How has losing weight changed your life

[Lifeafterbooze]

I have a lot to lose and am looking for motivation just wondering if anyone has any stories

@Pacifybull it is a good thing if you are overweight/obese though.
I started on my weightless journey on 2nd Jan and 11lbs down - still a hell of a way to go, bit already feeling the benefits. I feel so much better, can actually bend down, walk upstairs without fighting for my life, more energy and just overall feeling good!

I've lost around 7 stone and gone from a large size 16 to a size 8/10.

The best outcome, for me, is that I can wear what I like rather than what I have to wear to hide "problem areas". Getting dressed now is no longer a chore and I can enjoy getting ready.

I am also much fitter and enjoy sports a lot more.

Hate to admit this too, but the world is much nicer to you when you're slimmer. It's not the way it should be, but when I'm in shops etc, people are generally kinder and smilier toward me than they were when I was bigger.

I’m 5’ and have lost around 2 stone since last April. Started at 10 st 7 and am now 8.5.

my BP is normal for the first time since my 20s. I’m still on 4 different tablets for it but at least it’s finally normal.

My bras don’t rub against the sides of my arms when I walk
My back pain is far better.
I can walk upstairs without feeling out of breath. And can walk around far more easily in general and enjoy the feeling of lightness when I walk about.

I can buy clothes far more easily and look much better in them and feel more confident and have far more choice of what to buy
My GP and rheumatologist no longer advise that losing some weight would benefit my arthritis and BP.

The real job now is to make it a way of life so I don’t let the weight gradually creep back up. I’ve really cut my portion sizes down , eat more frequently but much less In quantity and get weighed weekly so I can take action if ive gained anything much. It’s a bit of a pain but I’m in my 60s and I want to try keep my mobility up and BP down.

Yes. I lost a stone and felt fit, strong and much more positive in mood. Then put it back on and feel so much less socially confident and energised. I have lost the first 5lbs again and already I feel a bit better.

Losing weight (if you are overweight) makes you feel confident, fit, strong, happy.

What I long for most of all is to be a size and shape where I can choose clothes because I love them, not just because they fit or flatter me. I would dress very differently if I was slim.

Depression didn't lift after my weight loss, in fact I transferred from food to other harmful behaviours to try and deal with my emotions and I found the increase in male attention and how shallow people are in how they suddenly started treating me so unsettling.

In hindsight I would say improving my mental health should have been my focus and what would have resulted in a healthy weight loss for life rather than yet another diet. Obesity was a symptom not the cause of my problems. Yes the weight brought on new issues but the root cause was childhood traumas that needed dealing with. My self hatred and suicidal ideations didn't go away just because my dress size is smaller and even with clothes, it's not like I ended up with a perfect body i still had loose skin and a new body shape that I had to learn how to dress. Just because i was thinner doesn't mean I had the body to wear truly whatever I wanted and nor was my body perfect by then either. It was great for my physical health to carry less weight but it didn't improve my mental health or give me the body of my dreams, both need a lot more work, time and money than just dropping kilos.

I’m prettier, I don’t look bloated with a double chin anymore.

Lost 2 stone between Feb & August last year & give or take a couple of pounds have kept it off. What's been brilliant is being able to just get dressed in the morning/for a night out, without throwing my entire wardrobe over the bed while crying that nothing fits. I also have far more energy, sleep soundly & am generally in a better mood. I can exercise really effectively now, too. Lost my boobs but I'll take that!

I've lost nearly 9 and a half stone sine having weightloss surgery last year. I sleep better, I can walk for miles, take a few flights of stairs. I'm also more confident and feel so much happier in myself.

I’ve lost over 2.5 stone which took me about a year, I’ve gone from a small size 14 to an 8/10 and from 10stone 10lbs to around 8 stone 4. I did go to just under 8 stone but I felt I’d gone a bit too far, for context I’m 5 feet tall and late 50’s.

