raria

Clearly there are lots of benefits to losing weights. But what about any negative side effects.

I went from 250 to 175 and I found two. The first is a big one so big that I wonder if it was all worth it. The second is just annoying and more missed opportunities.. Does any one else have other negative effects?

1) The Big One. Eating Food is No longer Fun or Exciting.

250lb Raria would look forward to eating a big old steak, eating a slab of ribs, brisket, nice piece of pie. You get the picture :-) It was heaven and gave me great pleasure to eat. I used to eat out 2-3 times a week. Now 175lb Raria sees eating as fraught with danger. I just can't bring myself to eat all those nice foods I enjoyed because I know then I'll have to skip eating another meal or two. Worst, I don't even like to eat this type of food anymore. It's as though something in my brain got changed and it no longer gets me excited. Even worst, eating salads, vegetables etc just don't get me excited. All in all, I'm just not excited to eat food right now.

2) The Effect on My Health Was Good But Not Amazing.

So the positives are I now fit into nice clothes, my H1C1 is acceptable, low blood pressure. But my cholesterol readings did not change enough to get of the meds. I'm still on Lipitor. Also, my attention span did not increase, my frustation levels did not decrease. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but the Drs were telling me all sorts of amazing health, pscyhological and emotional benefits of weight loss.

ColonelSanders

How old are you?


Now that you are down to 175lbs, you should be able to add running to your fitness regime.


Back in the day when I lost a lot of weight, it allowed me to do such extreme amounts of exercise, that I could burn off large meals of the sort you mention, provided I didn't do it more than twice a week.

raria

Perhaps I'm not explaining this well enough.

The anticipation, enjoyment if eating has all but vanished. So it's not just worrying about burning off the calories.

ColonelSanders

But is that anticipation and enjoyment being diminished by your fear that you may not be able to burn off the calories and end up returning to 250lbs?


If you have a vigorous exercise regime where if you don't eat more, you will become a stick man, will enable you to enjoy your food again as you tuck into certain higher calorie foods.

KraneXL

You are not. Try separating pros and cons into categories. For example, physical vs psychological. A physical con could be you're more athletic so people may ask you to do things for them more than before.

Another cons would be you have to buy new clothes. Or at least get the ones you have altered. I can't think of any examples of negatives from losing weight unless you consider psychological elements which vary from person to person.

For instance some people don't like a lot of attention and when you were fat nobody bothered you but now that you are fit and buff, everyone want to talk to you or challenge you or something.

Oneder

A large part of health is just genetic. It's a fantasy to think you can control it completely. If you are on an HMO or NHS they emphasize prevention simply so they don't have to actually treat you very much, it is about cost cutting more than health. 150 lb Raria is not going to live to 100 if 250 lb Raria was not going to live to 97. Also there is a school of thought that Lipitor is a complete waste of time, and reducing your cholesterol does nothing at all since it is basically just a marker, something you should look into since Lipitor is such a nasty drug.

Everything can benefit from moderation, even diet. If you don't like being 175 lb Raria maybe 200 lb Raria would be more bearable.

rgconner

Random people come up and try to start conversations with me after losing 60 lbs.

I wish they would stop interrupting what I am doing!

Milton Keynes

Re: #1 : Sounds like you need to reevaluate your relationship with food. Eat to live, don't live to eat.

Personally I've lost 50 lbs. and am still working on losing about 20-30 more. However I still enjoy eating. But I know that I just have to eat less of what I enjoy rather than piling on seconds or thirds. The food is still enjoyable, still tastes very good, and I still look forward to meals. However, part of my personal weight loss plan is slowing down and actually enjoying the taste & texture of my food instead of shoveling it down my throat. I have adopted the philosophy that if I'm going to take on the calories in my food, I'm at least going to enjoy it.

Re: #2 . There are some medical issues which are just always going to be beyond our control. Cholesterol is one of them. Scientists and doctors are slowly coming around to the idea that cholesterol levels are more genetic/hereditary than caused by diet. Not that I think we should gorge on junk food, because that's definitely not healthier, but look at all the other benefits of eating healthy and losing weight. Personally, my blood pressure which before was a bit on the high side has become normal, I can now sleep on my back without my snoring sounding like a chain saw running at full blast, I have more energy, I can fit my clothes and actually wear smaller pants now, I look a heck of a lot better than I did and don't mind seeing pictures of myself now, people who haven't seen me in a while ask me if I've lost weight and mention how good I look, and psychologically I feel a lot better about my health and how I look which has given me the desire and willpower to keep losing weight. Just a few more pounds and I will be at the lowest weight I've been in years, and will go from being "obese" to "overweight" by BMI standards. Plus not being as heavy means I can power my bike up hills a lot easier than it was before, and move a bit faster on flats.

