How do you imagine yourself to be after losing weight?

This topic contains 15 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by annina 9 years, 6 months ago.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

annina

5:47 pm
4 Jun 15
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Hello!

My name is Annina, I’m a master student in social and cultural studies and at the moment I’m doing a small research on what motivates people to lose weight and take part in programmes such as the Fast Diet. Some people seem to have the idea that they once they lose weight, they’ll somehow be different from the person they are now. Is that something you think about? How – or who – do you imagine yourself to be once you’ve lost weight?

I’d be really happy to hear your thoughts on this. You can also contact me personally at annina.schlatter(at)rub.de

Best, Annina

bluezoo

7:33 pm
4 Jun 15
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I think for me it is trying to recapture who I used to be! Pictures and glimpses in mirror can shock me into realising I am not in the body I thought I was circa 10years ago.
Also health anxiety motivates me. Weight loss is definitely sought but also peace of mind that I am doing the best for myself, actively trying to avoid the many detrimental diseases.
Self preservation and self development. Always good to strive for better in life!

annina

9:12 pm
4 Jun 15
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Hey bluezoo, thanks a lot for your reply, that was really interesting! Could you maybe explain a bit what you mean with self preservation and self development? I’m not sure if I understand that right.

fitnfast

8:29 am
5 Jun 15
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My feelings are similar, with a twist. I am 53, and look 40 (good genes). I feel like this is my last chance to get my youthful figure back before I get all wrinkly!

Also, I take care of my elderly parents. My mother has always been slightly overweight and her diet was terrible. She has dementia, and I don’t want my daughter to have to take care of me when I get older. I also want to set an example for her, even though she is a grown woman. Trying to break the cycle for future generations.

annina

2:34 pm
5 Jun 15
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Hi fitnfast, thanks for taking the time to reply! You said that your feelings were similar to bluezoo’s, and if I understood it right, he’s trying not only to get back to the figure he had 10 years ago, but also to the person he was then. Is that something you think about, too?

fitnfast

2:53 pm
5 Jun 15
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No, I don’t want to be that person again! I feel I am the best I have ever been: professionally, mentally, financially…and am getting to the physical part! I don’t have that much to lose, maybe 30 lbs at most.

annina

3:49 pm
5 Jun 15
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Oh, ok, thanks for clearing that up! So if I got it right, you mainly aim for a physical change, plus being a good role model and changing the habits of the family. Or are there ot her aspects, apart from the physical, that you hope will change about you with the weight loss?

bluezoo

4:05 pm
5 Jun 15
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Hi nope I don’t want to be the person I was 10years ago! All be her lots of fun she hadn’t yet become a mum which is where I am now and wouldn’t change an iota. I may miss the outer casing of the person I was but I am enjoying this chapter of my life.

I don’t think I am suddenly going to transform into a shiny new person who has a better life after dropping a few pounds Annina if that is what you’re proposing is going through the minds of people seeking weight loss!!
This way of life is enabling me to feel more empowered about my health. I am sure you know all the wider benefits of the fast diet. Sure being slimmer is a desire. I have a fair few clothes I would like to wear and with that does come confidence!

My expectations of losing weight isn’t all about outer appearance but also feelings of glowing with health and energy rather than the sludgy dirty way one can feel while eating a poor diet.

I think you will widely find that no one is naive enough to believe that their weight loss is going to make them a different person?

The essence of a person remains the same fat or thin.

Humans by their nature enjoy setting goals and achieving targets. Weight loss is an immense satisfactory achievement for many.

Best of luck with your studies and your own achievements

HappyNow

4:10 pm
5 Jun 15
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I lost weight using 5:2 because I was physically unfit. I was outside of the normal BMI range. I no longer looked good in my clothes. My fat was beginning to impact on daily life.

It wasn’t anything to do with looking younger or regaining my youthful figure or trying to be somebody different. It was just about being the best me I could be, and being fit for life. I may be middle-aged but I still want to be able to climb mountains and ride cyclo sportives, and that’s considerably easier without carrying an unnecessary 30lbs!

annina

5:35 pm
5 Jun 15
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Hi bluezoo and HappyNow, thanks a lot for your replies!

I’m sorry for misunderstanding you bluezoo. Because you wrote that you wanted to recapture who you used to be, I thought you meant also aspects beyond appearance. Of course, I don’t think people who want to lose weight or fast for other health benefits think they will magically change into another person. But I do know some of them think that losing weight will or has enabled them to be more like who they used to be, or be more like who they want to be, or also to be more like who they really are – not just physically, but also as a person. What I’m trying to do is collecting more opinions on this – and I’d be really happy to hear more of yours 🙂

So this question goes out to both of you – since you, bluezoo, spoke about self-preservation and self-development, and you, HappyNow, spoke about being the best me you could be – maybe you could explain a bit more what you mean by that? Any additional thoughts on this topic are also welcome!

