Top Stories

Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

Fed Up People With Food Allergies Reveal How People Snuck Food Into Their Meals to 'Test' Their Allergies

[rebelmouse-image 18349298 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

If someone says they have a food allergy, just believe them. Don't test them. Don't try and prove you're smarter than their food allergy. You're not. As proven by when tcp-45 asked Reddit:

People with food allergy or intolerance, have you ever been 'tricked' by a friend or family member to see if you were lying about your condition? What happened?

Here are those infuriating stories.

Almond Lies

[rebelmouse-image 18349299 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My brother is allergic to tree nuts. My aunt thought he was lying because he'd eat things with peanuts in it.

Several times she brought foods with nuts in them to Christmas get togethers. Never bothered my brother much he just didn't eat them. This pissed her off, so once she make this big plate of chocolate chip cookies. My brother eats about 6 of them. About 20 minutes later he's hacking and coughing. Epipen benedryl and a trip to the hospital later my aunt finally tells us that she used almond flour because she knew he was making it up.

Cedar Closing!

[rebelmouse-image 18349300 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My "best friend" at the time didn't believe anyone could be allergic to cedar. It makes my eyes itch and burn then swell shut. She thought I was probably just being dramatic because I didn't like the smell or something. I was spending the night at her place and she brought me some blankets... as soon as I wrapped up in them I realized something was wrong, they reeked of cedar. Her mother kept them in a cedar chest and she thought it would be no big deal. She quickly changed her tune and then apologized profusely once my eyes started to swell shut and I had to call my folks to come take me to the ER in the middle of the damn night.

Disguised By Malice

[rebelmouse-image 18349301 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My mother in law, and not a food.

Fabuloso cleaner is the only thing IN MY LIFE i have been allergic to. My husband's b-tch mother finds out. I'm very pregnant and she brings me a TON of my husband's baby blankets, books, etc. All very well kept.

All cleaned in Fabuloso. Now, the issue is it's not cartoon-level insta-hives. It takes a while. Enough time that i have possibly eaten or touched my face.

To this day she isn't allowed to bring items into my house.

Lady Tremaine

[rebelmouse-image 18349302 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My mom didn't believe my little brother when he told her that he's developed an allergy to bell peppers. That night, she made salad and diced green bell peppers into the salad so that he couldn't see the tiny green cubes. Within minutes, his throat swelled and he developed hives all over his face and neck. My mom told him to stop being dramatic as he was coughing and gasping for air. I grabbed my epipen from my bag and injected him as he began to faint while my mom screamed at us for being ungrateful brats who refuse to appreciate the food she cooked for us. We are both no contact now.

Suffer The Consequences

[rebelmouse-image 18349303 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I'm lactose intolerant and my girlfriend's mum just assumed I'm a fussy eater (which I'm not - at all)

So she made a delicious leek and potato soup, with fresh cream.

I had 2 bowls it was so nice, 20 minutes later I'm bloated as hell. 20 minutes later I'm farting like a trooper.

She kept asking me to leave the living room, I politely refused.

She hasn't done it since.

Attempted Murder

[rebelmouse-image 18349304 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I have a couple of different major allergies. Two of them are...odd. As a result most people think I'm just pulling their leg. I have an allergy to Cocoa (aka chocolate) and the tobacco plant.

My mom's side of the family was brutal people. They fed me chocolate laced breakfast foods and candies without my knowledge, but since I was so small when they discovered by allergy...I hadn't had enough chocolate to know what it tasted like besides pain. I just knew my mouth would tingle, my throat would feel tight, and that I would throw up not soon afterwards.

My mom figured out these 'throwing up fits' would happen ONLY around her family, she asked them to stop.

...they didn't.

So one day my Aunt gives me a full-sized hunk of pure dark chocolate. I go into a full reaction and I still remember her freaking out when I dropped/started changing colors and calling an ambulance. No I don't remember the ride and apparently my oxygen went down so much by the time the ambulance got there that any longer and I would have suffocated. I was stomach pumped and traced and left in ICU for a couple of days because my lungs couldn't handle it and breathing was a nightmare.

