I have some really good friends that have been extremely supportive of my weight loss efforts this past year. Today, two of my friends went with me on a very long walk (10 miles). I'm in training for a marathon walk at the end of September and I'm going to have to get a lot of walking time in over the new few months.

Anyway, my friend Raya knew that I lost 85 pounds and she asked me how much I now weigh. Before, I think I would have refused to answer it or somehow made a joke to diffuse the situation, but I flat out told her the exact number (361). It sort of felt good that I'm not ashamed of it. Maybe it is just a change in mindet, but the number on the scale doesn't really matter as much as whether every day I do the best I can to live as healthy as I can.

Being not embarassed to tell someone how much I weigh seems like good change for me.

thats something i always struggle with !!!

thanks for being an inspiration!

LOL - You have done a WONDERFUL job losing 85 lbs. You SHOULD be proud of your accomplishment.

I tell anyone that asks how much I weigh. I tell them exactly how much I have lost, and what my starting weight was. Anyone that knows me, knows that I was obese. It wasn't a secret, it was very visible to everyone that met me.

Celebrate your success, and congrats on your walking regime. That is AWESOME!

I don't think I'd be able to ask someone how much they weigh. I don't want anyone asking how much I weigh. I don't mind telling ppl how much I have lost, or how much more i'd like to lose. I think if anyone asked me, I'd smile and say too much right now, but I'm working on it.

It's very liberating for me. Once I told my obvious 'secret' to a few close people there was no turning back. It very much changed my mindset and determination. I had/have nothing to be ashamed of because I'm changing for the positive, where in the past I was doing nothing about it and wouldn't have dreamed of telling anyone.

good for you for being able to tell ppl that number! it sounds liberating. I wouldnt be able to do that, tho. Not right now. I wouldnt ask anyone how much they weigh either bc I wouldnt want to tell how much I weigh, not even my bffs, who i've known for over 10 years. i have no guts

It is very liberating to "release" that number. Suddenly it has less power over us.

I have never really understood why the number mattered. If you look great, what difference does the number make, and if you're fat, again what difference does the number make. It's not like I can pretend that I'm 100 lbs smaller or that no one will suspect I'm fat unless I tell them the number.

I don't mind sharing my weight. It's not like I walk up to strangers and say "Hi, I'm Colleen, I weigh 346 lbs," but I have found it very liberating to be able to discuss my weight and my weight loss struggles as if it were just any other normal topic, because it IS, or at least should be.

I think it's horrible that weight, weight loss efforts, diet, exercise... are often such "secret" topics. Is it any wonder that weight loss is so difficult when it's not supposed to be discussed in polite company. When if you're fat, you're not supposed to be seen exercising, or (gasp) even worse engaged in a fun active lifestyle (swimming, dancing, bicycling, even walking... (horror of horrors) in public.



I am fat.

interesting topic--
Now that I am losing weight I don't mind telling people how much I weigh (people don't usually ask though), but I NEVER would have before. I know the number is only moving downwards so it's just my current weight for the next few days/weeks and will soon be lower.

Same here! The thing that I find hard though is that people look at me when I say I have over 20lbs still to lose and I get the normal 'you look fine' 'you don't need to lose anymore!' blah blah etc

Since when has it become the norm for people to still be overweight and for that to be fine No wonder we're facing problems with our health as a society

I have finally told my husband how much I weigh...that was hard! (Although not an issue for him.)

I find that the more I talk numbers the more I get caught up in them. I don't tell my weight or how much I have lost. I'm really trying to focus on being okay with myself and enjoying other things rather than the numbers. (I should say that when I am at my most obsessive I can get on the scale several times a day...perhaps that is why I try to stay away from specific numbers with others.)

The important thing is how I look and feel. I have a skinny sister, and was stunned to find out that she weighed about 20 pounds more than I would have guessed...and no one would think she is one bit overweight, including her doctors!

We get so caught up in numbers...

Pandora

It doesn't bother me to tell people how much I now weigh nor how much I started it. It never has. It's a number on the scale. I try to not let it define who I am.

Ya know, I would say a good majority of folks who ask me my number I would tell. Like Colleen, I don't volunteer it, but if someone is really THAT interested, may as well share!

It also has kind of a good shock factor. Folks I have chosen to disclose to have said, "Really? I would not have guessed that you weighed that much!" Plus folks that know me have seen me do my ballroom dancing, and they are amazed at how graceful a 300+ lb woman can be!!

Wow, that is so great. I wish i had the courage and confidence to tell people how much i weigh. The only people are the doctor, people who weigh me at the gym, and all the great people here. I love that atleast here i dont have to hide my weight or how much i want to lose. Good Job!

Wow--such brave folks on this board. I'm not there yet, but I'm a very private person.