We all had such a great time uplifting others on the first positive post . Now let's take it one step further. We're going to do this every day up to Thanksgiving

This one is going to be interesting. I want you to share at least one thing that you are thankful you learned from being an overweight or obese person. Make it a POSITIVE thing, nothing negative. For me, I am thankful that I learned that my true friends and closest family will stick with me no matter what I look like. I also learned how to notice people for their hearts and minds, and not what's always on the outside, because I wanted people to notice that about me, too.

What are you thankful for learning?

Hmmm... I learned & am thankful that I like me no matter what size! I didn't go through WLS to prance around in a bikini- I did it for health reasons and while it sure is nice to see the pounds coming off, I don't feel like I "like myself" more just because I'm losing weight. I'm pretty cool (and modest.. ahem) at any size... <giggles>

@@SuzeMuze I think that's awesome. A healthy positive attitude toward yourself leads to great success in many areas of our lives. WLS being no exception

@@bobbyswife good one!!!!

I am thankful to learn who I am as a person emotionally and spiritually before learning who I will be physically. I'm beautiful - now to make the binding of the book look like the pages.

I am thankful for learning to know a person for so much more than the outer appearance and for looking for friends and a lover for who they are internally, and if the external is nice looking, then yay me! lol

I am also thankful for the obese me learning how to be tough. When you are overweight, you have to learn how to have a thick skin and how to take care of yourself when things get emotionally out of control. If it weren't for me being heavy - I don't think I'd be the tough chick who stands tall and can make it through the insanity I live in daily.

@@Shell88 That is powerful stuff! "now to make the binding of the book look like the pages" WOW WOW WOW!

Haha thanks - I had a philosophical moment after doing some mass healthy cooking (frozen meals, though healthy = hubby won't go hungry starting next week lol)

@@bobbyswife I'm thankful that I learned that big butts are in!!! And I'm thankful that my family and friends will support me no matter what my size is !❤️

Edited November 21, 201411 yr by Elode

Obesity gave me one of my closest friends. At age 15, she and I met in high school and started Weight Watchers together. She is still in my corner today even though we live states apart. She has lost over a hundred pounds through WW in recent years and knows the struggle of keeping it off. I was slightly nervous to tell her about my WLS, but she has been a cheerleader for me, and it all began almost forty years ago with bonding over a diet. If the question is what have I learned, from her I learned that some people can keep the weight off with hard work. I wasn't one of them, but that's why we have the LapBand.

OK, this may sound weird, but it's so valid for me. This aspect of being overweight had immense, lifelong benefits for me.

I'm 68 years old. I started becoming overweight when I was 7. Thereafter, through college, I was always chubby / overweight kid. (I became slim for the first time only when I was 22 years old.)

During those years, I was not among those girls / young women that boys and young men considered as romantic first-choices.

Consequently, I learned early on to become good friends with boys. I grew up without becoming *boy-crazy* -- a phase where sexual attention from boys was the most valuable currency. I felt comfortable engaging and competing with boys intellectually. I aspired early on to experience in life what I read about and saw only boys and men doing. I found delight in learning and adventure. I became an acute observer of human behavior. I saw that a person's appearance is only one of their attributes. I felt I was different from *other girls* and felt that was a good thing.

Eventually, I did *discover* boys, sexual relationships, marriage, etc. But all in good time. I'll always be grateful for the arc of my sexual development. In this regard, given the most obvious (and few) life options available to women of my generation, I was most fortunate.

Edited November 21, 201411 yr by VSGAnn2014

These are all SO GOOD and so heartfelt, thank you for sharing!

I am thankful for so many things from my fat days.

First and foremost, I am thankful that I learned that I am *so much more* than my outside appearance. I am loud, I am loyal, I am proud. I am my loved one's biggest cheerleader, I am confident in my opinions (overly so, some might say) and I am extremely optimistic. Like most, I have my days of funk, but I shake it off quickly and I've learned not to dwell in the negative. I may not be loved by everyone, but I learned to be OK with that, too. I think I developed many of these personality traits BECAUSE I was fat. I felt like my personality had to match my size and OUTSHINE my size in order to be noticed as more than just a *fat person*. That didn't go away as I became a *healthy person*.

Second by far is how much I learned about nutrition and dieting. No, I wasn't good at it, but I appreciate it. The knowledge I gained from WWs and South Beach and nutritionists has helped me keep my family at healthy weight and with healthy habits even if I didn't live by them myself.

I learned to value many aspects of myself. ..intellect, courage, tenacity over looks

Perseverance. I had learned perseverance, through trying and trying and trying to tackle my weight problem. I watched my weight cost me dearly in relationships and in health. Failing, failing, failing and then trying again a different way. Personal Trainers, Alli, Nutrisystem, So many gym memberships, Walking apps, food Diaries, Weight Watchers, Veganism, Bought a Bike, Nutritionists and medically supervised diets. I know what it's like to live through battle for years at a time. And God forbid, if I ever have to tackle any sort of chronic or lifetime affliction or hardship, I will be so glad for my experience of fall down get up fall down get up fall down get up. I'm one tough cookie because of it.

Damn! What a great thread this is!

Check out today's new post and toot your own horn!

Check out Monday's post! It's a good one