The thing is that even with weight loss, you still have to exercise daily in order to maintain your health. I'm sure you're doing this with cycling. But even then that doesn't mean your health is going to be perfect. You're just going to be in better shape than someone who's 50 pounds heavier than you and living a sedentary lifestyle. Just don't fall into the trap of "well, exercising didn't make my health perfect, so might as well sit on the couch."

Really, the only downside I've noticed from losing weight is that I tend to get cold a lot easier than before. If only I could get my wife to stop turning the a/c down to 70. I freeze at that temperature now.

winston63 

Yes, this is my philosophy as well. I've been maintaining at my target weight for about 3 years now after losing 50 pounds (was 5'8, 200, now 150 lbs) and I really enjoy food as much as ever. Just not as much of it!

But I don't usually deny myself any specific foods. I will make trade-off choices though. If I'm getting the bacon cheeseburger I'll get a salad with dressing on the side and just make sure it all fits into my calorie budget. I usually include craft beer in my allocation as well, but don't generally do sweets or deserts. I do ride a fair bit, probably not nearly as much as some here, but I attempt to get some good cardio in on a regular basis. Last month I managed about 650 km distance, some of that in fast rides that burned some significant calories.

I echo the downside you mentioned as well: I get cold much more easily than before. Also, when I lost the weight I felt like a sack of bones when I would lie down to sleep! it was a weird feeling, but I found it difficult to get comfortable without all that body fat, almost like I could feel my bones rattling against one another. I'm over that now though.

I suppose having to buy new clothes was sort of a downside, but on the other hand it was amazing to finally be able to fit into small sizes and feel like I looked good in what I was wearing.

CreakingCrank

From WebMD "When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine." I suspect the brain reacts to food (and other things) in much the same way. Perhaps in the past, a persistent intake of fatty foods triggered a chemical reaction that gave you that fun/excited feeling. If so, it seems logical that the brain could learn to react to other foods similarly ... even vegetables. I eat fruit now and wonder how I never wanted to reach for fruit in the past. Just a thought.

KraneXL

If that's true -- and not just internet hyperbole -- then you've gone too far in the wrong directions and need therapy to get back on track.

FrenchFit 

True: I recall heading for the restaurant excited about the meal, now I worried about the balance between protein, fat & carbs and whether I am going to get into an arguemnt with the menu. Buzz kill, the life has gone out of feasting...seriously. And there is no going back.

It sorta reminds me of taking Total Quality Management training decades ago, they warned that you were going to see quality problems in everything afterwards, and they were right. It is a services buzz kill.

I think you'll have to agree to find your fun and excitement elsewhere.

Abu Mahendra

1. Your body mass has decreased, but the psychology, if not pathology of obesity remains. You will only have truly shed weight, and be immune to pendulum swings in body mass once you have conquered the psychology, yourself.

2. Good genes account for a lot. You may not have them, or your previous obesity may have done permanent, irreparable damage.
​

Milton Keynes

Oh yes, I was amazed at how my body felt more hard & bony and less blubbery & soft. Never had trouble getting comfortable, though.

Clyde1820

You can still have the things you ate previously. But you're now capable of having those things in strict moderation. The enjoyment can still be there. The tastes are still there. The quantity shouldn't need to be there, to drive enjoyment. Instead, the quality and the moments with others should be able to replace those previous thoughts.


Try seeing it as an opportunity. "Salad" is something that means different things to different people, all over the world. There are endless ways to combine fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices in ways that'll get people interested in foods all over again. Consider it a challenge, to find the combinations that'll work for you.

I've seen many people call this a salad: iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, a couple of florets of broccoli, and dressing. To me, that's about as uninspiring and tasteless as it gets.

