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I've known several people who thought their entire life would magically be better once they lost a lot of weight and then it wasn't. We are still us inside. I'm looking forward to reading this book.
I have lost a lot of weight (80 pounds) and it is better.
Sure I still have some issues, but getting clothes off the rack, having them fit, sitting in a middle seat, I could go on...at least that battle has been won.
There is nothing worse about it. Sure it used to be I was a fat person with a thin person inside trying to get out. Now I am a thin person with a fat person trying to get out. I will take that battle any day over the other.
When I lost 100 lbs my entire life changed. My social life went into high gear and I had lots of, um, 1:1 happy times with people I found attractive. And I started feeling somehow more accepted at work.
I"ve lost 50 lbs and life is better. For one thing, I was getting more dates there for awhile and that will make anyone happy. Then I met someone and that will make anyone happy. I look much better in my clothes and love to shop now. Yeah, I'm happier. I believe what the author was talking about, though I haven't read the article, is the "happiness setpoint." Studies have shown that whether you win the lotto or become a paraplegic, within a year you will be right back to being as happy, or sad, as you were before. And yeah while weight loss is great, it's only great in the moments. Like when I'm getting dressed. Or running into someone I haven't seen in awhile. Or seeing a handsome man check me out. Otherwise it's just life as usual.
Oh, and when I get it all off, like in 15 lbs from now, I will start sewing again. I've been holding off b/c I didn't want to make something cool and then shrink right out of it. Now I will sew to fit. That will be fun.
Losing weight makes you look better and get positive attention. It can help improve your self esteem therefore make you happier and more confident, but sometimes changing the outside appearance doesn't help as much as you thought it would. This is do to a poor self image you obtain of yourself.
I would recommend reading the book "Psycho cybernetics" / by Maxwell Maltz. In his book Dr. Maltz explains the mind and body connection and how to improve your self image.
I've lost 175lbs in the past year. Some aspects of my life are better and others aren't. I can fit in bathroom stalls, restaurant booths, chairs in waiting rooms, etc. I can shop for clothes locally instead of having to order them. My health has improved...no more high blood pressure, the precancerous changes I had have been reversed, I can sleep better. I can walk better than before and I'm more agile, can tie my shoes easily or bend down to pick things up.
My cholesterol is higher than it was before I started losing weight, and my hair is falling out, although I'm eating plenty of protein and a fairly well balanced diet. Sex was much better at a heavier weight...no more multiple o's, and I keep ending up badly bruised from fairly normal activities. I also have issues with anxiety and extreme PMS, which I did not have before. We think the hair loss and emotional issues are from the rapid change in hormone levels, and I'm hoping everything will even out and my hair will grow back.
About the food blogger in the article, I could tell just from the first couple of paragraphs that she has food issues above and beyond what the average obese person has. At one point, I had a food obsession...mine was baking and decorating cakes. I thought about it so much I even dreamed about it all the time, spent too much money on tools, spent hours and days practicing skills. And then one day I just got over it, packed up all my pans and tools and stored them in the garage. I didn't lose any weight after I quit decorating cakes, that came later after my diabetes was diagnosed, but I think getting over the obsession was a necessary step in being able to lose weight.
I've known several people who thought their entire life would magically be better once they lost a lot of weight and then it wasn't. We are still us inside. I'm looking forward to reading this book.
EVERYONE Ive known who has lost a lot of weight is happier. This woman just had to deal with her mental instability, mental illness, and such. After all that "I was unhappy...", "I was sadder..." b.s. she ended the blog by saying "Im happy now. Im good here". Too much focus on the negative just to try to make a story.
Of COURSE she's going to be happy. Anyone with a sane mind will be happy if the lose all the weight she lost. Geez.
My cholesterol is higher than it was before I started losing weight, and my hair is falling out, although I'm eating plenty of protein and a fairly well balanced diet. Sex was much better at a heavier weight...no more multiple o's, and I keep ending up badly bruised from fairly normal activities. I also have issues with anxiety and extreme PMS, which I did not have before. We think the hair loss and emotional issues are from the rapid change in hormone levels, and I'm hoping everything will even out and my hair will grow back.
I went thru the same things after I had weight loss surgery. Estrogen is stored in fat and the rapid weight loss basically floods the system with hormones. I had a 3 month period to go along with terrible acne and moodiness. My hair fell out as well. Nothing I tried stopped it- Biotin, protein, Nioxin, etc. It slowed as the rapid phase of weight loss came to an end and completely stopped when I went into maintenance mode. Nearly my hair has grown back.
Edited to answer the OP...
I indeed had the "when I'm thinner" goals. Life is infinitely better minus 100 plus pounds. My health is vastly improved- type 2 Diabetes is gone. My joints and back no longer ache. Shopping is fun again.
With that being said, I still have some of the same problems I had before. I knew losing weight wasn't going to change those things. I tried to be realistic in my expectations of life at a smaller size.
I, for one, can relate to the girl in the article and I've read her blog before. I haven't lost the weight yet, really, and what I'm realizing is that the work required to lose weight has me somewhat isolated. I know I'll have to stick with this after the weight is gone, as well, and that is really tough. All of my friends and family are thin and don't have to worry about food. I do. I'm often in situations where I'm surrounded by foods I either cannot or should not eat. This happened at my own house just this weekend, in fact.
So, even though I'm surrounded by people, I'm alone. The only one that cannot drink wine. The only one who cannot have cake/pie/candy/chips/etc. I have proven over the last 33 years that eating "in moderation" simply doesn't work for me personally so I need to avoid certain foods completely. I cannot lose or maintain my weight if I drink. I understand the loneliness and obsession that she talks about because if I let me guard down, even for a short amount of time, I do a lot of damage that takes weeks to months to undo. I just cannot be as free with food as the people around me, and even though I've tried to explain that to them they either do not get it, do not care, or want me to stay fat.
I can see why she would feel sad after losing weight because when you've finally lost the weight you realize that the journey isn't over. You can't let your guard down now. After losing a significant amount of weight people are suddenly looking at you and you don't want to disappoint them, or yourself. There's pressure now to maintain the work you've done. At least that's how I felt when I lost weight before, and I've felt like a failure for gaining weight back. I tell myself no one cares about that enough to notice, but of course it is noticeable.
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