I've finally got out of obesity. Which is great. Now I'm at the top end of "overweight" for my height. I am noticing my weight loss is slowing down, which is probably because I am getting closer to goal. It took a long time to go from morbid obesity to where I am now, and many pounds. Of course, I noticed huge changes along the way.

I only need to knock off thirty or so to get to "healthy" BMI. I'm trying to get fired up and some inspiration. What big changes did you notice going from the "overweight" to "healthy" category??? Things that weren't true for you in the "obese" range?? Did it take you just as long, a shorter amount of time? I'm just looking to pick some brains, and get inspired.

Thanks for reading!!!

You know, I enjoyed "overweight" very much! I really did. I felt very normal in this category. I hit overweight at 174 pounds and even now, 30 pounds down from that, I don't feel all that different. Pictures show a big difference though. Honestly, life hasn't changed going from overweight to normal. But *I* have changed tremendously.

Going from obese to overweight changed me physically. I thrilled (and still do) at all the things that got easier or that I could suddenly do. You know...squeezing through small spaces, walking miles and miles without fatigue, no more foot pain, being able to tie my shoes, fitting through turn stiles, my seatbelt suddenly hit where it should.

Going from overweight to normal suddenly I felt worthy. Terrible, I know, but that's me. I felt pretty and attractive. I developed a self-confidence like I have never had. I strike up conversations with random people and am not afraid to talk to anyone. I feel like I'm friendly with absolutely everyone. I become inwardly strong, my anxiety disappeared with the exception of driving and dentists. And even when driving, I feel like if I do get into an accident the men won't have a hard time lifting me into the ambulance. I won't have to be embarrassed.

Oh, shopping has changed!! I no longer feel out of place in the misses department! I feel like I belong, which is a HUGE change!! That's part of the anxiety that has lifted. No more shopping anxiety.

Interesting question you pose.

Not down to "overweight" yet this time but the one thing that stood out during previous weight loss journeys was the point where I was no longer "the fat lady" in a room. That is to say, I no longer felt defined by my size/shape. I'm okay with being the "lady with grayish hair" or the "lady with glasses" or even the "lady wearing the blue crocs". But really don't like feeling like the "fat lady".

Really looking forward to getting to that point again!

This is me exactly. My whole outlook has changed and all of it for the better. I felt like a lighter person, not just physically, but mentally as well. Problems seem smaller, stresses seemed more manageable, life in general just easier. Do all the problems go away? No, but I feel so much more capable of dealing with them.

I found the time it took to go from obese to overweight was much longer and tougher than the time it took to go from overweight to normal. Once you get close to goal, every five pounds makes a huge difference in how you look and feel. It's constantly motivating.

I'm beginning to think I'm not going to make it into "normal" category. Interestingly, I made my initial goal of losing 100 lbs. But then as long as I'd done that, figured I'd aim for a weight that would put me in the normal BMI. However I think my body is trying to tell me something. I'm able to maintain this weight without much trouble (5 months now). I keep thinking I'll "buckle down" for a final push but then I find some disturbing eating behaviours pop up so maybe 162 and sanity is better than 145 and being disturbed about how I'm eating...

Interesting responses, ladies. It seems like there are a lot of psychological victories that go on. I'm curious, too on whether 165 is going to be too thin, just right, or if I'll want to lose more since I've never been lower than 190's as an adult. In fact, I weigh as much now as my senior year in high school, so I don't know if where the sweet spot will be. I'm super motivated to keep eating healthy and exercising. I feel flippin' fantastic.

I guess I am wondering if I am going to be OK with my body once I get to goal, or need to be one of the maintainers that tone up and look better after a length of time in maintenance. So far, no loose skin, I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed.

Why not start "toning up" now? I highly recommend it! What have you got to lose? Lifting takes the INCHES off faster, it really does. I can't tell you the joy I get at squeezing my own biceps, at flexing my calves, at massaging my own shoulders. Once the fat melts away, the muscles is just there waiting. My abs are starting to make an appearance! And I. feel. so. strong. I just feel strong.

I already do. I lift weights every other day, and do cardio on the day I don't lift. What I meant to say is if I'm going to be toned at goal weight or still have to tone up certain "trouble spots".

