[ImpalaHoarder]

I fell down an internet hole today and ended up reading a whole bunch about how weight loss when you are fat your whole life prior to it can have permanent negative effects, and it ended up making me really depressed and anxious about the whole weight loss thing. I want to lose weight, and I'm just not physically comfortable at the weight I am, but I have a touch of the hypochondria and I would really like to feel 100% sure that I'm doing a good thing for my body.

So for my peace of mind: How has your guys' health changed as you lost weight? Has it gotten any better, and if so, in what way? How has your quality of life changed? Mental health?

Thanks for indulging my crazy!

[PrairieQueen]

It has been 1000x worth it in every way. I am almost off my bp meds, I have so much energy which adds to the weight loss because I exercise more, I am more confident, and I am more outgoing again. My husband now is healthier and my mom is jumping on the bandwagon. Good health is contagious. I have friends and acquaintances asking for advice all the time. I try to be as supportive and encouraging as possible. I want everyone to feel as great I as I do.

[Lexxiss]

I work at a restaurant so I get to see daily eating habits of a lot of different people. One of the lowest weight girls is always eating the worst foods. I learned recently that she has high cholesterol and is prediabetic. So it's not always about the actual weight. It's certainly possible to be low or normal weight and not be healthy.

I've lost a substantial amount of weight and somewhere midway I drastically changed my eating habits. Previously, I had simply counted calories and was not concerned about what I ate. I was still on blood pressure meds and had high cholesterol. At 230 pounds I switched to a healthy diet. Within several months I was off my blood pressure meds and my cholesterol ratios started coming down. I used to check my blood pressure two or three times a day because I was always freaked out about it. I haven't checked for months. It's just not an issue anymore that feel super fantastic.

I, too, have so much energy. Sometimes I can't believe it's really me. Some people would look at my ticker and say I needed to lose more weight. Well maybe I do but at this point I am super healthy and am working on changing my entire lifestyle.

[dmnoland]

Originally Posted by ImpalaHoarder

So for my peace of mind: How has your guys' health changed as you lost weight? Has it gotten any better, and if so, in what way? How has your quality of life changed? Mental health?

Thanks for indulging my crazy!

Your not crazy. That article about the biggest loser had me thinking as well.
Other than being overweight I was generally healthy before the weight loss.
I have has issues with my back and I have one knee that has given me problems since I injured it as a kid. I would visit the chiropractor about once a month.
Since losing 75 lbs I have had almost zero problems. Since I exercise a lot and play sports I will from time to time overdo things and suffer a pulled muscle or 2 but those are sports injuries and no longer related to weight.
While my physical quality of life has improved my mental has gone both ways. I had been overweight since I was 7 years old. (Still not quite sure how a 7 year old gets fat.) I grew up in the late 70's/early 80's and I don't really remember any other kids being overweight. I never felt like a "real" person. Always seemed like I was destined to be fat forever and not worthy of friendship/love/respect/relationships etc, etc.
That part has all changed. I respect myself more than ever and my self confidence has greatly improved.
As I was nearing goal I used to compare myself to a lot of people wondering about their weight and health habits but I've let that go for the most part.
Now what has not improved or gotten worse: my unending pursuit of perfection. When I was around 200 I picked a goal weight of 129. 129 being the lowest weight in the large frame male, middle weight of the medium frame, it seemed like an almost impossible goal but if reached surely I would be thin and happy, right?
Well 129 without lifting weights did not look so great and I was certainly not happy. I've been lifting now for about 6 months and seeing improvements slowly. I'm almost at 125 and I could go as low as 115 but my brain keeps playing mind games. What if 125 doesn't look good? 120? 115? Where does it stop? I'm still not sure. My body may decide for me because losing at my height and weight is getting more difficult with each pound lost.
Also there is the body image. Even though I've been at goal since early July I'm still not sure what I look like to other people. I look at myself in the mirror and while I no longer see 200 lb me I don't see 125 lb me. The only way to get a sense of my real image is to take a picture or video of myself.
Additionally, since I'm still trying to go lower, my diligence with food and exercise has me so mentally focused that I tend to neglect many basic things in life like cleaning house, paying bills, car maintance, etc, so that's not healthy.
Finally I find myself refusing to date until I reach my own version of perfection. That's not to say I look for perfection in others, just myself.
I actually prefer women with curves and a little extra weight over impossibly thin yet that is what I expect of myself.
Kind of messed up, isn't it?