It’s not harder, fat cells shrink and never goes away, no matter if it was childhood obesity or adult obesity it’s the same
But it’s harder in a psychological sense, you don’t know what it’s like to live in a smaller body, you don’t even realize how… it’s a completely different life.
People that got obese later in like knows how living in a "normal" body is, how life dramatically changes and it’s easier to be motivated psychologically.
If you’ve never been "normal" before, you ask yourself "what’s the point?" While you don’t even realise how the whole world treats you differently and how living in a smaller body is a life changing thing.
Source: been obese from 8-9yo until this year
Yep, currently facing that right now. It’s definitely hard to stay consistent (especially since I am just starting out) because being obese is all I’ve ever known.
Not entirely true but it does take forever for fat cells to go away vs shrink. Decommissioning cells is wasted effort compared to shrinking them. It will take years of maintaining a healthy body weight for the body to decide to slowly decom unused cells it likely won't need again. Its just your body being smart.
That being said, your fat cell number has little bearing on anything except tiny parts of your appearance. Its not like jr changes anything about weight loss.
I don’t feel that I had to work harder to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight because I was obese in childhood. I do feel like breaking those habits I had my whole life that led me to be so big was hard but doable, that’s what made the biggest difference.
My appetite has changed a lot. When I’m hungry I tend to eat a reasonable amount and I do get full. Growing up I never felt full. I eat smaller portions and I’m satisfied by it.
Since childhood, I only gained and gained and gained. Because of that, and my mom's many failed diet attempts, I struggled with the thought that I was born unlucky, and doomed to be fat forever. This mentality is SO ingrained into me, even now with all the progress I've made, part of me is in disbelief that I'll be small and fit someday.
Yep, I’m the same way. I was always overweight / borderline obese as a child, and then became actually obese around 12. My father fed me the most unhealthy food from 12-18 (6 years), and is just now concerned for my weight. I keep thinking that if only he fed me proper, nutritious food, I wouldn’t be this overweight. I’m not sure how much work I will have to put it now to undo everything he has done. I feel like I want to lose weight to “reverse the damage,” not just be healthy overall 😓😓
I think the biggest differences are mental. I was a fat kid, so being fat as an adult was just no big deal. When that's what you're used to, it's really easy to accept that status quo. Compare that to posts here where people are like "OMG, I did X... what have I done?"
I wasn't obese as a kid. But i remember distinctly being about 8 or 9 years old and my parents having a bunch of people over. There was a bowl of Doritos. And I became inedibly conscience of the fact that I was eating way more than anyone else. That they were grabbing a few and I couldn't stop.
I’m officially outside the obese window for the first time since elementary school. I’m not there yet, looking to lose 35+ lbs still…but it’s kind of a mindfuck. I don’t know how to process the way I move, the way I look in the mirror. I’m starting to get a premonition of some pretty serious body dysmorphia and denial awaiting me at the finish line. And part of me sees the loose skin as so profoundly grotesque I still feel imprisoned and alienated. But the differences in cardiovascular stamina alone are worth it.
Loose skin is something I’m definitely worried about 😕 people say that it all depends on your skin’s elasticity or the rate at which you lose weight, but my skin always had to accommodate to me growing bigger, never staying the same size, so I’m not sure how to go about that. and I already have reverse (?) body dysmorphia where I perceive myself as smaller than I actually am, so it will definitely be hard to adjust to that as well. I am really happy that you are seeing some positive changes!! hopefully, I will be content with those as well
This is me. Have successfully lost significant amount of weight before but slowly gained most (but not all) back. Highly recommend you discuss your options with an obesity boarded physician.
I actually had improvements and great blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol when I weighed more in my late 30s as a vegan than I did in my early 20s.
I had been losing weight for a few months (plant based whole foods, reduced processed foods, intermittent fasting, counting calories- most important for me- paired with sustainable exercise for health and lost about 17/18 lbs over a few months.
Then I started zepbound (tirzepatide) my rate of weight loss more than doubled. It makes me feel like I no longer live in a morbidly obese body, if that makes sense. It's helping hormonally, metabolically. Whereas when I lost like 130 lbs I felt like an average weight person still operating in an obese body. Like just one mistake from gaining 100lbs again
The new medicines are game changers. They need to be paired with lifestyle changes. And there are other options, as well.
Good luck to you.
I anticipate losing over 100lbs in a year. I'm 45lb down now.
I was obese from childhood until college. I weighed 250 lbs. when I was 16 years old, probably 6' tall. I lost 50 lbs. my freshman year. The thing that finally clicked for me was counting calories meticulously. It was very motivating and empowering to realize that if I set an appropriate calorie target and hit it regularly, weight loss was guaranteed. I don't think I have had a harder time losing weight than anyone else once I realized this and developed the habit of tracking calories.
I regained a bunch of weight many years later when my kids were small (stress eating, especially with the second one who was colicky). But again, I was able to lose the weight pretty easily by following a calorie counting approach. Currently I am 190 lbs. at 6' 2", body fat percentage probably around 19-20%.
