsuit. I had a tummy tuck and muscle repair but there is plenty left that I’ve kept. How many people can honestly say they have the strength getting that amount of loose skin requires - both surviving the prejudice of being + + morbidly obese and having the ability to loose the weight.
Feeling like I’m not automatically a bad example of healthy eating for my children.
Knowing that I’m doing my best to stack the deck so I survive as long as possible, and in the best health I can, to see my children and any children they have, live. My family has a big history of strokes and diabetes, I really don’t want either of those calling at my door!
Thin privilege is a really nice bonus. Every time I experience it I have to remember to not get sucked into the cycle of giving it to someone else perceived as thin or more attractive. So I guess I also mean the education of seeing both sides.
Feeling like I don’t stand out around dh’s very skinny family.
Fitting into a world designed for the average size - theme park rides, turnstiles, clothing, airplane toilets, chairs with arms etc.
My clothes being almost long enough - I’m tall so everything always feels too short and I’ve spent my life pulling clothes down.
Sex being better because I’m not trying to hide/contort around my wobbly bits.
And a big on - a visit to the gp not beginning with ‘your problem will go away if you loose weight, it’s all your own fault’.
There are so many more I forget!
My best moment (many years ago) was a new friend asking why I didn’t turn sideways squeezing through a gap between cars - I’d not been more successful turning sideways in decades so didn’t think to try it! It’s back to second nature to do that again now. I only remember it because we had such a laugh, so many more tiny changes like that must have passed me by.