I’m much fitter, I’ve gone from barely being able to walk half a mile due to back problems to walking at least 3 miles a day, I no longer have the back problems. I came off Fluoxetine as my mental health has improved so much, I look and feel so much better in my new, smaller clothes, I no longer have 3 chins 😁 I can run around after my grandchildren. My BMI is also healthy now.

I fall off the wagon occasionally but I just get back on it the next day and don’t beat myself up over it either.

Very interesting thread and just in case someone doesnt want to wade all the way through it, this article is fascinating

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5497590/

But to answer OP

Getting in and out of chairs
Fitting in my car easier
Wrapping a bath towel round me properly
Bending over
Getting up and down the stairs
Not feeling like Im going to fall down stairs becasue my centre of gravity was all askew
Less pressure on joints
Teeth look bigger (yes)
Eyes look bigger
No more snoring
seatbelts fit
seatbelts on planes fit
Not worried about breaking furniture
Far more confident
Can wear most things (although not everything at my age!)

The list is endless, theres more but I cant think of them right now

I also sleep better, I’ve cut my alcohol consumption and ditched a lot of the rubbish food I was eating. I’m more confident, I walk taller and have worn a bikini on holiday rather than a tankini to hide my stomach and middle.
I also have the knowledge and strength within myself to know that I won’t pile the pounds back on if I have an off plan/cheat day because I know that for me, relaxing my food intake for one day is ok and is probably beneficial to me.

I lost weight and could fit in smaller dress size but otherwise nothing changed. Menopausal and still invisible. Lose weight for your health but it certainly didn't make any other difference in how you are treated.

I managed to lose around 2 stones. Struggling to keep it off now. As I am recovering.

As I lost weight a lump appeared in my breast. After a doctor appointment I was referred to the hospital for further test. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have since undergone treatment.

Now moving on. If I hadn't lost weight I may not be here

I love trying on clothes from my own wardrobe is my new favourite hobby 😍

Only lost a stone so far - two more to go - but lots and lots of higher-sizes clothes that didn't quite are now perfectly wearable 🥳🥳

Everything just got better. Work got better, going out got better, my general mood got better and clothes look much better now. I still pig out sometimes but never like how much I used to.

I went from a size 18-20 to a 8-10. The best was being able to easily buy clothes off the rack, the worst was not having the self-confidence to wear really nice clothes as I was so used to dressing to avoid drawing attention to myself. So, I easily bought small sizes of bland, dull colours and boring styles. I cannot wear a dress, for example, as I feel I stand out more and everyone is staring at me and judging how I look.

Of course, being fitter was a huge bonus for climbing stairs, running for the bus/train, keeping up in a gym class etc. I was able to easily complete a work charity bike ride on challenging terrain.

There was also some people who were negative about the weight loss and openly accused me of being anorexic etc or analysed what I was eating and kept giving me their opinion.

If you’ve been overweight for most of your life then it can take some people a long time
for your brain to catch up to seeing yourself as slim. I don’t think my self-confidence about my appearance can ever recover from being overweight for so long.

So your fitness didnt change, your ability to move around, your flexibility, no health improvements like lowered BP or cholesterol, skin didnt improve, fitting into chairs and cars easier, getting up and down stairs easier, balance better

None of those things changed?

I said lose weight for your health.

Watching for motivation! I started my weight loss journey on 8th jan and have lost 7.5kg already. I’m calorie counting and at the minute it’s going ok!

my size 20 jeans that wouldn’t fit over my ass now do and are very comfortable 😁

You said you can fit in smaller dresses but otherwise nothing changed!!

Yet most people have articulated a huge list of changes, health and otherwise.

Ihavenoideawhatmyusernameis
keep going, it’ll be worth it. I think one of the hardest things is making a start in the first place.

I love this thread. Thank you.

Thanks I needed to hear this
yes my life is sofa and food it’s so depressing

I think I'm going to read this everyday.