I'm an apple shape, so I carry it in the gut. I'm worried that I'll get to goal and the fat will still be there. On top. It is muscle underneath. I can't speak enough of the wonders of six week six pack and 30 day shred. Jillian Michaels is awesome!!!

wow, your stories are so touching and inspiring.. i pushing everyday to keep going... the smallest i have ever been was 195... i dont know those feelings that everyone is talking about.. i hope to experience them one day

It's weird, but my biggest OMG moment was when my BMI dropped into the 'normal' range, I lost my mind!! (of course, 2 pounds take me OUT of said range lol) but still.... it was a crazy feeling I can't explain!

I agree that being thinner doesn't make you happy in and of itself, but it sure makes dealing with everything ELSE a whole heck of a lot EASIER, which in turn leads to a bit less stress and fuss.

I feel at times a "ooooh riiiighttt.... THIS is what I was supposed to be like, that other body was just a mistake for a while" lol

This is a well timed question for me. I am exactly the opposite of Robin. Getting from morbid obesity to overweight went quickly, but getting from overweight to normal has seemed close to impossible....

I really don't know why I stalled so hard in the upper 180s, and eventually got frustrated and started going back up. But I do know that after fighting very hard with my body for almost 4 months, I kind of lost sight of the point of dropping more.... I was having a hard time imagining anything that would be better if I lost another twenty-five to get to normal...

I'm at an age and a level of self-confidence in other areas of my life that I really don't think I'd feel happier if I were "normal" but I would like to experience the feeling of knowing that I had achieved my goal.

This. My level of self knowledge tells me to stop here, this appears to be where my body and psyche want me to be. BUT, I've achieved such an amazing goal of losing 100 lbs, why not go all the way whispers that little voice in my head...

And then the niggling little fear if I stop trying for lower that I'll start down slippery slope of re-gaining.

Great responses, and I think I've felt them all.

I think when I got from obese to overweight, a great weight lifted off my shoulders, as well as everywhere else! 'Obese' made me feel less than human. According to the Halls bmi site, I was at the 98th percentile (of Americans and I'm in UK but the principle remains).
When I made overweight, I felt like yes, I was fat but in a category where it wouldn't embarrass myself or others if I talked about my diet. I felt more normal.
Last time round, when I made 'normal' in 2004, life became a joy, it really did. It was like having a bubble of happiness inside me. Why I should then choose to bury that bubble with 89lbs of regain is anybody's guess.
This time, I need to work at getting to goal - 16lbs lower than basic 'normal' - and then maintaining it. I get sad when I think I could have had 7 years of joy, rather than 89lbs worth of fat.

What an interesting thread. I'm hoping that tomorrow will be the day I make it to overweight. I'm 11 weeks into 'the new me' but it's only in the last couple I've actually begun to feel new.

It wasn't even until Thursday when I looked back at pictures from this time last year (when I weighed around 227lb) that I saw just how far I've already come. It wasn't until Friday when I dug out a pair of work pants that I'd had in my cupboard forever, with a 6 inch smaller waist band than my old ones, and put them with ease that this idea of me really changing physically was cemented. It wasn't until today in the classroom (I'm a teacher) when I joined in with my kids playing with a ball at break time and kept up with them and enjoyed running around and playing that I saw how far I've come fitness wise. It wasn't until earlier in the week when I actually didn't want the cake that was being passed around the office, rather than forcing myself to say no that I saw how far I've come mentally.

All of these changes, and I'm still just on the cusp of obesity and being overweight. I'm sooooo excited to see what it feels like to keep going, I can't fully imagine a skinny me, but I can't wait until I meet her either, it's so exciting to finally believe that I will be that skinny person by the end of this journey.

Reading this thread has made me even more excited. How I dream of a toned bum and thighs, and no more monster upper arms. I've got my waist back, and my lower legs are looking great, I can't wait to see what changes next!

Congratulations to everyone that has already made it to goal, and thannks for sharing. To everyone still on their journey, keep believing, we can and will do it

Being in the merely overweight category now, you are probably feeling more 'normal' these days, or are just about to feel normal (yes, I realize the irony of it not being a 'normal' weight yet, but I felt like a normal person at overweight rather than obese, possibly because a range of overweight is not abnormal, in the U.S. anyway).

Now the changes are going to come faster, and the lbs will make a bigger difference each. Each 5 lbs was like the difference of the first 40 lbs, or so I felt ...

The closer I got to 180/175ish, the more I felt even more light-footed.

For me, I started feeling downright slender in the 170s even though I knew I wanted to lose more.

I didn't have specific physical limitations that improved from overweight to normal, at least not that I recall, but of course -- there's clothing!! Rapid change there.

Unfortunately, yes, regarding my own loss-related skin sagginess, either most of it happened around where you're at, or that's just when I became increasingly aware of it.