As you can probably tell by my blog header, I’ve lost a good amount of weight. From 2004-2009, I lost more than 100 lbs and have kept it off since then, naturally. I’ve blogged about this a little bit before, but today I want to talk about the things that they don’t mention in those weight loss stories you read about. Because even though I lost a whole bunch of weight, I’ve been faced with a whole new set of problems that I never expected as a result.
3. You’ll lose weight in places you’d least expect.
Did you know that you can lose weight in your feet? Yeah. Neither did I.
Back in college (when I was at my heaviest), I was a shoe hound. Full on Carrie-Bradshaw-style, spend-your-rent-on-shoes addicted. Because one indulgence I could depend on when shopping – after getting upset that nothing fit or looked good, of course – was that a cute pair of shoes always fit! But after losing the weight, suddenly all of my shoes were way too big. It pained me to donate the strappy black “date night” sandals that had carried me in and out of a number of bars, restaurants, and parties. I shed a tear when I finally retired the sleek peep toe pumps I rocked while interning with the NJ Devils Marketing Team… But they were all simply too big. All told, I went from a size 10 to a size 8.5!
2. You’ll learn a lot about biology.
Sure. When I was bigger I knew what body parts were what, I just wasn’t pleased with any of them. And I knew that they “recommended” we take in 2,000 calories a day. But what the hell did I know about how many calories were in the chicken parm at the diner? Pfft.
Once I started to lose weight, though, it was like there was a whole world of biology and math that I never knew existed. A lot of it is common sense, but we didn’t talk about food issues and weight when I was growing up, and they didn’t teach this stuff in school! By working at a gym with knowledgeable trainers and group fitness instructors, I discovered what triceps were and how heart rate affects weight loss. By collaborating with a nutritionist, I learned how many calories I should eat on days I work out vs. when I’m not training, and the importance of protein in muscle recovery.
I certainly didn’t become a fountain of fitness knowledge, but I definitely picked up a bunch of healthy tips and tricks that I still call on from time to time, which I think is pretty cool!
1. Your relationships will change.
College was when I was at my heaviest. As I navigated the social waters and made new friends, I often connected with other not-stick-thin gals like me. In each new social circle I joined, there were girls in all shapes and sizes, but there was always someone to bond with over balancing our mutual love of the dining hall buffet with our desire to be thin. But then one night after (I lost most of the weight), I met up with a handful of college friends that I hadn’t seen since before the weight loss. At one point after the gang ordered another round of appetizers, I turned the plate down, saying something about not wanting to go overboard. That’s when one friend replied sarcastically, “Oh please, the skinny bitch needs to watch her weight!” And everyone had a good laugh.
I was shocked: I know she meant it jokingly, but the way she said it made me feel like she viewed me as a traitor for losing weight! I never expected someone’s opinion of me to shift so drastically, especially since I was still so new to the whole weight loss thing. I was trying to figure out what it meant to have this new body while working through some lingering food issues, but these folks didn’t see that. They just saw the weight loss. To the people who didn’t really know me very well, I didn’t look like the same girl – so I wasn’t treated like her anymore.
These are all just my own experiences – I’m sure that others in similar situations have their own discoveries too, but that’s what fascinates me. The changes I’ve gone through by going from a size 22/24 to a size 8/10 in 4 years affected a lot more than my closet, and I’m interested in exploring all of them!
Jess Runs Happy 
Awesome. I love this – and it is all SO true. I have done it more than once – lost nearly 200lbs when I was 23, and then more than 100lbs (probably ~115 as of now) when I was 46, back in 2012. I wrote about it as well last year (https://txa1265.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/things-people-in-the-100lb-club-wished-you-knew/)
The relationship thing is very interesting and true … and sad sometimes. My wife started a new job in late April, and while she laments her own weight and fitness level, in reality she is within 10-15lbs of her goal. But in her lab most of the people are significantly overweight and have bad eating habits, and she feels constantly shamed and criticized for making healthy choices. Weird.
Thanks for sharing and for such a great post. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, congrats on your weight loss accomplishments!
And you wrote such an honest, candid post, I really enjoyed reading that. It’s so true – I sometimes still feel like the girl I was 100+ lbs ago, even if I don’t look like her. Just because I lost all the weight doesn’t mean I still don’t occasionally struggle with the issues that caused me to gain it in the first place!
And OMG the trigger foods thing is SPOT ON. I know I can’t eat certain things without spiraling into binge territory, and so I can’t even have them around.
I really appreciate your comment – keep rocking and rolling, and thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
Size 24 down to 12/14/16 (you know vanity sizing lol and shoe size 10.5 down to 9!!! Its so fun and wild and emotional and crazy when you lose weight (and gain). Im fluctuating and trying hard to get back to the place i was (my lowest) but when i started gaining a bit again i was still the same size and felt it was a muscle thing. now im all about accomplishing things i never knew my body could do (spartan race, half marathon) and taking my shape in stride! xoxo so inspiring Jess!
LikeLiked by 1 person
lol I’m right there with you on the vanity sizing, gurl!! It’s frustrating. But congratulations on YOUR amazing accomplishments, what an inspiration! I know how you feel – it’s hard not to get caught up in the numbers game and compare yourself to your thinnest, but your body needs to find its balance. It’s all about the right mix of muscle that’s easiest for you to maintain. At the end of the day it’s not about the number on the scale, but how you feel and perform at your peak that truly matters! 🙂
LikeLike
You should be so proud of yourself for the positive changes you made! It hurts when others find ways to criticize you when you’re trying to do something good for yourself. It usually stems from jealousy. While it’s a little sad, when you go through such drastic changes in your life, you begin to see who is really there for you through thick and thin. And can I just say the fact that you’ve maintained your weight so well the last few years is also an amazing feat!! That’s a struggle in itself and you are winning at life, girl!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much! Every day is a chance to keep moving forward or slip backwards, and it’s a struggle sometimes but it’s worth it!
And you’re right – the ones who were meant to stick around truly have, and that’s what matters 🙂
LikeLike
Well done girl, on both your candidness and your wonderful achievements. Be very proud! You’ve achieved so much and it really is inspiring how you changed your life around for the better. Unfortunately there are always some people who will make you feel bad for doing so well, it’s ridiculous but none the less a sad fact of life. I lost a good deal of weight too and when I got to my goal, lots of people around me were always telling me to eat more and some people even said that I wasn’t me anymore. It made me feel really sad and I couldn’t understand why people would not want to support me and just be happy for me and my new positive zest for life! I think it’s particularly hurtful to find out that some of the people closest to you can fall into this category & it definitely messes with your headspace. I’ve learned to just ignore them and get my strong face on! Particularly feels good when I’m running towards the finish line of a race 😉 Hope you do too.
LikeLike
Isn’t that terrible? I would get the “You need to stop, eat something!” comment a few times and didn’t appreciate that either! But you’re right, it’s all about how we feel, which is pretty dang good! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: betrulynourished.com-nourished week june 8-12
First of all, YOU are incredible! this is AMAZING – but also, your sharing is eye opening! People will ALWAYS make comments about weight. My favorite one I get is when I say I am cold, “maybe if you had more body fat/more meat on your bones you wouldn’t be cold” Let the haters hate and do your thaaang girl 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you SO much for your kind words! You’ve got the right attitude – haters gonna hate, just brush it off! 😉
LikeLike
I shared this to Facebook because I thought it was interesting. Thanks for subscribing to my blog at werunandride.com. And sincere congrats on your journey. God Bless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for the share, and the well wishes too! I really appreciate it 🙂 Have a great day!
LikeLike