Unexpected bonus for reaching for a healthy weight

What unexpected good things have happened for you as a result of losing weight (or gaining weight to get to a healthy BMI)?  There are the basic things we expect, feel better, more energy, less aches and pains, improved blood pressure etc, have you found a bonus that you didn't expect?  I have found 3 things which were unexpected, and I am really really happy about

1) My nails are so much stronger! Before I could never get them to grow past my finger tip, they always flaked or split before I could get a decent length, even with regular manicures and taking care of my hands (ie, using gloves to wash the dishes, moisturizing, etc).  All my nails are now about 5mm past my finger tip and they are so much stronger! I cannot believe it.  It almost looks like I have false nails because they are all the same length.

2) My skin has improved so much, I now go out without make up on. The last time I was pimple free was before puberty.  Now my skin is really soft, smooth with no break-outs.

3) My thinning hair has started to grow in.  My hair has been really thin for years, and got even worse last year due to chemotherapy (I didn't lose all my hair, it just thinned it out even more than it already was).  It has now started growing back, I have all this hair that is approx 2inches long!

I never expected these extra things.  They are just such a wonderful bonus! I know it is because of my improved diet, no more fast food, eating a nutritionally balanced diet every day and having flax seed oil everyday.  I would never have thought having oil would help me lose weight and clear up my skin, I always thought it would have the opposite effect.

So tell me,  what unexpected good things have come to you?

so I've only been doing the diet thing for a week but since I've started it I have noticed one major change (as inappropriate as this may seem) I've started pooping every day, or close to it. I used to go for like a week and a half and not poo and now I can poo! lol...my fiance's happy he was threatening to drag me to the dr kicking and screaming if he had to. lol.  so theres my benifit!

Leopardrayne, its not weird that men pay attention to you, you are really beautiful!

Mom2klegirl, Yay for pooing every day! That is a sure sign that your health is improving! Wow, a week and a half with out doing No. 2.  I would have dragged you off to the Dr as well.  Funny the things we discuss with our other halves the longer we are together.  I would have died of embarrassment to talk about my bowel habits for the first 2 years I was dating my husband, now anything goes! Well, must be true love, lol.

Unexpected benefit:

I looked pretty in an official picture! (my new visa)

The officers printed it on my passport in a page before the one in which my old one is. It is so funny, since it looks like a before and after shot!!! And I've been dieting for only a week!

My skin looks better, and the dark circles are gone! yay!

I had a very unexpected benefit just this week.  The office I work in has a lot of security and you have to badge yourself in through a "circle lock" which is basically a booth you stand in and if you pass, the other door opens.   It measures your weight and gives you a % of your weight leeway either way in case you are carrying things in.

This past week I had finally lost enough that the circle lock told me the weight was invalid for my I.D. and I had to go to security and have it reset.  Excellent!

Leslie:  We have one of those things at work as well, but we refer to it as the "man trap".  The one I used was a real pain because I had to usually ask someone to carry things through for me because before I started losing weight, it would refuse to let me through because I was over the maximum weight limit.  Now, since losing 116 pounds, I have no trouble with it at all.

Hi Spankyraven, Good thread idea!

I'm just starting out and have only lost 7 lbs so far but besides feeling better, I'm enjoying my smaller apatite and my skin also looks great.

I'm walking outside and doing water aerobics. So, I've got a tan even though I keep covering myself with sun screen. But so far, it just looks good and not leathery. Several friends have complemented my tan. I wasn't expecting that at all.

Oh and my underarms no longer look quite so "old ladyish"

~ Beth

PS I am looking forward to adding to this list in weeks to come.

i had a messed up metabolism before i made my lifestyle change. i lost 12 pounds and i love how i not only lost weight but i got my appetite back!!! i feel ravished before i eat sometimes even though i would have only ate 2 hours ago. my metabolism kicks but now!! i also love my new palet of taste buds; now that i mostly eat only all natural healthy foods and no processed crap i have a new found appreciation for fresh produce and home cooked meals.

for me, it is a general feeling of being energetic and enjoying life more, also enjoying the sunny weather!

techdog, I love hearing those kinds of stories.  Congratulations on your amazing weightloss!

moonbay, you have described exactly the same experience I'm having.

The improvement of skin is definitely a huge plus! I was trying to find the best exfoliating product and acne treatment, etc, but I guess you really have to treat it from within!

I fit in public transit seats, I can buy regular size cloths,  I don't sweat as quickly,  my blood sugar is under control, I don't snore at night, I can climb 10 flights of stairs and not be out of breath, my daughter can put her arms around me, and I haven't taken head ache medication in 330 days. 

I 2nd the no headaches...I'm glad someone else noticed this, as I was wondering if it was really was my improved diet, or just coincidence that my almost daily headaches have almost completely gone away.