How has your life changed? ... Is it really better being slimmer ... ?

[kazz]

I felt so much better when I was slimmer & stupidly allowed myself to put weight back on again.

I had tonnes more confidence, and people did notice me more, but thats down to confidence as well. I mean, do you pay much attention to people who wander about with their head down, or do you notice the person walking with their head held high?

I dont really feel that people have treated me differently in general, although I have a couple of so called friends who are much friendlier now that I have put weight back on than they were when I was slimmer.

Part of the reason I put weight back on is because I struggled to accept the new me, although it was fab being able to wear nice clothes that looked nice, not just fitted, and it was ace having more energy and being able to walk into a room & not know I was the biggest person there, it was really hard as well. I have a lot of demons that I have used my weight to hide behind for years now, and when I had lost weight I needed to face up to them & couldnt.

I am so ready now to get rid of this weight; I have a fab boyfriend who I met just under 2 stone ago, who constantly tells me how much he loves me & that I'm beautiful but theres times when I dont feel good enough. I know its in my head, but I know as well how good it feels to have lost weight & I know how great I will feel when I do it properly this time.

I fully intend following maintenance & NOT just giving up like I did before!

 

[Heaven can wait]

Oh this is such a Brilliant thread, and best of all its stopping me from making a batch of chocolate brownies 'for the family', but we all know who would eat them, LOL.
I have been priviledged enought o have met some of the wonderful people in 'slim person' that have posted great answers to the question CC posted and it was hard to believe any of you had ever been overweight. When I meet new people who have only ever known me as I am now, they are amazed when I tell them that not so long ago I weighed over 19 stones. Somehow they cant imagine it, and say things like '0h, you would never know , you look like you have always been slim'????
How on earth does anyone look like they once weighed several stones more???? This got me thinking, have I changed? when I was overweight no one ever said 'Oh ,you used to be slim? you look like you have always been overweight' but you know what thats probally what they thought.
I think being slimmer makes you more confident , you know people are judging on how you look, first impressions count because we are a very superficial society. You look 'good enough', so you dont have to try quite so hard to be liked, you can just be you. When I was overweight I always felt I had to overcome peoples initial imppresions of me by being especially 'nice' 'interesting' 'funny' etc, just so they could get past the 'fatty alert' face they sometimes had on meeting me.
Yes people definately treat you differently, I feel I am taken seriously and I feel as good as anyone else, I know thats terrible , but I really always felt a bit like a second class citizen. There are loads of other ways that being slim is better,health and practical things and vanity of course everyone wants to look good ! and there have been some great answers already so I decided to concentrate on this question because for me its been the hardest to deal with, everything else is just pure positive BLISS! (my hubby wouldnt agree as the opld bank balance has taken a nose dive with all the new clothes)

 

[girlygirl]

I echo the sentiments of so many posters here.

Basically my life is completely different, and better, now.

I am at college studying Drama. In September my uni course, BA PERFORMING ARTS, begins. Should have been last year but funding problems turned up at the very last minute.

I weighed 20 st 7lbs at my heaviest. Not nice. I am 5' 4". I now weigh 11st 7lbs, and am still dieting. I wear size 14 'tight fitting' and hope to move down a size soon. I am more confident, happier, and dare I say it, sexier.

I look sexy again. I feel sexy. My young ex visited me at the end of December and was very impressed but insists that I lose no more, or he will call me Twiggy. HA HA. Curves in all the right places NEVER go wrong with a red-blooded man. Never...

Of course I need to lose more weight, and I shall. But I don't want to be superthin any more. Been there. Maintained a very skinny body for years. Felt weak and drained and was as white as a sheet. Don't recommend it.

People say, it doesn't matter what you weigh. It's what's inside that matters, etc. The person you are, your heart. I couldn't agree more, but sadly in this looks-obsessed world many of us don't get the chance to meet and bond with others because a) we hate ourselves b) others stare and point and can be horrible c) we hardly ever go out cos we feel so bad about how we look.

We need to lose weight for US, and that is what counts. It takes time and effort and sometimes finds us climbing the walls but everything we suffer is worth it. Just keep on going.

My life is MY life again. Others here are now living their lives, too, with all the normal ups and downs, but no longer burdened by fat and embarrassment and sheer misery over something WE CAN CHANGE.

 

[NikkiH]

Hello!,

Hope you don't mind if I add some too.. really good thread and thanks to everyone who shared their stories!!

I'm not there yet, I have 1 stone 3 to go but I have lost 6 stone, 4lbs to date. This time last year I was a size 20 - am now a size 12 (actually I had to buy a size 10 trousers the other day as the 12 was too big ). I'm 5 foot 7 inches, started at 18 stone and am now 11stone 10 (goal is 10.7)

The change within my life has been unbelieveable. I don't think I could possibley put it into words.

