When I was overweight I had always wondered what it would be like to be skinny. I thought about what it would be like to fit into smaller clothes, what walking or running would be like, how I would feel in my own body as a thinner person. I thought about whether people would notice me, and I wondered if I would feel more like a real person. Since I have lost so much weight I thought that I would share with others who are overweight and wondering what it is like, for me at least, to essentially be in a different body.
It's more comfortable: I can say it is definitely more comfortable to have lost much of the excess fat. I can remember what it was like being so overweight that when I sat down it felt like I was just this pile of fat. My huge stomach and back fat rolls would mold me into this uncomfortable, stuffy blob. Now I feel freer. When I walk my thighs don't uncomfortably rub together. Finding looser fitting clothes is much easier since I don't have to go into the triple x's to find something that will be loose on me.
A new body: When I was overweight I felt very much like I had an apple shape. I gained weight all over, but I gained it mostly in my stomach and my back. The more I lost weight, the more I realized I was an hourglass shape. I have a very narrow waist compared to my hips, and I have a large rib cage. Because you can't choose where you gain and lose weight, and if you haven't ever been slim before, you may be surprised where your body loses the fat.When you lose the weight you are, for me at least, living in a new body. It can take a while to adjust to looking at a new person. People often wonder why people who have lost weight get their hair done and change the way they look, for me it's because I am more comfortable in my body and I feel like I deserve to find out what I feel comfortable wearing and what I like as far as style goes. When you lose the weight a whole new world of fashion opens up to you.
Being Athletic: Some people just plain don't like to exercise and they have to find what works for them to keep them moving and motivated, but for me I had always wanted to be athletic. I would always give up because it was so embarrassing jiggling about and huffing and puffing my way through exercise. You have to start slowly and work your way up but the more you challenge yourself, at least for me the better it feels. I am still not at my goal weight, but it's nice to flex my arms and see a little bit of muscle definition. It's nice to do squats and feel the muscle that I have built. It's really nice to jog or run and not run out of breath three seconds into it. Exercise can be a way to help you feel good about yourself in so many ways. For me, it lets me know I am challenging myself and doing what is evolutionarily right, humans have evolved to be active. It gives you a nice rush of feel good hormones and it can help you look better which in turn can give you more confidence.
Your Mentality: One of the most important things I would like to talk about is how your mentality will change. It can be very difficult not just physically but mentally going from being overweight and out of shape to slim and athletic. One of my motto's is: You have to go through the mental preparation before you can go through the physical transformation. I would meditate a lot when I first started working out and keeping my food journal. I would imagine what it would be like to be thin, what would I look like? How would I feel? What would I eat? When and how would I exercise? What clothes would I wear? To this day sometimes I feel like an imposter. Like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. I was always the fat kid if not the fattest kid wherever I went. I felt I had to conform to that role and it can be hard to reverse it. I am thinner now and it can be hard to adjust because sometimes I still mentally picture myself as the overweight person, then I look in the mirror and realize my mind doesn't match my body. There is a syndrome called Phantom Fat Syndrome much like people that lose a limb have phantom limb syndrome, people can have phantom fat syndrome and it that can be another challenging aspect of losing a lot of weight.
Another thing I wanted to mention as far as mentality is, losing weight will not solve anything such as depression anxiety or any other mental health problems you may have. Losing weight can make you feel more confident and it can make it easier to deal with body issues, but if you have mental health issues you need to seek help for them because losing the weight will not get rid of a chemical imbalance.