Just Believe Your Friends

[rebelmouse-image 18349305 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Cilantro. I guess my reaction would classify as an intolerance and not an allergy (i.e. no anaphylactic reaction) however a friend thought I was lying and put some in a salsa she made to see if "I could tell". Oh, I could tell alright I could tell as soon as my stomach started to swell and I started to feel very nauseous. Showed her by throwing up all over her bathroom. Sucker.

How Now? No Cow?

[rebelmouse-image 18349307 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My parents, to an extent.

When I was a small child, I stopped breathing when my parents moved me from breast milk to baby milk (cow milk). I stopped breathing, and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors told my parents that I was 'likely' lactose intolerance, and to just be careful to dairy.

My parents continued to feed my dairy.

When I was around 18 I was eating so much dairy daily. I was also constantly on the toilet, and constantly vomitting. I didn't see the link.

Went to the doctors. They did some simple tests.

I now avoid dairy, and I am perfectly healthy. My parents still think I exaggerate.

Whoops!

[rebelmouse-image 18349308 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

Not exactly tricked, but... I had a coworker with a severe dairy allergy (had to carry an epipen and everything). She was leaving the company, so on her last day I brought in a huge batch of vegan brownies. Typically when I make that recipe I use soy milk, but I had another coworker (B) who had a soy allergy, so I used almond milk instead. Coworker B took one of the brownies after confirming with me they were totally soy free, but came back about ten minutes later, asking if I was sure there was no soy in the brownies. She was clearly having a reaction, so I panicked and started listing off all the ingredients I used in the recipe. When I mentioned the almond milk she said, "Oh, okay. Yeah, I'm allergic to almonds, too." She ended up going home for the rest of the day, and I am still baffled that someone with allergies that severe wouldn't verify the food she was eating was free of all her allergens.

Rightful Punishment

[rebelmouse-image 18349309 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My own Father. I'm allergic to mushrooms, he didn't think that was possible.

One weekend day when I was 14 it was my turn to cook dinner. I made bolognese sauce and left it to simmer on the hob while I went out to play with the dogs. Whilst I was out he secretly cooked a few mushrooms, liquidised them, mixed them into the sauce, then hid all the evidence. You couldn't see them, smell them, or taste them. I ate the dinner, and when two hours later my guts began to protest I was so confused, I made the sauce myself! There was nothing bad in it! Everyone else is fine! It wasn't until the next morning (after everyone had to listen to me emptying my entire digestive system all damn night) that he finally admitted what he had done. It felt good listening to my mum shouting at him for hours, and she made him scrub the entire bathroom with a toothbrush once I was finally out of there.

Mexican Come-Up

[rebelmouse-image 18349310 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I'm allergic to avocado. A lot of people think I'm lying because I don't like it. Guacamole is delicious, but unfortunately makes me violently ill. My sister in law thought I would "change my mind" if I had avocado in the right context. She gave me a burrito with guac which I stupidly ate by the campfire so the green avocado color looked like queso. I vomited. A lot. For a long time.

"Vanilla"

[rebelmouse-image 18349311 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I'm allergic to coconut. None of my friends believed me and thought I was just bullshitting them and that I just didn't like coconuts. They bought a chocolate cake and a "vanilla" cake for my friends birthday. We all got to chowing down and when I bit into the "vanilla cake" I immediately recognized it as having coconut. I spit out what I hadn't swallowed but it was too late. Throat started closing, mouth started burning and tingling and my saliva became extremely thick and stringy. My friends reactions were just "Oh. I guess you're not lying". I flipped them off then slowly sipped water for 2 hours while I waited for my face to stop itching.

At Least He Wasn't Tricked

[rebelmouse-image 18349312 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

My wife, who is an otherwise supportive and wonderful partner, refused to believe I have an allergy to pistachios. She said it's because I am too nonchalant about diving into a bowl of nuts then later asking if there are pistachios but at this point I kinda just know from glance if there are.

