I keep hitting on about this but it really does feel unpleasant from time to time. I keep feeling so very emotional now I have lost a lot of weight and, to be honest, it gets worse the more weight I lose.

Some days I feel stupidly vulnerable - like a little girl. Even tearful. And it catches me in places I really do not want to feel like that, mostly at work.

I have no idea why. And it is very unlike me as I am a manly man, some would say to the extreme. For example, I don't cry even at funerals.

It's not a desire to comfort eat, it just feels weird. Like I am out of sorts.

And I do not get it.

Somedays I feel so overwhelmed with the progress I've made that the thought of gaining it back makes me shut down. I think about others that I've met that have gained 100 lbs back and I'll think if it happened to them, why not me?

I also have a lot of anxiety about my goal. It's now at 165. That's 4 lbs away. But now I'm thinking I want to go to 155, so is celebrating 165 as my goal a lie to myself and others?

I'm on a structured diet plan and will switch to a less intense plan on June 26th, which will slow my weight loss from 2 lbs a week to .5 lbs a week. Once you switch you can't go back for 3 months. My coach and nurse are supporting me in this, but I still worry that I will regret not pushing on another month.

This morning I put on a shirt I bought 3 weeks ago and it's really too big. I've only worn it twice so far. Should I be happy or sad? I feel both at the same time and it's really frustrating. I know I should be happy but I'm mad at myself for spending the money, but I needed clothes for work at the time!

I guess my post didn't really add anything other then I can empathize. I am having emotional issues, too

I have found in my life that whenever I experience a big change; whether it's weight loss, moving, changes jobs, boyfriends work changing.. any change will bring on emotions. Not always bad and not always good. Just emotions in general. I think it's completely normal and a bit of a good thing to be able to be emotional about something so big and fantastic in your life. It almost shows how much you might have been bottling things up before, stress, life, your weight. And all that is letting go. It's a bit of a "weight" off your shoulders.

No worries

I've been told that estrogen can be released when losing fat- even in males.
:: shrugs :: Could be that.

lunarsongbird, I've heard and read similar and was thinking along these lines as well. What role do hormones place in weight loss? Of course we're all invested and can see the physical difference of losing weight, but behind the scenes (internally, I mean) there is a whole other 'drama' unfolding, overwhelmingly good, but also probably unsettling for a time as your body adjusts.

Fat cells store estrogen, so as you are losing weight your hormones really are changing! Once you start maintaining, it will probably level off and you will feel more yourself.

But also part of it is what Remington90 said. Your body and your life is changing and that can bring emotional stress, even if the change is for the better. Hopefully as you continue to lose weight or maintain you will start to adjust to the way you look now, you won't think of it as more normal rather than such a change.

I don't really have any advice for you, but I wanted to let you know you're not the only one going through this.

I've heard from various people how stoic I can be on occasion, but I have noticed more emotions pouring out of me. I'll watch a movie and start crying. I use to be the other person sitting in the room wondering why everyone else was crying.

Sorry Ian, it would be hard to feel like you're not yourself emotionally. Have you spoken to your MD about it? Or are your certain it is related to weight loss?Luckily for me, I cry over news stories and sad movies regularly...so nobody will be surprised by any additional weight loss emotions.

I'm a highly emotional person in the first place but I think my emotions run a little high now as I feel like people expect more out of me than before.

When I was heavy, everyone just assumed I wasn't good for anything because of my looks/weight/persona. Now with my new looks I think I have more confidence and appear to others that I'm "on the go" now (I'm really not but it must be people's perception because I'm more visible now leaving my house for exercise and such).

Everyone wants a piece of my time now (and I've had 2 more neighbors ask to join me on my walks...but that's another thread!) and I just don't have it for them. My time is MINE and my husband's and emotionally nothing has changed with the stress I'm dealing with in my doctor's appointments, etc. But I "appear" more put together and out there for people to approach and that's overwhelming to me! I might have liked it better when I was invisible to everyone and no one cared to talk to me or acknowledge me....

My theory? Diet and activity as well as changes to diet and activity affect the biochemistry of the brain and hormones, which messes with our thoughts, logic circuits, and emotions.

I used to believe that I was obese due to serious emotional problems, but now I believe that I had it backwards - I strongly suspect that the way I ate and dieted CAUSED the emotional issues.

If I overeat processed carbs or try to restrict calories too much with starvation diets, or attempt to make any too-drastic, too-rapid lifestyle changes, my emotions and non-logical thought processes go nutty-haywire.

I think a heightened emotional state is pretty normal during weight loss for men and women. My husband I have more arguments (and insanely illogical ones) when we're both trying to lose weight than when neither or just one of us is. When we're both working at lifestyle, we literally have to avoid certain topics, and for the most part stay out of each other's weight loss. Otherwise we set each other up for no-win situations. Otherwise it seems that everything the other says or does is interpreted as either condescending, controlling or enabling. Food cop or saboteur.

If the emotions are interfering with your life or enjoyment of life, talk to your doctor. There are meds that can help, if it comes to that. To some degree, I think it's normal and unavoidable.

It's primarily that, along with the hormonal shifts that commonly occur in weight loss (it messes with your hpa axis, not just insulin levels and excess estrogen).

Don't worry, maintenance calories will cause those symptoms to subside. They're very likely temporary to your current state of loss

(Not a doctor, not medical advice, just a learned amateur, blah blah disclaimer blah)

Your body has gone through alot! Give your self time to get use to the new normal!
I have experienced the whirlwind of emotions ....think it is part of the process ....you have reconfigured your body ...now your head has to got to reboot so they mesh again!
You have done an awesome job!
I worked on the outside ...weightloss...now I am doing interior design....stimulating the brain and recreating a New Good that replaces where the food once occupied to comfort me .
I am a work in progress exterior is easy for the world to see...the inner restructuring is vital to being emotionally balanced and able to handle the maintenance phase of the whole process!
Give yourself some time to adjust...I had my PCP give me a check up and had all my labs checked out ...and had the tires rotated and the oil changed!
It gave me great peace of mind knowing I was on the right track and in a much healthier place
Good Luck,Roo2

You're so not alone on this. I've been so hard on myself lately. Logically I know I'm a pretty great person - I'm a good mom, great friend, awesome teacher, okay spouse, etc., but emotionally I think I hate myself. Some of the things I think about myself I would NEVER think about another person...

For me, over eating was a way to shut down my emotions, to stuff them away even as I stuffed food in my mouth. As I've changed my diet, I've found that I feel my emotions more. It's hard to describe. This has been both good and bad. When I'm happy, I'm really happy. But when my anxiety disorder kicks in, Katy, bar the door. I have to confess that I will still, from time to time, eat to stuff my emotions. But those times are happening less and less.

ETA: The posts about weight loss releasing estrogen are very interesting. Does anyone have any sources to share? I'd like to read more about it.

I'm hoping someone can add sources too. All of the ones I have bookmarked are specific to cancer. (When I found out the estrogen in my fat cells was feeding my cancer, the weightloss mission started almost immediately as I was grossed out. Who knew this could happen?? Needless to say, I put my fat cells on a diet and practically starved them to death! Medically supervised, of course!)