Big Weight Loss Crew: What Surprised You Most?

bayardtrustin

bayardtrustin

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I'd like to hear from people who've dropped a lot of weight. Which parts have been the best, and which the worst?

Personally, I'm down 111 lbs, and overall the shifts have been amazing.

Highlights:

  • Finding an entirely different sense of style (clothes are genuinely fun now)
  • Flying is much simpler and far more pleasant
  • Every health marker looks great

Low points:

  • Hard chairs are rough 😩
  • I chill much faster than before
I'm eager to hear other people's stories. Particularly the surprising bits that rarely come up.
 
That first winter once I was down 100# was absolutely miserable.

Beyond that, I didn't pick up on much else. Bending over to lace up my boots got simpler without my stomach blocking me. Getting around on my motorcycle during track days and races also became simpler.

I ended up replacing my whole wardrobe plus a new race suit. Several people wondered out loud whether I'd been ill.
 
83 lbs gone, and I'm holding steady.

Flying, without a doubt! Beyond just having more room in the seat, these days I'm typically pulling the belt tighter than the previous passenger left it, instead of letting it out nearly all the way. 🙂

Strangers treat me better when I'm out and about. Unfortunate, yet accurate. 🙂

Friends of my husband and kids say I'm hot. 🤭

No more perspiring from the tiniest bit of warmth or effort. 🙂

Needing a whole new wardrobe. 🙁

Loose skin hanging on my belly and beneath my chin. 🙁

And yes, hard chairs. 🙁
 
Down 400lbs, which is 1/3 of what I used to weigh. Male, mid fifties.

The best part: staying alive is #1.

Actually being the skinniest person in the room, which happened a few times.

Fitting into 30 inch jeans and a large shirt, instead of 58 inch and 7X.


Never becoming Diabetic.

The worst part: my body has been orthopedically destroyed, and after 13 operations it's getting old. I've got 2 more probably coming in the next year and 1/2 likely. Up to 1/2 of my year goes to physical therapy plus stuff at home, building toward the next surgery. The neck and back haven't even been addressed yet. I really hate needing this much medication every day just to function. fortunately peptides do help calm the waters.
 
RubbaDubba1 said:

Down 400lbs, which is 1/3 of what I used to weigh. Male, mid fifties.

The best part: staying alive is #1.

Actually being the skinniest person in the room, which happened a few times.

Fitting into 30 inch jeans and a large shirt, instead of 58 inch and 7X.


Never becoming Diabetic.

The worst part: my body has been orthopedically destroyed, and after 13 operations it's getting old. I've got 2 more probably coming in the next year and 1/2 likely. Up to 1/2 of my year goes to physical therapy plus stuff at home, building toward the next surgery. The neck and back haven't even been addressed yet. I really hate needing this much medication every day just to function. fortunately peptides do help calm the waters.
Click to expand...
🤔

Is that a mistake, or an unbelievably great outcome?
 
tubby said:

RubbaDubba1 said:

Down 400lbs, which is 1/3 of what I used to weigh. Male, mid fifties.

The best part: staying alive is #1.

Actually being the skinniest person in the room, which happened a few times.

Fitting into 30 inch jeans and a large shirt, instead of 58 inch and 7X.


Never becoming Diabetic.

The worst part: my body has been orthopedically destroyed, and after 13 operations it's getting old. I've got 2 more probably coming in the next year and 1/2 likely. Up to 1/2 of my year goes to physical therapy plus stuff at home, building toward the next surgery. The neck and back haven't even been addressed yet. I really hate needing this much medication every day just to function. fortunately peptides do help calm the waters.
Click to expand...
🤔

Is that a mistake, or an unbelievably great outcome?
Click to expand...
I have no talent for typing, singing, or dancing. Yet it's no typo! Weight loss surgery happened for me 17 moon pie's back. That took off over 300lbs, I put a bunch back on, and then Tirz came along. At my peak I was 588lbs — or a 1/4 ton of fun.
 
Vash_ said:

That first winter once I was down 100# was absolutely miserable.

Beyond that, I didn't pick up on much else. Bending over to lace up my boots got simpler without my stomach blocking me. Getting around on my motorcycle during track days and races also became simpler.

