I don’t feel better now I’ve lost some weight

[aeroplaneoverthesea]

Firstly, I know that losing weight is beneficial and I’ll be healthier but….I don’t feel any better and certainly don’t look any better and it’s getting me down a bit.

I’m 50, 5ft and was 78kg at the end of February, I’m now 64kg. Achieved by eating less, only eating 1000 calories a day, and moving much more, been using a step machine at home twice a day for 20 minutes. I don’t have a target weight but I guess 58kg would be nice.

I genuinely don’t feel any better in myself and my body now has some saggy loose skin around my inner thighs, my stomach is slightly saggy but still big, plus my boobs are smaller (I’ve always had a great boobs😂) and my stretch marks show up more.

I guess maybe if I was in a relationship I wouldn’t feel so self conscious (or maybe I would?) but I’m currently OLD and actually feel less sexy than I did at a heavier weight!

Has anyone else felt this way? Any tips or advice? I’m actually feeling reluctant to lose anymore weight as it stands 😩

That's a great achievement op!

The most important thing to remember is that skin takes time to retract, sometimes up to a year or more. You're not even 4 months in from your heavier weight.

There's a good chance that you'll see an improvement in your skin by this time next year, especially if you keep up with good habits like weight training, hydration etc...but it will be gradual.

Weightloss is just the first bit...you need to give your body a bit of recovery time after the weight is fixed!

I guess it depends on what's more important to you, living well or looking good. You will have reduced your likelihood of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer etc. You are more likely to be able to live independently into old age. Your joints are thanking you. When you are 70 and can still catch a bus or get up out of a chair by yourself you will be grateful!

Women are conditioned to be concerned about their appearance so I understand how you feel, but you have done brilliantly and should be proud of yourself.

Congratulations! You’re amazing, you’re doing brilliantly, keep going. You have established great habits, so maintain them for the win. I lost 35 kg in 18 months and I still remember the time the lovely lady at the village shop commented unprompted on my weight loss. I walked out feeling 9 feet tall. Hopefully that will happen for you soon. Believe me, people really can see the difference.

Maybe it’s time to join a gym, or a cycling group, or a tennis club, or a walking / running group and do some exercise which is sociable & actually enjoyable?

Future you will thank you. Stress has always caused me to yo-yo. Last time I was thin my Dad was dying from lung cancer and I was on a anti-convulsant medication that made me loose weight.
When I say thin I mean dress size 10 I’m 5 feet 7” In clothes I looked great (but not my face) .My boobs were like a tennis ball at the end of a sock.

I am now 59 and about 16 stone. My joints are really painful. Too painful to excerise. I wish I could loose weight to improve my health

How are you feeling on 1000 cal? That would be a nightmare for me.

I have been very slim. I've been very fat. I'm now losing a bit.

I have never found that I feel physically different. I haven't had any aches and pains or anything. Blood tests have never changed.

I'm also short and find cutting calories a real struggle. I work out a lot, but I don't really believe that that helps. It didn't stop me putting on weight. It's not why I do it, I need to exercise to stay (relatively) sane!

So I think you need to consider how you feel all around. I am not the sort of person who is very invested in the future. There's a big problem with longevity in my family, risk of living into 90s is far too high.

You may be different of course. But I don't particularly want to go through my days feeling really hungry and irritable.

I am hoping to lose more, but I don't expect to ever be actually slim again. The reward seems like appearance and I think I can get past that. Understand it's very important to some people though.

editing to add - are you doing any weights? Though to be honest, I wouldn't recommend that on 1000 cal.

But you might find it helps with the appearance thing.

I agree with the PP in that I couldn't exist on 1000 calories a day, I'd be too miserable.

I've been VERY slowly losing weight on 1500 calories a day (with the odd lapse!) for most of this year. I'm now 10st 3, and I want to get under 10. I'll get there eventually.

I do feel much better for eating well and doing lots of exercise though, but unfortunately, I do not look like I did in my 30s when I was 10 stone. This is just age, and no diet can reverse it sadly.

Thank you for the kind words. My family and friends have all been so encouraging and I know (with clothes on!) I look better.

@BastardesEverywhereI hadn’t considered the skin needing time to retract, that makes sense and makes me feel a bit better! I’ve started doing a 10 minutes abdominal workout once a day to see if I can tighten things up!

@AlphaAppleI know in the long run it’s better to weigh less but currently I don’t see any benefits. I’ve been lucky to not suffer from any weight related issues. Regarding how I look, that’s all about me - doesn’t seem to be putting off any of the men on OLD!

@SpottedDonkeyI can’t stand the thought of exercising around other people! Much happier in my own company. I’m considering getting a small rowing machine.

@BeMintFatballI’m sorry to hear of your difficulties It’s taken me a long time to get to the point where I felt mentally ready to lose weight and I’m lucky I’ve not suffered any weight related issues.

@EmeraldRouletteand @Hertsmum78It took time for me to adjust to 1000 calories and some days I have more but not many more. My main thing was cutting out all the sweet things I was having, especially in the evening. My BMR is 1,182 so I need to be in a calorie deficit. Today I had a slice of wholemeal toast with Clover Light and a cup of tea for breakfast, lunch is a tin of chicken noodle soup and dinner will be teriyaki chicken and rice plus I’ll have a can of Coke Zero and try and drink lots of water. Maybe not the greatest diet but soooo much better than what I was eating!

I felt like this but I really was very over weight and I still am ive lost 14 kgs I think lol. Its taken me a long time for my head to catch up, so I saw a photo and thought I looked worse, but realise its sometimes the pose, lighting and if im infront of others who are thinner or if I'm stood at the end of a group shot the camera can distort how I really look in real life. I've work very hard for it and I'm going to enjoy it, while I lose and get to a better weight for myself

Losing 18% of your weight is significant, well done!

Losing weight and lower calories will reduce estrogen levels (fat tissue produces estrogen) and disrupt hormonal balance which might contribute to not feeling better, especially if you are in peri-menopause, it might take some time to settle. Or if you are on HRT you might benefit from a review.

14kg is a huge weight loss, well done!

I’ve lost a similar amount and although I can see changes in my body, I thought I would be more satisfied than I am.

I have been working out too and when I compare old pictures with now pictures, I can see my shoulders are more defined and my posture is so much better. I am still saggy though and will never get rid of my apron from abdominal surgery unfortunately.

I did have a lot of aches and pains in my knees which have more or less gone and that was the driver for me really, my health so I’ve achieved what I set out to do.

I guess I am accepting I will always be someone who looks better with clothes on but I do look so much better dressed than I did so I’ll take that. My stretch marks, surgery scars and saggy skin are part of my story and will never change.