10 Things You Only Notice Once You Lose Weight

by Liberty Stembridge, Lifestyle Columnist

Published in Lifestyle on 18^th July, 2019

You're Cooler (literally)

Excess weight acts as insulation to your body, meaning you warm up quicker and stay warmer for longer. This can often lead to discomfort in the summer months, but by losing that excess weight, your basal body temperature can lower and you'll likely feel cooler to the touch. You might need to buy a few more jumpers!

There's Less Aches And Pains

Excess weight can put a lot of strain on your joints and ligaments, simply because they are carrying more than they're designed to. When you start to lose weight, some of that pressure is relieved and you'll likely find that those little aches and pains you feel throughout the day are reduced.

You Might Find Loose Skin

An unfortunate but not often talked about side effect of weight loss is loose skin. Loose skin occurs where your skin has had to stretch to accommodate the excess weight. Once that weight is gone however, the skin tends to become loose and can sag downwards, particularly if you've lost a lot of weight very quickly.

It's important to remember however that nearly everyone has loose skin somewhere, and it's completely normal and with exercise you can reduce loose skin to tone up.

You'll Struggle To Explain It To Family And Friends

If you're family and friends have never had to deal with the struggle of losing weight and then maintaining weight loss, as well as completely changing your diet, they simply won't understand your journey. Some may say that they support you, and then act differently when you say that you don't want to go out for pizza for their birthday because you're on a diet.

Explaining the journey and all the different trials and tribulations of weight loss to them can be difficult, but that doesn't mean you won't find your real supporters along the way.

The Temptations Never Fully Go Away

A big part of weight loss is often changing your diet, and combating unhealthy eating habits. Over time and with practice, those unhealthy eating habits become less common and much easier to deal with, but the temptations never fully go away.

Even the healthiest people on the planet get tempted by a donut every once in a while, and so you shouldn't expect yourself to be perfect either.

You'll Start Enjoying Your Gym Sessions

It might be hard to believe now, but once you get into the routine of going to the gym and working out, it actually starts to become enjoyable. Pushing yourself to work harder and achieve more is exhilarating, and it's an easy way to feel proud of yourself and get a little rush of endorphins.

You'll Have To Say Goodbye To Some Of Your Favourite Clothes

Clothes that fit before you lost weight may not look as good afterwards. There's a common misconception that once you lose weight, everything looks and feels good on you, but this simply isn't true.

There's always going to be clothes that pinch you in all the wrong places, and you may have to say goodbye to some old favourites. On the flip side however, you get to make room for plenty of new favourites.

Losing Weight Doesn't Equal Happiness or Self Confidence

Many people start their weight loss journey looking to be happier, healthier and more confident. There's no doubt that losing weight, getting healthier and fitter can increase your self confidence and quality of life, however, there's no guarantee.

Lack of self-esteem and low mood aren't always correlated to your weight, and if you do have mental health issues, they will likely continue regardless of how much weight you lose. It's important to check in with yourself and make sure that any issues you're facing are dealt with the right way, rather than through unhealthy weight loss and food restriction.

You'll Sleep Better

Weight loss can drastically affect your sleep - and often for the better. Many people find that once they lose some weight, they find it easier to sleep and sleep better. Studies have even suggested that your quality of sleep increases after losing weight.

You May Find It Harder To Keep Losing Weight

Overweight people often find it easier to lose weight in the beginning, as your body is ready to start shedding the pounds. After a while however, you'll often hit a plateau where you won't seem to be losing any weight at all, even though you're still eating and working out just the same.

This is completely normal, because once your weight reaches a healthy level, it becomes harder to shed the extra pounds because they're not so "extra" anymore. Nevertheless, it's still possible to keep on losing weight and push through a plateau.

Also check how to lose weight fast here