LOSE WEIGHT AND LIFE CHANGES - The changes go well beyond the numbers in the scale!

Even if you have never been very overweight or obese, I am sure you've heard that when someone loses a lot of weight, they will feel better and have much more energy. But the changes that take place once you start dropping a lot of weight go well beyond energy levels, or the number on the scale, or even the new clothes you get to buy. Those changes go beyond your inner self, as the world around you changes so much that it is emotionally difficult for me to even think of the world I left behind. Below, I share some insights on some of these changes, starting with the most obvious and moving towards the most surprising.

Weight Down = Energy up!

ENERGY - The most obvious change is how much your health improves as your weight drops. My personal story includes my high blood pressure coming down to normal levels and my bad-knee no longer needed to be operated on. But regardless of any personal health issues, a common thread will be that you have a lot more energy. It is a vicious cycle as the heavier you become, the harder it is for you to get out and move. Simply going through an average sedentary routine used to get me exhausted and headed to the couch (along with some dessert). But as you start to lose the weight and become accustomed to your new active life-style, the energy level starts to rise, and it becomes naturally easier to be more active and lose more weight. Nowadays, I will sometimes have the urge to burn off extra energy at the end of the day or I might even have trouble falling asleep. An interesting note though: if you try to lose weight by starving yourself, you will not only be sabotaging any chance of long term weight-loss (see here), but you will definitely not feel any new energy.

EATING HABITS - And I am not talking about simply eating LESS. Of course moderation and eating smarter is crucial, but as you become healthier, your body starts to ask for healthier food on its own. And this happens almost sub-consciously and it is more like your taste for food simply changes. Don't get me wrong, I am still a chocoholic and I just enjoyed a nice Brazilian churrasco this last weekend! But I also crave eating a good salad or eat fruits for dessert BY CHOICE, not because "I have to". Even Coca-Cola is officially off the menu and instead I find myself wanting to drink a lot more water! This is a very very gradual change and again, the vicious cycle is in full force here, as I couldn't image eating what I used to eat when I was heavier.

Weight Down = Self-Esteem Up!

APPEARANCE (Inner AND Outer) - This may seem like the most obvious change, but when you consider your inner beauty, this change is dramatically more considerable than one would imagine. Weight gain happens gradually and there is an enormous amount of emotional toll involved with the failed diets and the realization that you are losing the battle as your weight keeps increasing. The vicious cycle comes back again as the emotional stress is usually soothed by more food. Over-eating for me was not about being physically hungry, it was about being emotionally broken. It got so bad that I felt like I was literally less than a human-being and avoided even being photographed at all costs (it took me quite a while to dig up the photos I used here). As the weight dropped, I started not only looking better and enjoying buying all the new clothes, but I started to once again feel good about myself, about being a human being again, and finally being proud of who I was.

SOCIAL LIFE - This may come hand in hand with better appearance and higher self-esteem, but people treat you differently when you lost weight. This is probably the biggest change and source of the biggest pains I endured while being obese. The sad reality is that many people put a lot of importance into appearance as a measure of worthiness. I remember walking into the same store in a nice neighborhood after losing a lot of weight and the treatment was so different it was shocking. At the time, it was a huge ego-boost, but looking back, it makes me angry that my former heavier-self was suddenly not worthy of good service and personable attention. Yeah, it's fun to be the token fat guy in the group, but being treated as being less than a human being gets really tiresome. I won't go too far into this, but it's a lot worse than people imagine, and I am sure that although I topped off at 310lbs (140kgs) it gets exponentially worse as the weight increases from there. And unfortunately, that struggle is very evident when you try to become active and you get hackled or judged for trying to run or ride a bike while being overweight. No Tour-de-France cyclist deserves being applauded more than an overweight cyclist first getting on a bike in an attempt to change their life!

I will also admit that although my weight is no longer a physical problem, psychologically, it has left me traumatized. Although I have found an approach that has worked for me, I don't look at food the same way as most people, and any sign of weight gain sends me into a whirlwind of emotions. The moral of the story is: Weight loss is as much an emotional as it is a physical process, and the key is that as the weight comes down, the process get much easier and you feel much better. So keep it up!