I ended up replacing my whole wardrobe plus a new race suit. Several people wondered out loud whether I'd been ill.
Click to expand...
The odd part is that nobody wonders whether you're ill while you're still heavy!
 
bayardtrustin said:

Vash_ said:

That first winter once I was down 100# was absolutely miserable.

Beyond that, I didn't pick up on much else. Bending over to lace up my boots got simpler without my stomach blocking me. Getting around on my motorcycle during track days and races also became simpler.

I ended up replacing my whole wardrobe plus a new race suit. Several people wondered out loud whether I'd been ill.
Click to expand...
The odd part is that nobody wonders whether you're ill while you're still heavy!
Click to expand...
There's something amusing about the sheer number of folks who urge you to quit shedding pounds.
 
cheaperseeker said:

83 lbs gone, and I'm holding steady.

Flying, without a doubt! Beyond just having more room in the seat, these days I'm typically pulling the belt tighter than the previous passenger left it, instead of letting it out nearly all the way. 🙂

Strangers treat me better when I'm out and about. Unfortunate, yet accurate. 🙂

Friends of my husband and kids say I'm hot. 🤭

No more perspiring from the tiniest bit of warmth or effort. 🙂

Needing a whole new wardrobe. 🙁

Loose skin hanging on my belly and beneath my chin. 🙁

And yes, hard chairs. 🙁
Click to expand...
I can really relate to this! At work, I've noticed that I get treated with more respect. My guess is that it comes down to how much better my suits fit now.
 
RubbaDubba1 said:

Down 400lbs, which is 1/3 of what I used to weigh. Male, mid fifties.

The best part: staying alive is #1.

Actually being the skinniest person in the room, which happened a few times.

Fitting into 30 inch jeans and a large shirt, instead of 58 inch and 7X.


Never becoming Diabetic.

The worst part: my body has been orthopedically destroyed, and after 13 operations it's getting old. I've got 2 more probably coming in the next year and 1/2 likely. Up to 1/2 of my year goes to physical therapy plus stuff at home, building toward the next surgery. The neck and back haven't even been addressed yet. I really hate needing this much medication every day just to function. fortunately peptides do help calm the waters.
Click to expand...
Wishing you all the best. Don't stop now!
 
Going down stairs the way a regular person does — no more backing down step by step.

Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, just like a regular person.

Getting socks on the way a regular person would. (Assuming I wear socks at all)
 
Vash_ said:

bayardtrustin said:

Vash_ said:

That first winter once I was down 100# was absolutely miserable.

Beyond that, I didn't pick up on much else. Bending over to lace up my boots got simpler without my stomach blocking me. Getting around on my motorcycle during track days and races also became simpler.

I ended up replacing my whole wardrobe plus a new race suit. Several people wondered out loud whether I'd been ill.
Click to expand...
The odd part is that nobody wonders whether you're ill while you're still heavy!
Click to expand...
There's something amusing about the sheer number of folks who urge you to quit shedding pounds.
Click to expand...
More often than not, it's the very people who pushed you to drop the pounds to begin with.
 
Dropping from about 250 down to 190 was a total life overhaul for me:

  • Paintball became an all-day activity I could actually keep up with
  • Climbing and covering the whole map are things I can do now
  • Getting dressed stopped being a source of stress
  • Strangers treat me in a different way
  • Running away from danger is something I can finally do
And that's only part of it...
 
My right leg can go over my left, and I can slide my right foot behind my left calf so it stays put.

My left leg works the same way.

I always assumed that only happened in books.
 
Sasquatch said:

Going down stairs the way a regular person does — no more backing down step by step.

Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, just like a regular person.

Getting socks on the way a regular person would. (Assuming I wear socks at all)
Click to expand...
Yeah, pimping crossed my mind as a career path, but I passed because I couldn't be bothered with all the drama that comes with women. Obviously! So you're telling me socks could do the trick instead? Is there really enough demand for that? I've heard about guys putting their junk in a sock while jerking off, but I had no idea anyone would actually shell out cash for it.

