Things that have changed since you lost weight?

[extrasausages]

I’ve lost 3.5 stone and have another 2 to go but I was thinking yesterday about positive ways I’m changing through losing weight.

At my biggest, on a deep level, I hated being ‘seen’ so for me it was often easiest to stay at home than to accept social invitations. The thought of going to a wedding or a big event would fill me with stress - not over the event itself - but over what I could wear in order to look lovely but also to be the most invisible. The stress would be even worse if there was the possibility of having photos taken or if I might bump into someone I’d not seen in a while (who would notice I’d gained weight). Funnily enough I have a friend who’s a photographer and she’d taken some pictures of me at a festival and had a couple of the group shots up in her studio. I looked utterly enormous and couldn’t even bear to look at the wall without grimacing. When I lost some weight, she actually edited the photo for me and slimmed me down and hung it back on the wall! 😂😂

But yes, even though I’ve still got some more weight to go, a lot of those feelings are gone. I’m no longer afraid of being seen.

Secondly (which seems to contradict the first thing), I’ve always worn high heels - not because I wanted to be ‘seen’ but because I thought they made me look slimmer/longer and it made my legs look thinner (I’m only short). Without even realising it, I’ve just slowly moved back into flats and have totally embraced being petite. I used to torture my poor feet with heels and wedges and now it’s such a relief to be able to wear nice flats and still think I look smart. And oh my legs look skinny because well, they are. 😁

I’m sure there’ll be more changes as I get closer to goal. To be honest I can’t even begin to imagine what that will feel like. I haven’t been at goal weight for about 25 years!

This! I love not having to think of how I’m going to disguise/cover my body every time I go out. I’ve still got 2 stone to go but yesterday I threw on some clothes to go to the shops and when I walked past a mirror, I did a double take - ‘oh, that’s ME! And I don’t actually look too bad’.

Being able to buy clothes without worrying how awful they will look. Being able to nip off to the shops for milk without worrying about turning up in a sweaty mess or finding an excuse to drive there. Not stressing about taking DC back to uni by myself and having to carrying bags up 4 flights of stairs.

Still can't reach my toes or do a sit up but that's mechanical at this stage!

I didn't use WLI but I still have lost a lot of weight over the past couple of years so I hope I can join in? I still don't like getting my photo taken even though I objectively look better and being "invisible" is something I miss about being heavier. I've been overweight most of my adult life and so now in my late 40's male attention is really disconcerting. I think the best changes are being able to wear what I like vs what covers me up and just having more energy, less pain and so on. I'm hoping this summer will be less unbearable than all the others due to heat and obesity not really mixing for me.

I agree - I really are struggle with the male attention. I went to the hairdresser the other day then out to lunch with my toddler- a man kept looking at me and I was really confused and thought I must have had food in my teeth or something- why was he looking at me- then I realised I’m not that fat girl that I still feel like inside ….

At 13.5 stone and 5’9, I wasn’t hugely fat and it wasn’t for very long (2 years) - but God! I do not miss how uncomfortable it is being fat. Having a belly that protrudes when you sit down and (in my case) would make my knickers roll down so it could flop out. Waistbands were always tight as I was wearing size 14 and in complete denial that I was quite possibly a 16. Having revolting lumps of fat at the back of my bra, and a gigantic moon face. And my knees! They were like giant potatoes.

I do not miss one bit of it.