Instead, here's what I call a salad: chard and mustard greens, a wide variety of root and other vegetables, orange slices, grated cheese, an egg, sunflower seeds, with a homemade mustard/spice blend. Knocks the flavors out of the park. It's an entirely different food as compared to the (iceberg lettuce) "salad" above.


If it hasn't been but a few months, you've only seen the initial signs things have changed.

You might recall that when you originally, as a younger person, began athletics, it was initially hard and didn't have many physical or psychological rewards. But as physical prowess improved and you kept at it, a variety of benefits began accruing.

Same thing will likely happen now. Endorphins, for example, don't come easily to the average person who's "exercising." But it comes fairly regularly to folks who are focused and challenge themselves in a variety of physical ways. (ie, running 3mi is blah, but a hard 5-miler can leave you feeling jazzed though tired from the exertion. Big difference, when you do it "right.")


IMO, a change (plus or minus) in weight, alone, doesn't itself alter the psychological. Attention, frustration, focus, determination, ease, serenity/peace, satisfaction ... all the variety of pros/cons that come from engaging differently with people and activities.

Try doing some new things. Or, with old exercising try doing them in new and challenging ways. For example, cycling can be great, but harder "trail" runs on a mountain bike with friends can be an entirely different experience. You might find that the mere fact it gets you out into the natural world with others is what blows your mind (psychologically), as compared to your normal and customary cycling "exercise."

Again, the weight itself is merely one aspect. You've now had that one shackle removed from your experiences. Though, now the "hard" work begins, for re-engaging with the world and with others differently. You can now exercise more strenuously than before, trying new things. You can now participate in challenges and other opportunities that you previously might have found difficult or impossible. Your long-term health IS going to be better, given your overall improved focus on keeping it that way.

Agreed, on separating the physical from the psychological. You've now unleashed more future potential, physically. Once you've "banked" more of the healthy changes and incorporated them into how you engage with the world, the psychological aspects will tend to come.


Some suggestions to consider: learn to cook, starting with one or two dishes that you once loved, finding a variety of ways to prepare them that'll excite you again; add one or two physical activities you've always wanted to do but couldn't previously, then find a way to love those activities.

Rootman

I had a great experience, almost diametrically opposite yours. I was morbidly obese, over 400 pounds. I had vertical gastric sleeve done. I lost 200 pounds in the course of a little over a year.

• My cholesterol dropped like a rock, in fact my doctor recommended I add some fats back into my diet.
• My borderline diabetes went away, in fact I tended to be hypoglycemic
• My borderline high blood pressure dropped to norm
• My testosterone wen though the roof. We cut back the dosage, Changed the time between dosages but I just could not drop below a sky high amount. I eventually dropped it all together.
• I still have a schatzki ring that made me vomit when I (all to often) ate to rapidly. I no longer have issues with it
• My mental health improved dramatically, instead of sitting on my arse eating all the time I got out an did stuff - including riding
• This is 8 years later and a recent checkup was stellar, everything in the norm range

Unfortunately, I let household projects interfere with my biking and skipped a lot of rides to work around the house. Then had a double partial tear in my rotator cuff and a dislocated thumb take me out of action for almost 2 years. I gained back 50 pounds. It takes surprisingly just a few more bites of food each meal to gain back weight very slowly. I just recently started to get back into biking and am having difficulties getting up hills a lot more. I am planning to stick with it. I had also gotten very morose over the past 2 years and didn't even realize it, I just let it envelope me and accepted it as the norm. I have noticed a notable uptick in my mood since starting to walk and bike again.

So, it IS possible. Unfortunately for the OP it wasn't as big a "cure" as he had hoped. For some of us it is. Other just have different bodies and respond totally different to weight loss. A close personal friend of mine always criticized me for taking the "easy way out" by having gastric surgery. Well, here I am 8 years later still 150 pounds lighter and out doing stuff and he is confined to home after having a series of heart attacks and strokes. No one can tell if it would have been avoided by weight loss, all I know is that he sealed his fate by refusing to do anything about his weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.

pvillemasher

This is not a negative effect of losing weight, it's a negative effect of changing your diet.
An example of a negative effect of losing weight is that you need to buy new clothes, or you get pushed out of the way at the Black Friday sale, something like that.

When I changed my diet I found that when I did eat "indulgence" foods I enjoyed them much more because I didn't eat them as often. And I didn't eat those types of food as often because I wanted to be healthy, not only to keep the weight off.
If you want to keep the weight off you can eat those foods, just burn more calories or eat less of them.