My confidence has soared - I'm still not a confident person but have definately notice a positive difference in how I feel about myself. I don't hate myself anymore. I don't feel sick when I look in the mirror - I now think I look ok.

I went through a stage of not wanting to go out (socially) because if I was in a restaurant/ pub/ club I found myself looking at all the "beautiful", "slim" girls and felt disgusting, fat and frumpy beside them - I always wanted to leave which bugged my poor OH so much, that has changed! I love going out now - I love that I can wear whatever is in fashion, or something that I like rather than meerly something I can get to fit.

My relationship with my OH has improved - I felt so bad about myself that I began thinking that he did'nt find me attractive (even though he always assured me I was.. bless him), did'nt want to have sex, did'nt want him to see me in the nude, the intimacy was really dying - thats all changed now and has saved us, I believe to some degree.

I don't get as embarrased when I meet people now. I don't think they are laughing at me behind my back or thinking "God, shes so fat" (I know, paranoia )

I don't mind speaking publicy at meetings at work now as when I was big I felt way to self conscious standing up in front of people - I seem to be getting on better in work now, would you believe it!!.

I can run around like a crazed lunatic with my little girl and I can now be the mummy I want to be for her. We spend many evenings running around the house, hide and seek on daddy (where I can fit into the bottom of the wardrobe with her!!) or dance for ages. I couldnt have done this before.

Oh, I could go on and on and on... It is definately better (for me!) to be slim!.

I do feel that society treats me better. Its sad really . I was quite upset one day about 2 weeks ago - a guy who works within my area (but who I would seldom see) barely spoke to me last year - I mean, the odd time he would call in I was lucky if I got a "hiya" from him. This year (and I really don't want to risk sounding big headed here, its not true, just shows how shallow people are) but, he called in while I was out of the office, when I walked in he exclaimed "oh would you look at the models creeping out of the woodwork!!" He nearly fell getting out of the chair to come and talk to me, he rings now for stupid irrelevant things, calls in all the time for a "chat", proceeded to ask was it true that I was getting married in August (dont know where he found that out) (he shoulda went to specsavers he he)

Anyway, point being - this guy barely recognised me when I was big, he now goes out of his way to speak to me - I was just as interesting/ nice/ whatever else then as I am now.

I find men in general will open more doors for you in shops, offer for you to go in front of them in the queue in shops etc...

Women (in general) are meaner to you.

It's sad how shallow people are. It was like I was invisible last year - an absolute nobody. Now I get whistled and beeped at in the street. hmm... not nice. I'm still exactly the same person.

sorry, I'm rambling on now!! Just thinking outloud really xxx

 

[Barb]

Ramble away, it makes great reading.

I'm lucky, I think anyway; I've always been chunky - have scaled the heights of 18stone and the lows (many years ago) of 9 stone something, but I've never really felt it stopped me doing stuff.

Now, I feel like it will if I don't do something about it. I miss being confident about my looks. I used to be as a girl but now - no I'm not. i don't need to be a size 10 but I'd sure like to stop being a 22/24!

Everything about being slimmer is more 'comfortable' and thats what I'd like to get back to. Seats on airplanes, chairs in restaurants, gaps to squeeze through, all that stuff.

Do I think being slimmer is going to make a difference? Yes I bloomin' do!!!

 

[lillypop]

I've found this thread really inspiring, its good to read the positive along with the negative. I hope that one day I can answer these questions too!

 

[cah-ching]

I love this thread!

 

[Lynn8124]

Absolutely fabulous darling! Great thread.

 

[peachesuk3]

1. it is better to be slim
I believe it has to be better from a nurse's perspective,just because of all the resulting health issues arising from obesity, the extra work that your poor old heart has to do just to get through the day, as well as all of your other internal organs not to mention your mental health!
Add to that aching joints & risk of stroke/diabetes/heart disease/asthma........

1.How different do you feel?
I feel like a different woman!
Fundamentaly I am still me....but a new improved version....me but on a very very good day
Actually I feel a great deal different than I thought that I would.

3How does Society treats me?
Hmmm that's a tricky one I like to think no differently, but I think you are treated according to how you come across to others in life...therefore I am feeling very confident so more inclined to chat and interact and as a result others do so with me. I do believe though that as a society we make our initial assumptions about everyone based on their appearance which is misguided but human nature.

4.How has my life changed?
Gosh! on the face of it not much to an outsider looking in, but inside everything has changed. I have so much confidence and will give anything a go. Before I hid...from everyone and everything as I was constantly thinking others were judging me or that I would be bad at something. I was on anti-depressants...no longer taking them! and spent many many hours in my bedroom.
Now I am seeking out new experiences and jump at the chance to go out and live my life!

5. My mantra....

Used to be "just keep swimming" just to get me through but is now "I CAN DO THIS...I CAN DO ANYTHING"


thankyou for making me sit down for 10 minutes to think about it

 

[cah-ching]

Thank you so much for contributing to this thread. It really does supplement the before and after pictures.