How has losing weight changed your life?

[alittlebitofjoy]

I’ve been on MJ for around 11 months and have so far lost 3.5 stone. I’ve still got a couple more to go but for the first time in a long time I feel like a ‘normal person’ not a ‘fat person’.

It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe but for me it’s about stuff like…

1. Wearing jeans and not needing a big, long top to cover my belly overhang.
2. Discovering that if someone drops something on the floor I can actually get on my knees and pick it up, get back up again and not have to haul myself up using furniture or a person (I can just do it!)
3. Getting ‘second looks’ from men in public when previously I was invisible.
4. Trying on ‘thin clothes’ from the bottom of my wardrobe and being totally shocked to discover they actually fit.
5. Genuinely enjoying clothes shopping and dressing my body rather than shopping in order to disguise my body.

In a feminist sort of way I dislike the fact that so much of my identity has been changed by a reduced body size but at the same time, I’m really enjoying all the benefits!! I feel ‘normal’ for the first time in my life.

Wondering about others who’ve lost weight and how it’s impacted your life?

That’s curious, mine was 32 when I started and it was also recent, I was a healthy weight all my life till peri hit. I’m also very confident, Society didn’t make me feel bad, I just didn’t like my appearance, and all the issues with that, but going from an 18 down to a dress size 8 has had a big impact on me from a mental health perspective, it was never about what others thought, it was always about what I thought.

What's curious?

?

cleaely that we are similar but you it made no difference to and me it did, I’m unsure how that needed clarifying,

I wondered why you thought it was curious. My take is that obese people who've taken WLIs are a large and diverse group, with very different paths to obesity, experiences and personalities. Things like what job you do, your social class, the area you live, your ethnicity, whether or not you are looking for a partner, how your partner feels if you have one, your general health, finances, enjoyment of exercise and a hundred other things can all make a huge difference to someone's attitude and experiences.

To that end, I wouldn't have expected people who started at similar BMIs to necessarily have similar experiences at all. Additionally, it sounds like you've lost more weight than I have, as I wouldn't fit into a size 8.

I gained weight, i usually work heavy and do little cardio. It was the opposite back in the heyday.

I think if you’ve struggled with your weight for most of your life, it shapes your mindset and behaviour more than it does if you gained some weight later in life due to menopause etc. For me, I’m mentally still a very overweight person and even now when people tell me I look great, I’m not sure if I see what they see.

A few more recent developments though - yesterday I saw my reflection in a shop mirror and I didn’t immediately turn away. I thought ‘goodness, I do look different’. I’ve also noticed that the sensation has come back in my boobs! I’ve had huge boobs and whole areas of them have been numb in places for 10+ years. Dr thought it was related to their size and now they’ve radically reduced, sure enough…the feeling is coming back. I only just noticed. It’s incredible.

I was in the low end of obese bmi when I started the jabs, and I already did a lot of walking and swimming, so I haven't noticed a particularly significant difference in fitness now that I am a healthy weight. My feet ache much less after a long walk though! Also, I had no issues with blood pressure, cholesterol etc (yet), so health wise, it doesn't feel too different. However, I have just started a new job that requires good fitness and flexibility, and it's the latter that has been the most significant alteration for me. I feel much more supple and flexible now. I think I'd have struggled to do this job before, although fitness-wise, it would have been fine.

So for me, the clothes and appearance side of things has been great. I have always adored clothes, and now I can feel nice in whatever I wear, whereas before, I'd feel unhappy and change often before I found something reasonably acceptable.

I haven't always struggled with weight. I was slim until having my (multiple) children. So I've been obese for about ten years until now (nearly 50). A big thing for me, is that I am autistic, and found it much easier to mask in my younger days when I was confident in my appearance. I looked good and dressed well, and people just assumed I'd be confident when they met me, so it was easier to pretend I was. When I became larger, I found it so much more difficult to mask, when I wasn't happy about my looks and weight. I can feel it all slipping happily back to how it used to be again now. I wonder if any other neurodivergent people can relate?

Sex is better! It was always great with dh anyway, but my physical confidence has given us a big boost!