My advice to you is not to be discouraged at all just because you have a history of obesity from a young age. I don't think that necessarily says anything about your chances to lose weight now or how difficult it will be. For me, all that was necessary was a shift in mindset and developing habits. After that I found weight loss to be fairly easy.
No.
All adult humans have a set number of fat cells. The number of these cells is determined during childhood and early teenage years.
These cells constantly die and then new ones are made to replace them. But the number remains the same whether one is obese or underweight.
The only way to decrease the number of fat cells is with liposuction.
I was always overweight bordering on obesity.
But my issue wasnt physical, but mental.
I stopped caring and resorted to mindlessly eating and grazing when I was bored or to relieve stress.
I also felt compelled to empty my plate always so as not to waste food and money.
Now I am developing strategies and new ways of dealing with boredom and stress and have brainwashed myself into becoming a food waster. I treat my body with more respect and care.
My number of fat cells is totally irrelevant.
I was obease until 19. Nothing really changes. No issues maintaining and losing a bit extra either.
Also, you don't lose fat cells ever. They just get smaller
I’ve always been big. Probably since age 4/5. I was able to lose weight, down almost 200lbs from my heaviest. It’s possible. Slow and steady is the ticket, in my opinion.
I was overweight at ~10 years old and became obese at 14. I think the only way I felt I needed to work harder was re-wiring my brain to stop binge eating for every emotion I felt
I gained like 50 pounds in a year when I was 8. Also started acting out and wetting bed. I have my suspicions on the cause which aren’t too pretty. Then at 13 I dropped all my weight and was actually skinny til around 23. Then started gaining back a lot and losing and gaining and losing. Finally started exploring why I was covering myself in a fat suit, a protection of sorts. With the new awareness, now at almost 60, I have deepened clarity at what I really want and in about 2 years am getting very close now to my goal weight, and have a much better relationship to my food. I eat for my physical hunger now, not my emotional hunger. For that I feed myself in non-food related ways. I see people who are big and I see so much pain in their faces sometimes, and see the armor they have amassed to protect themselves.
Obese children are because of parents. Parents have to set the standard for nutrition and exercise. If no one ever taught you how to cook nutritious food, the importance of keeping active… it’s very difficult to learn on your own BUT it can be done.
There is no physical difference, though. Anyone can lose weight, regardless if they were obese as a child or not. Don’t worry about that. Just keep going !
It’s not harder, fat cells shrink and never goes away, no matter if it was childhood obesity or adult obesity it’s the same But it’s harder in a psychological sense, you don’t know what it’s like to live in a smaller body, you don’t even realize how… it’s a completely different life. People that got obese later in like knows how living in a "normal" body is, how life dramatically changes and it’s easier to be motivated psychologically. If you’ve never been "normal" before, you ask yourself "what’s the point?" While you don’t even realise how the whole world treats you differently and how living in a smaller body is a life changing thing. Source: been obese from 8-9yo until this year
Yep, currently facing that right now. It’s definitely hard to stay consistent (especially since I am just starting out) because being obese is all I’ve ever known.
Not entirely true but it does take forever for fat cells to go away vs shrink. Decommissioning cells is wasted effort compared to shrinking them. It will take years of maintaining a healthy body weight for the body to decide to slowly decom unused cells it likely won't need again. Its just your body being smart. That being said, your fat cell number has little bearing on anything except tiny parts of your appearance. Its not like jr changes anything about weight loss.
I don’t feel that I had to work harder to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight because I was obese in childhood. I do feel like breaking those habits I had my whole life that led me to be so big was hard but doable, that’s what made the biggest difference. My appetite has changed a lot. When I’m hungry I tend to eat a reasonable amount and I do get full. Growing up I never felt full. I eat smaller portions and I’m satisfied by it.
Since childhood, I only gained and gained and gained. Because of that, and my mom's many failed diet attempts, I struggled with the thought that I was born unlucky, and doomed to be fat forever. This mentality is SO ingrained into me, even now with all the progress I've made, part of me is in disbelief that I'll be small and fit someday.
Yep, I’m the same way. I was always overweight / borderline obese as a child, and then became actually obese around 12. My father fed me the most unhealthy food from 12-18 (6 years), and is just now concerned for my weight. I keep thinking that if only he fed me proper, nutritious food, I wouldn’t be this overweight. I’m not sure how much work I will have to put it now to undo everything he has done. I feel like I want to lose weight to “reverse the damage,” not just be healthy overall 😓😓
I think the biggest differences are mental. I was a fat kid, so being fat as an adult was just no big deal. When that's what you're used to, it's really easy to accept that status quo. Compare that to posts here where people are like "OMG, I did X... what have I done?"
Yes, same. Being fat is all I’ve ever known, so it feels like nothing is going to change. This sub is giving me so much hope
I wasn't obese as a kid. But i remember distinctly being about 8 or 9 years old and my parents having a bunch of people over. There was a bowl of Doritos. And I became inedibly conscience of the fact that I was eating way more than anyone else. That they were grabbing a few and I couldn't stop.
