I'll manage

I recently read an article by a woman who had undergone gastric bypass surgery and lost a significant amount of weight (well over 100 lbs) and was now a healthy weight. Of course now that I look for that article, I can't find it, and I'm too lazy to keep Googling because I'm trying to pay attention to "My 600lb life" on TV.

Anyway, she is now at a healthy weight and talks about how unhappy she is and how she didn't realize how unhappy she would be and how she was happy being overweight. Basically, losing weight didn't = happiness for her.

Wait... I found the article.
I can't relate.

I guess I've already mentioned that I've been a "normal" weight most of my life. I'm 40 now, and until I was 34 I was a healthy weight give or take a year or so in college. That weight came off quickly. (I think I weighed about 180 at one point in college). I'll admit, I have never been "skinny". But I could shop at normal stores for normal clothes and feel confident when I left the house. I have not felt confident in my looks or myself in two years. I have fallen asleep unhappy and frustrated with myself more often than I haven't. I don't feel good in my clothes. I don't look good in my clothes. I don't really even HAVE any nice clothes, except for a dress I bought for my aunt's funeral and a sweater I bought for her wake.

I have bags... BAGS and BAGS of clothes in the basement that I can't bear to get rid of because I love them, and I plan to wear them again. But I hate to think of all the money I've spent on clothes as I've gained weight.

I know what it's like to be a normal weight. I know what it's like to be overweight. And I know I'm not happy being overweight. While being a normal weight doesn't solve all of life's problems - in fact it won't remove the biggest stresses in my life - it will eliminate an additional huge stress in my life. We've all got enough stress in our lives, why not address ones you CAN do something about and try to minimize rather than pile on?

 So yeah. I'll manage. When I get to my goal weight and am in a "normal" range, I'll manage.