# Eye opening moment of self-image **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365 "2015-02-22T21:58:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Faelyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c77e96/32.png) [@Faelyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Faelyn)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365/21 "2015-02-24T17:37:24Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > If “doesn’t seem like much”, which I keep seeing time and again from people talking about similar weight losses, truly means “oh, it really isn’t that much so long as you carry it well, is it?” instead of “I was playing russian roulette with my health, destroying my bones and my internal organs,” then yes, it was necessary. You guys are comparing yourselves, not against healthy weights, but against other people who are unhealthily overweight. Anybody who can truly and sincerely see “244lb” and think that’s “not that much” for anybody who’s not built like a truck has very bad notions of what “not that much” means. Thank you for the very broad statement about your perception of my health. Since you are not, to my knowledge, my physician and would have no way of knowing anything concerning the state of my bones or internal organs, I’ll let you in on a little secret: My health was fine. My weight was never a concern during any of my checkups. My bloodwork was normal, heart and lungs functioning normal, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc., I was peachy. If you have an axe to grind, I’d appreciate it if you’d take it somewhere else. > [@OneCentStamp](#): > > **Faelyn** , I’m super happy for you! You must feel amazing right now. > > As for the above-quoted part, I’m with **Nava** here. Only here (on the SDMB, and other sites frequented by apparently supermorbidly obese people) does someone feel the need to pad “five foot six and 244 pounds” with “doesn’t seem like much.” > > That would have been a lot of weight to carry, and I bet you feel much better now. I do feel better, but _not_ for the reasons that you and Nava seem to be focusing on. The weight I was carrying wasn’t just the pounds of flesh on my body. It was the turmoil in my _soul_, from the hatred I held for myself, from my perceived disgust. Loss of the physical weight would have been nothing, meant nothing, without the loss of the emotional weight from last week. I’ve lost weight, but the more important weight that I lost (which inspired me to make this thread to begin with) didn’t come from diet and exercise. I lost my heaviest weight from self-acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365/22 "2015-02-24T18:26:22Z")
I once had a similar moment. I was at work. It was 2:00 AM and I was walking to the other end of the hospital for lunch. The hallway had floor to ceiling windows on one side. As I walked I caught a glimse of someone next to me. I thought one of my co-workers was trying to catch up. It was me, in a thin body. I was shocked. In my mind I was still 80 lbs over weight. It was the moment I became proud to be me. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365/23 "2015-02-24T18:35:55Z")
> [@Faelyn](#): > > I do feel better, but _not_ for the reasons that you and Nava seem to be focusing on. The weight I was carrying wasn’t just the pounds of flesh on my body. It was the turmoil in my _soul_, from the hatred I held for myself, from my perceived disgust. Loss of the physical weight would have been nothing, meant nothing, without the loss of the emotional weight from last week. I’ve lost weight, but the more important weight that I lost (which inspired me to make this thread to begin with) didn’t come from diet and exercise. I lost my heaviest weight from self-acceptance. That’s great; you’re double winning! ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365/24 "2015-02-25T16:33:28Z")
Well done but… … is it too late to take the big dress back for a refund? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-opening-moment-of-self-image/713365.md?page=1)