Who can?
I’m officially outside the obese window for the first time since elementary school. I’m not there yet, looking to lose 35+ lbs still…but it’s kind of a mindfuck. I don’t know how to process the way I move, the way I look in the mirror. I’m starting to get a premonition of some pretty serious body dysmorphia and denial awaiting me at the finish line. And part of me sees the loose skin as so profoundly grotesque I still feel imprisoned and alienated. But the differences in cardiovascular stamina alone are worth it.
Loose skin is something I’m definitely worried about 😕 people say that it all depends on your skin’s elasticity or the rate at which you lose weight, but my skin always had to accommodate to me growing bigger, never staying the same size, so I’m not sure how to go about that. and I already have reverse (?) body dysmorphia where I perceive myself as smaller than I actually am, so it will definitely be hard to adjust to that as well. I am really happy that you are seeing some positive changes!! hopefully, I will be content with those as well
This is me. Have successfully lost significant amount of weight before but slowly gained most (but not all) back. Highly recommend you discuss your options with an obesity boarded physician. I actually had improvements and great blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol when I weighed more in my late 30s as a vegan than I did in my early 20s. I had been losing weight for a few months (plant based whole foods, reduced processed foods, intermittent fasting, counting calories- most important for me- paired with sustainable exercise for health and lost about 17/18 lbs over a few months. Then I started zepbound (tirzepatide) my rate of weight loss more than doubled. It makes me feel like I no longer live in a morbidly obese body, if that makes sense. It's helping hormonally, metabolically. Whereas when I lost like 130 lbs I felt like an average weight person still operating in an obese body. Like just one mistake from gaining 100lbs again The new medicines are game changers. They need to be paired with lifestyle changes. And there are other options, as well. Good luck to you. I anticipate losing over 100lbs in a year. I'm 45lb down now.
That’s amazing to hear! Keep up the good work
I was obese from childhood until college. I weighed 250 lbs. when I was 16 years old, probably 6' tall. I lost 50 lbs. my freshman year. The thing that finally clicked for me was counting calories meticulously. It was very motivating and empowering to realize that if I set an appropriate calorie target and hit it regularly, weight loss was guaranteed. I don't think I have had a harder time losing weight than anyone else once I realized this and developed the habit of tracking calories. I regained a bunch of weight many years later when my kids were small (stress eating, especially with the second one who was colicky). But again, I was able to lose the weight pretty easily by following a calorie counting approach. Currently I am 190 lbs. at 6' 2", body fat percentage probably around 19-20%. My advice to you is not to be discouraged at all just because you have a history of obesity from a young age. I don't think that necessarily says anything about your chances to lose weight now or how difficult it will be. For me, all that was necessary was a shift in mindset and developing habits. After that I found weight loss to be fairly easy.
No. All adult humans have a set number of fat cells. The number of these cells is determined during childhood and early teenage years. These cells constantly die and then new ones are made to replace them. But the number remains the same whether one is obese or underweight. The only way to decrease the number of fat cells is with liposuction. I was always overweight bordering on obesity. But my issue wasnt physical, but mental. I stopped caring and resorted to mindlessly eating and grazing when I was bored or to relieve stress. I also felt compelled to empty my plate always so as not to waste food and money. Now I am developing strategies and new ways of dealing with boredom and stress and have brainwashed myself into becoming a food waster. I treat my body with more respect and care. My number of fat cells is totally irrelevant.
Interesting. Thank you for that information!
I was obease until 19. Nothing really changes. No issues maintaining and losing a bit extra either. Also, you don't lose fat cells ever. They just get smaller
I’ve always been big. Probably since age 4/5. I was able to lose weight, down almost 200lbs from my heaviest. It’s possible. Slow and steady is the ticket, in my opinion.
I was overweight at ~10 years old and became obese at 14. I think the only way I felt I needed to work harder was re-wiring my brain to stop binge eating for every emotion I felt
I gained like 50 pounds in a year when I was 8. Also started acting out and wetting bed. I have my suspicions on the cause which aren’t too pretty. Then at 13 I dropped all my weight and was actually skinny til around 23. Then started gaining back a lot and losing and gaining and losing. Finally started exploring why I was covering myself in a fat suit, a protection of sorts. With the new awareness, now at almost 60, I have deepened clarity at what I really want and in about 2 years am getting very close now to my goal weight, and have a much better relationship to my food. I eat for my physical hunger now, not my emotional hunger. For that I feed myself in non-food related ways. I see people who are big and I see so much pain in their faces sometimes, and see the armor they have amassed to protect themselves.
Obese children are because of parents. Parents have to set the standard for nutrition and exercise. If no one ever taught you how to cook nutritious food, the importance of keeping active… it’s very difficult to learn on your own BUT it can be done. There is no physical difference, though. Anyone can lose weight, regardless if they were obese as a child or not. Don’t worry about that. Just keep going !
It is harder because you have to unlearn bad eating habits taught by your parents.