10 Things That Nobody Tells You About Losing Weight

Who has reached his desired figure is automatically happier? Wrong thought! Losing weight simplifies some things in life, but there are also some (unpleasant) surprises.

1. Your taste changes

You are sensitive to the food in front of you and suddenly spices taste out more strongly? As soon as the pounds drop, your taste buds can change, John Morton, chief of bariatric surgery at Stanford University told “Prevention.com”. For him, this also explains why overweight people seek their satisfaction in food rather than focusing on taste. Morton also found out that people who lose weight have less desire for salty food.

2. Weight loss is not the equivalent of happiness

Sure, the joy is great when you reach your desired weight. However, you should not assume that your weight loss goals will cause all your problems to vanish into thin air. A study by University College London found that people who lose weight suffer from depression almost twice as often as those who maintain their weight. The experts observed about 2000 overweight people over a period of four years.

3. The adjustment takes time

You have reached your desired weight, but still see the “fat girl” in the mirror? Don’t worry, it’s normal. The head takes much longer to adjust than your body. This also means that old habits remain for the time being. Nicole Zernone, a teacher from New York, explains: “Even though I’m slim now and other people pass me in the supermarket queue, I still move as if I had significantly more weight.

4. The relationship changes

Losing weight can have both positive and negative effects on your relationship. Either it brings you and your partner closer together – or it leads to stress. For example, when one partner does not support the other in his or her weight loss goals. Or if one of them pushes the other one to go on a diet. Ideally, both are striving for the same goal: losing a few kilos.

5. You need more sweaters

When you lose weight, your body runs on low flame – you start to freeze. This means that various bodily functions are slowed down or reduced to save energy. The body takes the necessary energy from the fat reserves that the body has built up on the stomach, legs and hips. To prevent freezing from becoming a permanent condition, you should exercise regularly: This stimulates the metabolism and makes muscles grow, which in turn burn fat.

6. Memory is improved

As a Swedish study has found out, losing weight helps to bring the memory back into shape. According to the study, only a few kilos should be enough to increase brain activity. Why is that? As you lose weight, your insulin level drops and the inflammatory processes in your body subside. Both can have a positive effect on memory.

7. You look older

Your muscles and bones will thank you when you lose a few kilos, your skin may not. “After losing weight, I couldn’t believe how old my face looked in the mirror,” Pamela Smith Finkelman told Prevention.com. The 58-year-old has lost 25 kilos. And indeed, a study published in 2015 analyzed that women more often go under the knife after losing weight – for a facelift.

8. Your sleep is better

Yes, your sleep could also improve with the weight loss. Why? When you lose weight, you are more active and therefore more exhausted in the evening. Ergo: You sleep better! By the way: Complex carbohydrates, such as noodles, rice or potatoes, shorten the time you fall asleep. Fat, hard to digest food and simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, disturb a restful sleep.

9. The kids will also lose weight

Experts have found out that a weight loss of the parents leads to the children losing weight as well. And that’s not all: according to the study, your offspring will lose around 25 percent more weight than you do. The reason: children follow their parents’ example – and naturally have more energy to burn.

10. You’re stressed

You want to continue losing weight even though you have already reached your ideal weight? You are afraid of gaining weight again? Losing weight can be nice, but it can also mean mental pressure. And becoming obsessive. Instead of getting stressed (which, by the way, makes you fat), you should relax – and be happy that you have reached your goal.