Trying to lose weight without success can be a nightmare, especially if you feel like your quality of life and your relationships are suffering. However, it can come as a massive relief when you finally figure out exactly what was causing your health issues.
One anonymous redditor shared a very sensitive story with the supportive r/TrueOffMyChest online community. She opened up about how her ex, who left her because he no longer felt attracted to her, is now upset that she’s solved a health issue and lost weight. Read on for the full story.
Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the story, and she was kind enough to answer our questions. She told us just how much her life changed for the better once she figured out what was behind her health problems. She also shared her thoughts on why her ex reacted the way that he did and what advice she’d give anyone who struggles to lose weight. You’ll find our candid interview with her below.
Rapidly gaining weight and being unable to figure out the reasons behind it can be very scary and extremely frustrating
Image credits: milanzeremski / Envato (not the actual photo)
One woman opened up about how her ex had a very immature reaction after she finally figured out her health problem and lost weight
Image credits: Zinkevych_D / Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Throwawayallthedays9
"I had been trying to lose the weight way before he left, and he knew that, so why would he be angry I succeeded?"
The author of the viral story told Bored Panda that life is great now compared to when she was struggling with losing weight.
“It’s strange, but when I was with him, I only ever had time for him and for trying to figure out my health,” the OP shared with us. “Now, I go out with friends. I am not embarrassed to eat in public or to dress in clothes that fit instead of oversized. My energy is so much higher, and I feel like a whole new woman, honestly."
Bored Panda asked the author why she thinks her boyfriend reacted in such a negative way to her losing weight instead of being happy for her. She told us that she was not entirely sure.
“Some people insinuated he felt entitled to my thinner body. Others said that he had tied his self-worth to my weight and losing it only after he left hurt him. What I will say in response to that is that I had been trying to lose the weight way before he left, and he knew that, so why would he be angry I succeeded?” she said that her ex’s reaction angered her.
According to the author, if you’re struggling to lose weight, then you should definitely talk to your doctor. Your particular issues may be related to the medication you’re taking or something linked to your general health and lifestyle.
“I had never been overweight in my life before that period of time, and it was horrific for me,” the OP opened up about her experience. She was very honest: her weight gain happened so fast that she felt like her life was in danger.
“Instead of internalizing that and thinking I was a lazy hog, maybe if I had gone to the doctor, I could have figured out the problem before I gained all the weight I did. For something so intrinsically tied to our health, I've been really thinking about how we separate the two and think of our weight as only a show of our willpower.”
A person's weight has a huge impact on their health, but it doesn't show the complete picture
The reality is that someone who is overweight or obese lives a lower quality of life and is more susceptible to illness and injury than someone with a healthy weight. This does not mean that someone bigger cannot be healthy or energetic. Nor does it mean that someone’s weight is the only important factor: you need to look at the full picture. However, once a certain weight threshold is crossed, you should be aware that you may massively increase the risk of health problems.
According to the CDC, someone who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. Meanwhile, someone who is obese has a BMI of 30 or more. A person’s BMI is calculated using their height and weight.
Of course, these are general guidelines and won’t tell you specifics about, say, someone’s body fat percentage composition or how (in)active they are in their day-to-day lives. If you genuinely want to know whether you’re at a healthy weight, you’ll probably have to talk to your doctor so that they can refer you to specialists who can run some in-depth tests.
The CDC reports that being overweight or obese raises the risk of all causes of death, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, breathing problems, many types of cancer, mental illness, body pain, and other serious conditions.
There are lots of different factors that potentially influence a person's weight gain
Figuring out why you can’t lose weight can be really frustrating. Especially if you’ve been trying for a long time. If this is happening, your best course of action would be to talk to your doctor. They can take a look at all the things that you’ve been doing and give some objective feedback. Not only that, but they can offer you some advice that you might not have been able to find on your own.
Broadly speaking, you can gain weight for many reasons. You may be moving too little and burning too few calories. You may be eating too much food and consuming too many calories. You might be genetically predisposed to gaining weight, so what fitness and dietary advice works for others might not work (as) well for you.
There might be issues with your metabolism or a hormonal imbalance due to your lifestyle or what you’re consuming, from medication to alcohol, etc. Or you may be living a very stressful life, which impacts not only your hormones but your dietary habits.
Healthline suggests that if you feel that you’ve gained weight due to the birth control you’re using, you may want to give it some time to see if it’s temporary. “It’s possible you’ll experience a slight increase in weight immediately after beginning birth control. This is often the result of water retention, not actual fat gain.”
Aside from that, you may want to increase the frequency of exercise or embrace a healthier diet. Alternatively, you may want to consider changing your birth control. Your doctor should be able to advise you there.
The author of the story shared some additional information in the comments of her post
Most internet users who read the story were wildly supportive of the woman
However, some readers had a completely warped understanding of what happened