Milton Keynes

The thing is that weight loss surgery is not the easy way out. My wife had it a few years back, and it's not simply as easy as getting the surgery and magically losing weight. You have to modify your entire life, mainly what you eat and how much. And if you don't stick with that, you can easily gain the weight back. Weight loss surgery is not a magic cure, it's a tool. And "easy way out" or not, it's needed in cases of morbid obesity in order to get weight down quickly and safely so weight-related medical problems don't sideline someone before they have a chance to lose weight and get healthy. And at least it's a step in the right direction by doing something about your situation instead of just sitting on the couch.

Oneder

Weight loss surgery is often dangerous and can come undone and have complications, of course so is being 400 lbs plus. Being 250 lbs is not the same as being 400+. At very high weights you are living on borrowed time.

brawlo

I used to judge the "quality" of food and serveries by the volume of what you were served. Since embarking on my proper weight loss journey I started by reducing portion sizes, but then more recently (in the past 2 years) I started cutting back or out certain foods, especially carbs. What I then found was I wasn't chasing serving size, what ignited my taste buds was chasing flavour. These days quality and taste are the highest of priority for me, and I am very disappointed when eating out if the flavour is not up to expectation, but TBH that is a rarity. I have become much more friendly and knowledgeable with spices for flavour enhancement

Genetics can be grand! What I have found from my wife's journey is, while she is cursed with genetic issues that she will never overcome, she has worked progressively at her diet to isolate certain foods that cause her issue and eliminated them. Perhaps further work may find you success if similar food issues affect you

raria

I was beginning to think it was just me. How long have you felt like this? For me its been about a year. I was hoping things would go back to normal (love of food wise) but nah.

Just this weekend. I had a stack of money to spend and normally I would have treated myself to a great restaurant and left waddling out, burping and derliously happy. But I just couldn't do it. Because I knew if I ate a lot it would mean essentially starving for the next day or two if I didn't want to put on weight.

It reminds me of some people who are alcoholics and just can't have a drink not even one.

Milton Keynes

Yes, it's necessary for the morbidly obese who may not have the time to get down to a healthier weight on their own before suffering a major medical weight-related problem. People who are 400+ lbs are already living on borrowed time, so WLS is worth the risks.

Milton Keynes

Sounds like you might have had a slight food addiction. But yes, we do have to keep track of what we eat all the time, even at restaurants. If we're planning on eating out on a certain night, that day I will purposefully eat very little in order to be able to enjoy dining out without feeling guilty and putting on a lot of weight. I'm not saying I gorge myself when we eat out, but restaurant meals tend to be very high calorie.

One of the major changes to my attitude toward food is learning to slow down and enjoy what I eat rather than just shovel it down my gullet like I used to. Yes, I did taste it but usually it went down pretty fast and then here comes seconds. Now I make myself slow down and savor the food, and then wait a while to make sure I can start to feel full before eating more. Instead of just grabbing seconds or finding something else to snack on right after a meal, if I wait it gives time for my stomach to send the "I'm full" signal to my brain and I don't feel like eating more.

Of course cycling a lot more since spring finally arrived means more exercise, which means I can eat a little more if I desire. But yes, I am well aware that I can't outride the fork, so I make sure I don't try to eat back the calories my cycling app says I've burned. But if I'm on a group ride cycling to a restaurant for lunch, I don't feel too guilty about treating myself to good food I might not usually eat. Although on the Tuesday evening rides to DQ, I still avoid getting ice cream.

FrenchFit 

A couple of years, I assume it's a forever thing. A nice big salad is the exception, assuming there aren't croutons or fried onion rings hiding in the salad, I can devour the bowl and have a great time doing it. But going out to dinner? - I've become pretty suspicious and picky. I do cheat from time to time, but I don't enjoy as much as I think I might pre-feast.

I went into See's candy to buy a present today, they tried to give me a free sugary chocolate. I looked at it like it was poison. If it had been really dark, unsweetened chocolate, well that'd be a different thing...

But I've never been a 'foodie', and I suppose it would be depressing to lose something that you love.

KraneXL

Going out to eat should be an occasion. Its the time to take the day off and truly enjoy the meal. Don't think of it as cheating, rather, a reward for all your hard work.