10 Ways Dropping 55 Lbs Transformed Me Emotionally
Because only aesthetics don’t motivate you to work out for 7 consecutive years.
When people commended my weight loss, it was more about the aesthetical part.
Oh you look so good now, is what most told me. But dropping weight was more than just looking good. If looking good was the impact it had on me, I wouldn’t wake up early for the seventh consecutive year to get up and workout before I start my day.
Weight loss is so much more than just losing weight. As a woman, the impact it has had on me emotionally weighs more than how I look. Let me show you how.
- It has improved my self-worth. I was super under-confident before I lost weight because they always teased me for being the fat kid in the room. My teenage, contrary to how it is for most, was anything but getting attention from the opposite sex. Overweight people don’t get on that list.
- I never knew I could fit in the women’s section of clothes. Since I was 12, I had been shopping from the mens’ section because in India, back then, clothes in the women's section were rather petite. But jumping from XXL in women (M in men) to M in women felt great.
- I loved that I didn’t have to leave chocolate to lose weight. Since the first day, I decided I won't hop on to any diet because I love food too much to leave it. And I didn’t want this to be a 6-month plan, I wanted this to be a lifestyle. So I balanced it by eating a piece of chocolate every day instead of devouring in desserts.
- I feel capable of setting goals and getting things done. It's easy for me now to say losing weight isn’t that hard, but back then, it wasn’t easy at all. The patience and consistency it requires battling obesity is huge, and attaining that makes me believe that if I really want, I have it in me to get it done.
- It definitely messed my brain chemicals. I have been eating healthy ever since I was 18, and I’m (almost) 25 now. I do see things on a more spiritual level, and I prioritise my health deeply. This has made me make many different choices than those around me, such as not socialising much or drinking alcohol as often. I still stick by these rules.
- People respecting me is one appreciable thing, but I respect myself wholeheartedly now. No amount of external validation can fulfil the void you create inside you because you don’t love and accept yourself. My journey of losing weight made me admire and appreciate myself deeply.
- It built blocks for the values I hold in life. Losing weight is not just limited to the gym, but it ingrains values in you which you’ll carry forever. These are the values that shape your perspectives and influence your choices. For me, these values are consistency, perseverance, and celebrating small wins — in all spheres of life.
- It has made me value and cherish womanhood. I had PCOD since I was 13 which messed my hormones. It made the hair growth and the acne on my face denser and it could have also led me to infertility. I’ve realised that a healthy woman, or an individual, is not just healthy for themselves but their health impacts everybody around them.
- It made me fall in love with self-help. Once you achieve one thing, you think, how can you conquer other places in life? Improving one part leads you to improve others.
- I may have lost weight, but my fitness journey has only just begun. Each day when I wake up to work out, it’s difficult. My body shakes, my muscles get tired, and healthy food awaits. And that’s the best part because losing weight keeps you humble. You may have dropped X amount of kilos but becoming fit is a long way ahead, it’s a journey with no destination but lots of pit stops.
A healthy mind and body can take you places, all it requires is committing a small part of your day, every day.
Oh, and here’s a picture.
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