Anyhow, we were at a nice place for lunch with her family and ordered a meat and cheese board. I didn't even consider that a pate would have pistachios until my second bite and I saw them. My wife, slightly "justified", said "see, you aren't allergic!"

Thirty minutes later I was in the emergency center, my entire body broken out and trouble breathing and swallowing and she was crying. I was trying to calm her down while attempting to swallow and not die, feeling if I did pass I didn't want her thinking it was her fault. One giant shot in my buttcheek and a very calming nurse helped out.

She later got mad that I didn't carry an EpiPen with me but, she forgets, I am a dummy when it comes to that stuff.

Skin Contact

[rebelmouse-image 18349313 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I have a strange allergy that most people don't believe. I'm allergic to mint/menthol. Anything that is supposed to give you that nice "cooling" sensation just feels like burning fire and makes me swell and itch (no anaphylaxis, but just really uncomfortable). Its in toothpaste, facewashes, deodorant, candy, hair products.

I had a friend, and as young teens do, she decided to wash my hair and give me a sleepover "spa day" sort of thing. We washed each others hair in the kitchen sink, cucumbers on the eyes, candles going. She has heard me many times say I was allergic, so I decided to trust her. But, without telling me, She decides to use her mom's fancy peppermint shampoo thinking it wouldn't be bad.

Suddenly, relaxing spa day turned into a Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. Next thing I know I'm writhing around trying not to tear my scalp off while I'm screaming at her "what did you do?! What's in this?!"

She kept telling me that is was good stuff and her mom uses it all the time! Moms never had a problem.

The remainder of spa day was spent with my head running under cold water until the benadryl kicked in. I also get adverse reactions to benadryl so instead of sleepy I get HYPED. The rest of that sleepover was me sitting like a 16 year old on cocaine trying to watch a movie by pacing back and forth behind the couch patting my thighs to the beat of everything that was happening in the movie.

Not a fun sleepover

Take Us Seriously

[rebelmouse-image 18349314 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I know it's popular to hate "gluten free" people right now, but I legitimately cant consume gluten because I have celiac disease. There's definitely a threshold for my allergy but I'm not totally sure where the line is. I'm usually fine eating, for example, fries from the same fryer as onion rings, but if I eat an actual piece of bread I'll get headaches, stomach aches, and probably throw it up.

Anyways, the summer after high school my friend got me a job at this Mexican restaurant she worked at. Everything came in bagged/frozen except the green chili which we made in house. Every time I start at a new restaurant I make it a habit to learn what allergens are in what dishes because I take that shit seriously, and I also want to know what I can eat safely. This restaurant had all ingredients and allergens for everything listed in a binder so I read through it and saw that the chili was actually gluten free.

Every day at work I would get a plate of rolled chicken enchiladas on corn tortillas smothered in green chili, but after a few days I started feeling sick. It started with headaches, then stomach cramps so bad I had trouble focusing at work. I messed up orders, had to constantly take breaks, and generally was miserable. In the middle of the night or in the mornings I would wake up throwing up, but this being the restaurant industry no one would let me call in sick. Eventually I threw up in the bathroom while at work and they sent me home. I was out for two days, but I couldn't figure out what had made me sick because I'm careful about my groceries and everything I had eaten at the restaurant was supposed to be gluten free.

When I got back I was talking to my friend (who by the way had not checked up on me at all) about how confused I was with the whole thing and she starts f-cking laughing. Turns out she didn't believe I had a real allergy and thought it would be funny to prove I was faking it, so she got the cooks to add flour to the chili. Obviously I was f-cking pissed, she had essentially poisoned me and who knows how many other people by adding the flour. What is wrong with people?

They Can Also Develop

[rebelmouse-image 18349315 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

With me I didn't develop any allergies until I hit 21. I can remember grabbing a bag of peanut m&ms and within a min I knew something was wrong. I had never had a reaction so it was really scary and unexpected. I was tested and did in fact develop peanut allergy on top of a few others. My family and bf didn't understand that it is possible to develop allergies later and life. So they would push peanuts on me as if I was lying. I loved peanuts wtf would I lie. Just a few months ago am idiot coworker made brownies. Said no peanuts. Yup there were peanuts. It's scary and people shouldn't take it lightly

Believe. Us.

