What I wish I had known before getting healthy / losing weight
 

Everyone seems to have a "tipping point" where they decide to lose weight. My journey is nowhere near being finished, but I thought it would be fun to post things we wish we had known about losing weight / getting fit / changing your lifestyle for those who are just beginning. (: Sometimes it's easier knowing what's in store for you!

1. "Abs are made in the kitchen."
I used to roll my eyes at things that said "losing weight is 80% eating healthy, 20% exercise" because in my mind I wanted to be able to eat crap and still be fit. But this type of advice is actually true!

2. Not all exercise sucks. You just haven't found the kind you love yet.
I wish I had tried more things when I was first beginning. I hated going to the gym and being stuck inside. I wish I had discovered my love of trail running and swimming earlier! Try as much as you can because you don't know what you'll end up falling in love with.

3. If you don't love yourself now, you won't love yourself when you lose weight.
Really really try to appreciate your body all throughout your weight loss journey, because if you allow yourself to fester in body negativity, you won't ever be happy or satisfied with yourself. Wear that fun outfit, do your nails, appreciate yourself, because when you hit your goal weight there's not a "switch" in your brain that turns on telling you it's okay to love yourself now. You'll still nit-pick your flaws and ignore your successes if you've been breading this negativity throughout your whole journey.

4. THERE IS NO FINISH-LINE.
When you decide to change your life, you change it for good. It's a life-long process and you have to be committed for the long run.

5. Everyone will have a comment.
When you start losing weight, and people notice, you will learn lots of interesting things, such as:
- you are anorexic
- if you eat calories at night they don't count
- you looked fine how you were, you don't need to change
- carbs and/or protein and/or sugar and/or grain is the devil!
- if you lose any more weight you will look "gross"
Not to say people don't say nice things. You will get a lot of compliments, but your successes will sometimes be seen as a threat to others, and you have to be prepared for the oddball comments you will receive.

6. Your friends don't want to hear about fitness 24/7.
When it's on your brain so much, you don't notice how often you are talking about it. But it can turn a lot of people off. I almost lost one of my best friends because I didn't realize how often I was talking about food/fitness/exercise/weightloss. Some people will talk about it with you to be nice, but make sure they are genuinely interested if you have a long conversation about it.

7. It's easier when you have fitness buddies. Human or not.
When you have no one you are committed to, it's easy to press "snooze" at 6:00 in the morning and go back to sleep. But when you have little puppy dog eyes looking at you saying "what about my walk?" or a friend texting you saying "hey we're meeting at 7 to go running, right? The normal spot?" you will be much more likely to get out of bed and get out there.

8. Fitness events are SO MUCH FUN!
Don't be scared of signing up for a 5k or even a one mile "fun run" because you think you'll be slow. PLEASE! (I should have listed this one higher because it's so important!) There will be all sorts of people at the race, those who run 5 minute miles and those who walk. Pick a really fun race and sign up. My favorite races of ALL TIME have been the breast cancer 5k (it was so fun seeing at all the support - granddaughters running with their grandmother survivors, fit lacrosse boys wearing sports bras, fun music) and the Girls' On the Run 5k (seeing generations of family completely bawling as the girl they were supporting came across the finish line... priceless).

Can anyone think of anything else?

Great post!! I'm relatively new at what I hope will (finally) be my path and this was perfect timing! :) I'm still not sure I believe #2 though.... ;)

Really good post! A lot of great information!

This is a great post! Especially #5. Especially.

For me I wish I would have known that your feet could shrink after weight loss. My feet shrunk 1.5 sizes and went from a wide width to regular and I had to replace all of my shoes and boots!

Sunnyside - I would have looked at that as a good thing... ;) #shoelover

I hear ya, but as a shoe lover myself I kept purchasing shoes/boots throughout my weight loss. Had I known there was a possibly my feet would shrink I would have save my money and held off until I was close to goal!

Use belts and stager clothes purchases. I went from 22 to 8 I've obviously had to buy clothes but I should have bought one or two pieces here and there. Some pieces I was super excited to fit into were too small in a week. Also THRIFT STORE SHOP!! Save the big $$$ for goal!

OMG love this post!! So many great points!

I found this out with "diet" food. I spent many years wanting to cheat the system and it didn't work for me. I would by fat free this and sugar free that, still trying to get around eating whole and clean. I finally started eating clean about a year and a half ago (although I will say being pregnant I'm craving junk!) but normally I eat mostly whole foods and keep all the diet food and low fat junk out of the house....if I go to a party, thats where I'll have piece of cake but no more processed stuff at home.

