I'm used to reading about the physical & medical benefits of weight loss in posts here, and I love those posts. They really help me affirm all the reasons why this hard work & use of my time is more than worthwhile.

I've wondered, though, about other, less tangible benefits of losing weight & managing to maintain it. Because I think completing a long project like this teaches us something about ourselves. And that we also learn certain skills. I don't mean knowledge about nutrition or cooking skills, though we certainly have picked up a lot of that. (I can recite the calorie counts for most common fruits & I am a much, much better cook than I ever was before this journey began.) I don't mean physical strength & endurance. I mean something mental -- about organizing our lives or handling other self-improvement or ... well, I think you may know what I am getting at.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Because I practically want to add a line to my resume about having done this, and I want a sanity check that my impulse isn't as crazy as it seems.

I think it has taught me patience, that slow and steady wins the race. I would also say that it has also shown me just how important my outer appearance affects my mood. I don't even care if that sounds shallow. I feel a lot better about going out with friends and trying on clothes. It's nice not to be winded after walking up a flight of stairs or bending over to pick up my son's toys.

It taught me that anything, no matter how seemingly difficult, can be done if I want it badly enough, and to not wait to tackle my dreams. You can spend 15 years being overweight, sitting on the sidelines of life, wishing and hoping that one day you'll muster the courage, the patience, and know-how to lose weight... but wow, what a way to whittle away 15 years. I did not find my true self until I went through the process of losing weight. For the first time, I cared enough about myself and what I wanted out of life to truly try.

Oh, absolutely. I could write a book chapter about, but it boils down to recognizing the slightly OCD mindset I had affected everything, from my compulsive overeating to feeling that small efforts didn't matter, etc. Getting a grip on "all or nothing" thought patterns and negative self-talk helped me not only eat right and exercise consistently, but also helped me with my finances, cleaning the house, etc. Learning to break big jobs into small tasks; of taking pride in accomplishment, no matter how minor; and that looking my best -- no matter what my weight -- is worth the effort and only leads to taking more and more positive actions. That's the Cliff Notes version!

Very interesting topic - I can't wait to read more responses and love the ones already given.

In a nutshell, what I have learned is:

- like Beckett says: try again, fail again, fail better. In life as in weight loss, I tend towards perfectionism-induced procrastination or avoidance. But setbacks are where I really learn about myself and how to do better next time. Cliched as it may sound, this journey made me see that my past failures are part of my success story, and that my future failures will be as well.
- related: doing projects, I always "do better" (i.e., get it done at all) when there's a deadline, when I'm under pressure. This does not work for weight loss and life style change. I really, really had to retool my whole project management approach for this long-term project. And while I'm still deadline-oriented when it is necessary (and probably will never get over my tendency to procrastinate), this experience has added to my time management skills and how I view the concept of "getting it done".
- structuring skills in general - finding a plan that has the right balance of flexibility and rigidity for my personal needs and goals.
- weight lifting, running and yoga have shown me that I can do more than I thought I could - physically, but also mentally. The experience of actually, tangibly getting better at something through repetition and self-challenge, to run just a little bit more, to do crank out one more rep, to stretch that little bit further.

I could go on and on, but my yoga class is calling. I'll be back later!

Balancing my budget.

If I could balance calories in-calories out, there was no reason I couldn't apply this to other areas in my life.

(Oddly enough, I find balancing my checkbook less depressing than counting calories. Perhaps because I don't throw as much money as I used to do in silly foods, and thus I have more money to spend on myself? ^^)

It actually worked the other way for me. I was successful in almost every other aspect of my life I cared about. So for me, applying all that self-discipline, accounting, and focus was what really turned the corner for me on weight loss. It was more of a "Duh" moment than an "aha" or the famous click, but it was a very distinct thing.

Anne

Yes it did.

Such brutal honesty was required to "get the job" done. I had to stop making excuses and look for solutions. So now in many instances I stop making excuses about other things as well and look for solutions. I had to find ways around all the obstacles that led me to allow myself to get to be morbidly obese. I now look for ways around obstacles that stand in my way in other areas of my life as well.

I also discovered what I am capable of. I do beat myself up for having let myself get soooo heavy and stay there for soooo long. I am not proud of the fact that I neglected my health and set a terrible example for my children. But having finally lost the weight - well I do think that took a kind of strength & determination (though I should have not let it get to the extreme that it did). The strength, determination & discipline that I found in me has given me confidence that when I set my mind to do something - I CAN do it.

What she said! That physical activity and mastery was not only doable, but fun! On the flip side of that coin, accepting that there are certain activities I just don't like or can't do because of certain limitations, and that's OK. You don't have to do step aerobics to get fit.

What she said, too! I'll give you an example. We've all heard the experts say that morning is the best time to exercise -- revs your metabolism for the day, blah blah blah. Guess what? I'm not a morning person. There is NO WAY I am going to get up early enough to go to the gym, then shower and dress for work (I also dislike showering at the gym, trying to get dressed in the steamy heat, etc.) So, the Old Me would have tried to get up early a few times, not made it, then given up exercise because I couldn't do it at "the best" time. The New Me said, "Any exercise is good! There's nothing wrong with exercising after work! Do it when you can do it!"

The same is true for taking my lunch to work. No way am I going to spend time in the morning packing a lunch and my snacks for the day. So, I get everything ready the night before.

I guess one way to distill this is "setting myself up for success." Knowing my limitations and working around them, thinking outside the box as they say until I find something that works.

That's an excellent way of putting it!

Oh my gosh. I use that expression ALL the time. "Setting myself up for success".

It was all fine and dandy to want to lose the weight, but let's get the right tools in place to implement it and make it happen. The planning ahead. The tracking of calories. The ridding the home of the "junk" and on and on.

Yes, finding a way to make it work.