[rebelmouse-image 18349316 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I have some pretty wacky allergies when it comes to mold and fungus, so I can't eat mushrooms. Because of this I'd never been exposed to green bean casserole, which uses cream of mushroom. My roommate asked me one day if I liked mushrooms, to which I replied I was allergic. She asked me if I was just saying that because I didn't like mushrooms, and I told her I wasn't. People with food allergies get that question a lot, so I didn't think anything of it.

This b-tch proceeds to serve me green bean casserole, and long story short I wind up in the ER with my entire body feeling like it's being bitten by bloodthirsty mosquitoes. Needless to say, I moved out, and didn't pay her a dime for rent or utilities. I told her she was lucky I didn't sue her or call the police. Looking back, what she did was tantamount to attempted murder.

Exotic Doesn't Mean Unallergic

[rebelmouse-image 18349317 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I am allergic to a couple of exotic fruits from my home country and to some cleaning products. There is a housemaid who has worked for many years for my family and I adore her she's pretty much like family now buuuut she never believed that I was allergic to these things.

She thought it was just me being complicated, so more than once she didn't bother to tell me the juice she made had the fruits I was allergic to. Luckily my allergy to those fruits it's rather mild and aside from a red face and a burning sensation on my face nothing happened but still.

What annoyed me the most is that more than once my mom gave her the money to buy specific products that we knew wouldn't give me allergies and she refused to buy them claiming that other products were cheaper and that she was just helping us to save money. At this point she was just being a stubborn! My allergy to cleaning products is heavier than the one to the fruits. I normally sneeze and cough a lot, get red, feel a burning sensation, get itchy and my eyes get extremely blurry but she still thought I was playing. Eventually my mom had to tell her off and she started buying what we told her to buy.

It's Not A Joke

[rebelmouse-image 18349318 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I'm celiac, so I can't digest gluten. This causes hives, eczema, vomiting, bloating, acne, alternate sh-tting my brains out and painful constipation, and being in a mental fog for up to several weeks after exposure, because basically my small intestine is eating itself and all of my antibodies are attacking everything. Because it's currently trendy to eat a gluten-free diet but the majority of those people don't have a gluten allergy or intolerance, a lot of people don't take it seriously. People think they're doing a favor by lying to me about whether something has gluten in it or not, or saying "just a bite won't hurt!" but it really f-cking will. I can't even count the number of times people have glutened me because they think I'm on a trend diet. It's not a f-cking joke.

Raise Hell

[rebelmouse-image 18349319 is_animated_gif= dam=1 expand=1]

I'm allergic to limes. Other citrus doesn't bother me- just limes. I'm a bartender and so things suck sometimes but I'm usually okay. My allergy developed after I had started bartending. At first it was just a mild skin allergy but I could still drink it. Then it started getting worse. I'm at a point now where even a small sip of a drink with lime will set off a reaction in my throat. It burns- very badly. And the hives. My god, the hives.

I usually have to remind friends and family when they're trying to make me drinks because it's not a common allergy and I'm almost always okay.

I can't have my favorite drinks anymore when I go out because most places don't have the ability to make me a margarita with lemon instead of lime. (Most pre mix their juices or whatever, maybe they're lazy and just don't want to do it) Fine, it's not a big deal, but I always ask anyways on the off chance that they can.

It's not really just that though- I can't trust people at other restaurants and bars anymore. This one told me she could make a margarita with only lemon- I super stressed I can't have sour mix or anything- it MUST only be lemon. She said it was no problem because they had fresh squeezed juices and it was easy to accommodate me. She f-cking used sweet and sour mix and when I started drinking it, I took a big sip and could tell immediately when it hit my tongue. She had a smug look on her face until I started reacting right there. My boyfriend raised f-cking hell while I was trying to get the reaction to stop.

I should have pressed charges but didn't because I was younger then and felt like her being fired was enough. I still wonder every so often whether or not she learned her f-cking lesson.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.