Scared of losing weight?
 

Not a huge issue with me ... just recently seem to be noticing it. Somehow or another amongst all the rah rah lose weight general positive feelings I think I detect something of an undercurrent that is scared of losing weight? Honestly not even sure that's the right word. Just throwing this out there to see if anyone else has this and, if so, whether they can describe/explain it better. It's like when I think about being lighter it kinds of weirds me out a little bit.

I personally don't have this problem, but there was a very interesting thread about this topic about 6 months ago. If I can find it, I'll link to it here. A surprising number of people experienced the same feelings as you do. Several described feeling more exposed. They felt they'd been hiding behind the layers and the fat clothes. Others felt uncomfortable with the notion that they might become more attractive to the opposite sex. Sometimes, people feel that they have a role as an overweight person, and so their sense of identity might change. Also, the attitudes of other people might be unexpected and unsettling.

We all have different issues to overcome in the weight-loss journey. Perhaps you'd find it helpful to write a list of pros and cons of losing weight, so you can see how it balances out.

I cannot find the thread which I mentioned, but here's another on a similar topic:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ighlight=scared

Are you identifying the root of the fear correctly. Not saying you're not, just bringing it up, because I have those vague feelings of apprehension too, but I think at the root is fear of failure, more than fear of losing. Perhaps unanalyzed, they can get confused.
As long as I was fat and not doing anything about it, dieting was always something I "could" do. But what if I try as hard as I can, and don't lose (as a menopausal woman, that has happened to me. I know that is not, and never will be your issue. lol!). Then what? When you discover you are powerless to fix the problem and trapped in a fat body with no hope? That is a fear of mine. Humans do not do well with 'no hope'.

It CAN be scary, any big change like this can. Losing weight is a very emotional journey, I've found. Finally facing my long term weight problem instead of ignoring it.

It is a big change - I'm thinking about those changes now as I go through my fifth restart. Emotional issues derail me but I have to do it now...can't keep denying what is in front of me. While I won't look radically different, I'll be perceived as different...maybe. I'm doing this going into fall and winter with all those sweaters and coats. :) But it will be different. I don't when I will see it. You know, we are hardest on ourselves. And this is a very visible journey to undertake so being anxious about what we see in the mirror is only natural.

Very understandable
 

Losing weight can also be a very public thing unfortunately. If you don't like people noticing you, it can be uncomfortable when they notice the weight coming off. I have a very public job and people make comments to me on a daily basis and it freaks me out a bit. But I assume in a few months how I look will become the "new normal" and people will stop commenting.

I seriously downplay when people ask me about the weight however. And I will NOT discuss diet. I don't need feedback, thank you very much.

We are changing ourselves, and that's always scary.

We are changing the way we eat, which changes the way we look, which is going to change the way people act towards us and then it makes us change the way we act back at them.

I don't know anyone who wants that much change. Heck, it always cracks me up when lottery winners go, "Nothing will change, except I have more money." But that changes everything!

Likewise, we think we will lose weight, and nothing else will change. Yet, everything else does; and that makes us uncertain.

As someone who is a veteran of Change, I say: embrace it! Figure it out!

If, like me, you've spent formative years being overweight and having social difficulties, here's our chance to reboot that part of our personality, and make it work better.

How many things did we decide during our teen years that were really good decisions we want to stand by for the rest of our lives?

Yes, that's what I thought. :)

I think there's an undercurrent of fear. I've never been at a slim weight before, and I seem to consistently get "stuck" at about 180lbs (I'm 5ft 3") until I let life get in the way of what I eat.

I think I sabotage myself and use the excuse that life keeps throwing stuff too stressful at me, but at the same time knowing that eating whatever has never fixed any problems or made me feel better, not even in the short run!

I agree with werebear that its frightening attempting to change ourselves. Our lifestyles, habits, so deeply ingrained. And of course, there's always the fear of failure...