Sooooooo true!!!! i spent again years and years HATING the gym, I could never stick to workout out, on again off again. I finally tried running, outside and that way my exercise that I loved.

This one came to mind when I read your title only because its very well known and I must be the only person on the planet that doesn't agre...or maybe I do love myself now and don't realize it! lol But when I got close to goal and didn't feel like the fat girl anymore, I felt complete. I was 100% me, outgoing and happy. My entire out look on life and myself changed. As the weight came back on I felt that positive feeling disappearing and the depression of being the fat girl again. I really felt I loved myself more when I was thin, I really have a loathing for myself when I am fat. :shrug:



Yesm so true. I didn;t get this years ago either, thats its a lifestyle change not a diet. Reminds me of that Jim Gaffighan stand up, where he says "don;t you hate seeing fit people at the gym? Its like what are you doing here? you're done!" lol:lol::lol:

OMG the worst part. I cannot stand unsolicited advice in any area of my life, especially weightloss!! And I spent so many year hating and critisizing my fat self, that when I lost weight I felt great! Then the haters came out! I got rude comments from family about my weightloss...and I'm just like are you **cking kidding me!?!?!?!

True true true...neither does my husband!! lol

Yes!!

Again, yes!!!

That I would have to make healthy living a priority (running, healthy eating) because other people will have no guilt about getting you to eat pizza and watch a movie with them.

Oh and its very hard to stay friends with people that live the way you used to. I'm not saying they are jealous, but if you are friends with people that your night out routine is eating and sitting, its hard to hang out with them and not participate in the old "activities" you used to. Birds of a feather flock together.

Oh and I never realized that there would be some people (women) that *would* be jealous of looking good! And that they will not be happy for you and your weightloss. :p

re:
 

Some things I wish I had known before I lost weight:

1. Vegetables are really good.

2. I can't lose exactly x lbs every single week. There's no linear schedule to weight loss.

3. Weight loss is an emotional roller coaster.

4. Loose skin bothers me way more than it should.

5. Losing weight has been generally easier than I thought. I should have started a long time ago.

6. It's shocking how much the scale can go up or down on a day to day basis.

This one is HUGE. I still struggle with it everyday, but just KNOWING that this is true is a huge win.

I also have to work very hard to not involve everyone in my obsessiveness. I know I talk about it way too much.


What do I wish I'd known? (Besides what the OP listed)

1) that it's going to mess with your body. Your hair is going to change (and in my case fall out). You'll have mood swings, weird cycles, pimples, dry skin. It's a whole body shock - especially when you start really high and lose rapidly.

2) This may seem like it should be common sense, but your shape probably won't change in your favor. You'll either lose from places you don't want to first, or you'll shrink proportionately and still have a big belly sticking out or a big butt.

3) You will need an occasional day, week or month off, and that's ok. You're not a failure if you get back on the horse (and don't translate a day off into "bingefest".

Thanks for this thread and all the helpful replies, they all made me nod and say YES YES YES.

I wish I had known that losing weight is "easy". So many times I have failed and gained. It really is as simple as calories in and calories out. I always complicated it and tried every trick in the book. There are no tricks required, there are no gimmicks required. 3FC simplified so many of my struggles, it was an answer to my prayers.

What a great idea for a thread! I just kept nodding as I read your points.

I particularly agree with #2 & #4. I always thought I would hate exercise, but I realize now that I love group fitness (depending on the class, of course). It is almost no effort for me to get to class because I like it so much. #4 is what I've learned as I've been maintaining since Nov. 2011. Initially maintenance seemed easy, but now it doesn't. I'm having to go back to some of those basic precepts that I followed during my weight loss stage.

MadKim, there's something out there for you! Zumba, yoga, pilates, hiking, walking, rowing, dance, kickboxing - I know you'll find it! (:

WannaB2cute, thrift stores are AMAZING!

GlamourGirl827, running outside is bliss for me. I know why I used to hate running - I was inside trapped on the treadmill! I also totally get what you are saying about feeling more happy and confident when you were thinner and then when you gained some back feeling more depressed. I am 100% feeling like that lately but I am trying to get out of that mindset and love myself all the time, because I know realistically I'll fluctuate throughout my life and I don't want to only enjoy the parts of my life where I am skinny. Life is gonna keep on going regardless of my weight and I want to enjoy every moment and stop being so negative about myself. Also agree about birds of a feather flocking together. One of my best friends and I used to always watch romantic comedies and eat terribly when we hung out... hahaha.

Radiojane, YES! The first place I lose is my boobs - and I barely have an A-cup to begin with! Ha!