Not necessarily LC-related, but interesting.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-1301...300-pounds.html

So I'm not the only one that noticed that my friends dissapeared with my weight?

When I first did LC, back in '99, I posted on ASDLC (alt.support.diet-lowcarb) which was a usenet group. There was a young vegetarian woman on the forum who lived in Canada and was taller than usual for a woman. I think she was in her late 20s. Anyway, as she lost weight, she became like a model. She often posted about how her friends distanced themselves from her as she lost weight and how much it hurt her feelings. She could have, and did try to, make new friends but it got under her skin that those she truly cared about turned out to have such superficial feelings for her. She got rather depressed and several on the group encouraged her to get counseling. She dropped off the group in the fall of '99 and many of us were concerned as to what happened to her. She became very sad and got very little joy from her new body. I always felt really bad for her.

Also, I did have a problem when I got down to a size 8, that my ages-old condition of a jammed tailbone started hurting me for the first time since my 20s. I never experience(d) my big body the way she describes. I can lift way MORE than I comfortably could at 33 pounds heavier than I am.

My wife says she sometimes misses the extra cushion on my biscuits that kept her feet warm at night. Thanks for sharing the article.

I think my butt bones are handy when I sit on BFs lap and wiggle around. he growls about how unconfortable they are

I no long have girl friends, my family, BF and a few on line friends is whats left. I have always had troubles making friends and lost my high school friends long ago. I've tried making friends but women don't seem to like me.

I do have 2 close on line friends, we visit daily and send bunnies to each other. Do miss girls night out and sitting on the cough watching Dirty Dancing with a close friend though.

I'm getting some hostile push-back from my own sister for losing a little weight. all our lives we've been the same size although she's a little taller. We have different body shapes though and a few pounds dropped on me looks like a lot more than it really is. I take it off all over whereas she stores her weight in her torso. so for the last six weeks while I'm working on dropping some fat, its quite disconcerting to hear the sarcastic, hurtful snide comments she will occasionally throw around.

I'm not gonna lie - when I first saw the title I completely disagred. There was nothing about my 300+ self that I miss. I'm a guy so my perspective is a bit different too I suppose. After readin, I have to say I was a bit hasty.

I can agree with you on the perspective issue - 4x/5x didn't matter much, just stretch it out some more. Now that I'm in xl I worry about the fluctuations. I do miss not worrying about what I eat, just being able to pick up whatever I want and not worry about the carbs or sugar in something.

Friends haven't been an issue. I didn't have any friends before really. Ha. I could see how it could be an issue with women though.

I enjoyed your post! Congrats on your journey.

I feel more self conscious now. I didn't give it much thought when I was really, really heavy. Now I care more about how I look and want others to notice.

Lovely passionale and compassionate article/blog. Much of it resonated with me and I appreciated the way she presented her musings, not that she would ever consider gaining weight, but how the experience of being a large person has contributed to the person she is now in positive ways. She is sure no whiner!! Thanks for sharing this.

The truth is your weight loss didn't end the friendship. Their insecurity and the fact that they were never really your friends did. If they were really your friends, they would've been proud of your success. What I would do is find new friends that share the same lifestyle as you. Ones that care about working out and their health. Try joining a workout class or a meet up group. Eventually you'll find friends that actually love and appreciate you.

Great article! I was reminded of two of the kindest and most compassionate women I know - both of whom would be classified as obese by the drs. Everyone goes to them for help, and I wonder if it's not only that they are not threatening, but that their sheer physical presence is comforting, like a big cosy quilt...

my two grandmothers were my two favourite people in the world when I was younger. I lost both of them by the time I was a young teen but my best memories are rushing to get a big soft, warm, powder scented crushing hug, from either my grandma or my nana. They would have both been considered obese in todays standard, but to my young mind, they were my soft, warm safe haven from a stressful day. The warmth and comfort I got in a literal way from those squishy loving arms and generous curvy frames still can bring a tear to my eyes, I miss them so much. Somehow I don't think I would feel the same way if my grandmothers had been tight compact muscular women. I would have loved them the same, but the comfort of being in their arms would have been missing I think. So, in an odd sort of way, I am grateful my grandma's were of the soft, comfy sort.

I don't miss anything about being 200+ because I was so miserable, depressed, and sick. I'm not at my goal weight yet, but I'm much happier & healthier.

At my very heaviest, I weighed 290 lbs in 1981. I had stomach surgery in February '81 and lost 175 lbs by December '81. It was very quick and abrupt. I didn't lose any friends because I didn't have any friends to start with. My biggest problem was identity issues. Since I had been overweight all my life, I didn't know how to be a thin person. I became disoriented one afternoon while clothes shopping. Walking down the sidewalk, I looked into the glass window of a department store and couldn't find myself. There were 2-3 people walking toward me and 2-3 people walking the same direction and I couldn't tell which one was me.