Right, back to the question — I'm the type who gets a kick out of one-upping others. Fitness nuts would brag about their 6-pack abs, and I always wanted to beat that. Post weight loss surgery, I ended up with a 12-pack, except the location was all wrong. It landed on my rear. six folds of skin on each side.

Oh, but the edema in my feet disappeared — the tradeoff is that lying on my side with one leg stacked on the other now hurts, because my ankles and knees grind together with barely any padding between the bones.

Also, winters used to be my favorite, summers my least. These days I still can't stand the heat, but the cold has ditched me as well. Zero tolerance left. If I was Mr. Freeze before, these days I'm just the Shiver man.

What else — oh right, at my twenty year college reunion, I was the youngest looking guy in the whole group.

On a more serious note, though: the muscle and strength I'd accumulated across 28 years of on-and-off training are gone, and when I signed up for an armwrestling contest, I had to swallow enough humble pie to feed China.
 
Oh, one more thing I left out: diabetes is gone for me now. Same with hypertension, high cholesterol, and the rest. These days it's basically a 2 on 1 handicap match — me versus the tag team of ridiculously weak muscles and ridiculously huge fat cells. And GLP's? Haven't touched them since 2022, back when I was diabetic.
 
Back when I carried a lot more weight, my balance was a mess. Stairs would catch my toe, I'd stumble on ground that was completely level, ice was a nightmare, and plenty of other awkward moments happened. Having spent a lifetime in the pool and years doing ballet, I figure I simply didn't know how to coordinate myself at twice the size I was used to. None of that is an issue now.

Being able to pull on jeans in a single digit size and zip them without a struggle is something I enjoy.

Feeling too hot is not something I miss. These days, if a flush comes over me, at least I can chalk it up to menopause.

My partner is able to get his arms completely around me. Nothing beats that.
 
HereKittyKitty said:

Back when I carried a lot more weight, my balance was a mess. Stairs would catch my toe, I'd stumble on ground that was completely level, ice was a nightmare, and plenty of other awkward moments happened. Having spent a lifetime in the pool and years doing ballet, I figure I simply didn't know how to coordinate myself at twice the size I was used to. None of that is an issue now.

Being able to pull on jeans in a single digit size and zip them without a struggle is something I enjoy.

Feeling too hot is not something I miss. These days, if a flush comes over me, at least I can chalk it up to menopause.

My partner is able to get his arms completely around me. Nothing beats that.
Click to expand...
Wait, that's incredible. I'm super clumsy, and it never crossed my mind that my weight could be behind it. Getting out of a car without looking like a total dork? Never managed that. Still, it tracks that dropping pounds would leave you lighter on your feet. Here's hoping I get that perk too lol.
 
12 months, 97 lbs lighter. Male, 61 years old.

What got better:

*97 lbs gone

*bloodwork numbers improved

*sex drive came back, along with morning erections

*I move better, get around easier, and my balance is steadier

*self-worth, self-assurance, and a sense that I fit in here

*I'm not as tired

*I bought new clothes

*looking in the mirror no longer makes me go EEEWWWW

What got worse:

*I assumed my joints and bones would THRIVE once there was less load on my musculoskeletal system. Boy, was I mistaken. Lumbar, cervical, hip, tendon, bursa, nerve, and neuropathy problems all cropped up. It's almost as if the extra weight had been hiding all of it until the pounds came off. Sure, I'd had some aches and pains here and there. But I've needed epidurals, EMT tests, potent anti-inflammatories, and even painkillers once a pinched nerve in my neck left the left side of my neck and my left shoulder/arm numb, tingly, and shooting with pain that cost me some sleepless nights. My neck had never given me trouble before, yet there it was. My right hip had never held me back, but now I have a Dx of severe osteoarthritis/degeneration, plus something called congenital stenosis of the lumbar spinal region leading to inflamed nerve roots and radiculopathy/spondylosis/somethingsomething...

Anyway, that's plenty of that...97 LBS GONE AND A GOAL IN SIGHT...never wanna go back...

Cheers y'all!

EDIT: And begone f*cking CHUB RUB (brutal year round in central Texas y'all)
 
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