In any case, thank you and best of luck with your goals to both of you, too!

HappyNow

10:28 pm
5 Jun 15
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Annina,

I have already lost my excess weight and have been maintaining that for over a year now, so I’m not answering from a position of what I’m hoping for.

I’m afraid I can’t really answer your question because I didn’t think about it that deeply! I overate and got fat. I didn’t like ‘me’, my weight was beginning to impact on my life, and I wasn’t happy with my increasing lack of control round food. So I started 5:2 to get rid of the excess, be comfortable in my own skin, make physical activity easier, and gain back some control. I also chose 5:2 because it wasn’t a diet, it was a way of life which offered additional health benefits. Being in my 40s I now realise I’m not immortal so the thought of not only losing weight but improving health was appealing!

I am also now happy that I’m no longer overconsuming resources. I now take up no more space than I need to and eat no more than I need to. I’ve reduced my impact on the planet 🙂

annina

9:32 am
7 Jun 15
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Hey HappyNow,

Ok, thanks a lot for taking the time to reply to my questions! And congratulations on your achievements and the happiness you’ve found with them 🙂

To all you other people out there: Your comments and opinions will be very appreciated as well! Feel free to contact me via email if you feel more comfortable that way: annina.schlatter(at)rub.de.

Ilovecake

8:34 pm
8 Jun 15
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Hi Annina
I imagine myself to be happier- on a purely cosmetic level. I don’t like my lumps and bumps and I would like to have a lean, fit looking body. As a person I am very much an all or nothing person so I am constantly striving for perfection when it comes to my weight struggles (which, in my head means I weigh 10 stones) and I can’t accept anything less!
I guess I want to get the weight off, look how I want to look and be able to achieve this goal I have been striving for for many years. It would make me feel ‘in control’ which is not something I currently feel. Weirdly, I don’t have a need to control other areas of my life in the same way.
I think I have quite a complex relationship with food and eating and I am hoping that by joining this way of life I will a) lose the weight and b) create a normal relationship with food and rid myself of cravings and my bingeing periods. I think I would just be more contented if I succeeded in reaching my goal.
Someone said to me a couple of weeks ago that everyone has a demon they will battle through their lives. I think my demon is weight gain and food relationships.
Good luck with your research.

alexistexas

3:54 pm
9 Jun 15
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Hey there,

I imagine myself to be fitting into my smaller clothes much easier (which don’t fit well anymore and that’s what prompted me to seriously lose weight! Again..). I imagine myself to look a bit better in photos, with not so much double chin and love handles hanging out.

I used to think that once I was thin, I would be happy. I first lost weight when I was 13, then again at 15-16 and whenever I was thin, I was not any happier or more “at peace”. I seemed to worry a lot more, in fact. But now I’m older and have learned so much more about who I am that I have a different approach. I have a stronger sense of my identity and in who God made me to be, so that gives me peace beyond what I look like.

I think you may find in your research that younger people will imagine themselves to be “happy” or “a new person” once they lose weight, but that’s an illusion, really. Let us know what you find!

iwanderer

6:23 pm
9 Jun 15
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Unlike most on these forums I have a lot of weight to lose, about 150 pounds or 68kg so my imagination is likely different from smaller ppl. At 56 I don’t have delusions of looking like I did 30 years ago when I was a runner and got married in a size 7 dress. But I do imagine riding a bike again, roller blading, and hiking places I can’t now bc though I walk it’s hard to climb with this much excess baggage. I imagine shopping again in the thrift store for cute, vintage clothing, and sitting in any seat on an airplane or in the movie theater without fear of infringing on my neighbor. I also see sewing again for myself bc while I could now I hate to alter patterns and it’s no fun when they just look like another tent anyway (my dtr hates when I say that!)

annina

3:53 pm
14 Jun 15
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Hello you all and thanks a lot for your replies! Sorry for not getting back to you earlier, I stopped getting email notifications for new posts somehow …

Let me try to summarize what you wrote: Your goals are mostly connected to changing your body, on the level of appearance (looking better, wearing different clothes), for iwanderer also on a more ‘functional’ level: changing your body so that you can do things that you cannot do now.

For ilovecake, goals also include aspects beyond the body: being in control of food, and feeling good about herself for reaching her goal.

alexistexas, what I have found so far is that while this is a common rhetorical figure, when asked directly there are actually few who hope or have experienced that weight loss will change them as a person. However, there are quite a few who say that weight loss has enabled them to be themselves more – that there was a change, but instead of becoming different, it has brought them closer to who they always were inside.

What are your thoughts on this?

In any case, thanks for sharing your thoughts and the good wishes. I’ll let you know about my main findings in July!