Top Stories

Harry Potter Fans Share R-Rated Things Might Happen In The Wizarding World

Harry Potter Fans Share R-Rated Things Might Happen In The Wizarding World
Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Expecto...oh.

JK Rowling has done so well at creating the world that Harry Potter inhabits that we now have an understanding that allows (dangerously) for speculation. And fans love to speculate.


u/eL7Square asked Reddit:

What are some R-rated things that probably happen in the world of Harry Potter that the story doesn't address?

Here were some of the R-rated answers.


The Charm-a Sutra

Giphy

You know some witch or wizard has written a book of erotic bedroom spells.

MeconiumBonaparte

The Cost Of Love

Giphy

The implications around love potions and spells are disturbing to think about. Even the books touch on it a little bit with Voldemort's parents.

And yet they're openly and legally sold to teenagers.

In fact, I cannot think of a single "good" use for a love potion.

Rowling did not think this through. The Imperious curse that removes free will is "Unforgivable", but the potion that forces you to love someone you normally wouldn't is A-Ok?

ironwolf56

Luck Of The Cauldron

Giphy

I guarantee there is at least one person out there who is addicted to Felix Felicis (the luck potion from Half-Blood Prince). I mean, if it can get you a "perfect day", don't you think there is someone out there who brews that stuff on bulk, or even a company that just sells that, and uses it every day to try and have a perfect life? Maybe there's a rehab center or a "Feliciholics Anonymous" for people who are Felix Felicis addicts trying to quit (similar to actual drugs in the muggle world).

Nyrotike

Creative Goals

Giphy

Someone probably at one point stuck their wand up their own a** and used an illumination spell to turn them self into a jack-o-lantern. I know I would.

Inferior_Jeans

Engorgerus

Giphy

Accidental genital mutilation by incorrectly using enlarging charms.

MR-DEDPUL

Curse Blockers

Giphy

Do you ever think about how many people must work in curse-proofing? Like, there must be a pretty sizable economic sector dedicated to putting curse blockers on, for instance, basically everything that magical world leaders ever come into contact with. How many leaders around the world do you think were killed by exploding forks or furniture turning into lions or something of that nature? Magical anti-terrorism must be pretty hectic in a world where anything can theoretically be turned into a bomb with the right spell. Even when you're just casually walking through a crowd of magic users, you're essentially surrounded by a bunch of people with guns; they could all kill someone if they know "avada kedavra." I thought you can't block that curse, so how do leaders stay safe during public events? Then of course there's polyjuice potion; do you think they have a scanner to make sure everyone who enters a government building is really who they say they are? They clearly don't at the bank since Hermione was able to get in as Bellatrix.

R1DER_of_R0HAN

Corporal Violence

Giphy

The punishments are pretty extreme. Azkaban should be considered a crime against humanity. In the Fantastic Beasts movie it was too easy for the main characters to be sent for execution. It also bothered me that the executioners were so calm/happy helping someone die. Umbridge should not have been able to use a magical hand-scarring pen to punish people. Honestly, it feels like the law in that world has no limits, and I'd be scared if I lived somewhere in which that was normal. Wizards/witches have probably committed some pretty sick acts because their legal system is shady. For example, they could torture someone as punishment and instantly heal them, over and over again. Or they can use a spell that forces them to experience their worst nightmares.

FruitPopsicle

I've Got Dragon Pox

Giphy

I've always wondered how many sexual mishaps Madame Pomfrey has to deal with. Like, there has to be male students who tried an "engorging" charm at one point or another and it backfired. What about STDs? Do wizards have different STDs? Newt Scamander said that Muggles have different physiologies than wizards (in context of medications). That said, can a Muggle born introduce a new STD to the wizarding community? There has to be birth control charms or potions, as you never hear of pregnant students at Hogwarts. Is there an abortion spell/potion? Is this controversial in the wizard world? Is there a spell that girls can use to intentionally stop a period? I mean, if you can magically straighten teeth or have skelo-grow, I don't see it as being that far-fetched.

fruitydeath

Red Flags

Giphy

Let's just break some things down about the wizarding world, some red-flag stuff:

  1. Everyone that attends Hogwarts has a 5th grade education. You receive your Hogwarts acceptance letter between your 10th and 11th birthday (seems to be some uncertainty on that). That puts a kid roughly around 5th grade of elementary school wherein they are pulled out of their education and brought into a curriculum tailored towards magic more-so than academics. Yes, of course, learning about magic is hugely important and many education systems throughout the world are less than stellar, but I very much doubt the curriculum is tailored to help students learn and retain all the necessary levels of information to be able to actually interact with society easily.
  2. Muggle-society has developed in a much more sophisticated manner than the wizarding society. Reread Harry Potter and watch how Arthur Weasley gets when it comes to interacting with anything muggle related. He works for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, which is focused on making sure enchanted muggle items are kept well and clear from muggles. He is constantly amazed at muggle ingenuity. How they have developed the technology that they have. How things work and operate. Airplanes are a total mystery to him. Looking at how everything operates and looks in the wizarding world, it doesn't look like that is exclusive to him. I would argue that their dependence on magic to solve all things has led, ultimately, to a fundamental lack of innovation. They merely can make things fly, without ever attempting to understand the underlying reality of it all. Also, it's telling that both Hermione and Harry act very differently compared to many others because of their upbringing. Having no knowledge of magic or the wizarding world, they operated in a world where finding answers and getting results required actual application of knowledge, resourcefulness, and effort.
  3. Muggle studies. An elective taken from the third year on. Subjects include "Why muggles need electricity.", hangman, crosswords, and playgrounds. Most considered it an easy class, not worth taking the time in (Percy Weasley felt it should be important, in contrast, so as to help the magical community better understand and relate to the non-magical community). Let us not forget that within a century, two Dark Lords rose to power both believing that all muggles should be subjugated to the wizarding world, and they had a lot of support. Having a poor understanding of other groups of peoples and communities is an easy way to ultimately dehumanize them and see them as nothing more than tools and pawns.
  4. The government within the wizarding world is... flimsy. Now, at the end of the day, wizards are humans and human nature and politics leads to inevitable conclusions. That said, the politics and bureaucracy present in the wizarding world is nothing short of a disaster. With how easily things can change and be swayed, from peaceful and cooperate to violent and subversive, stability leaves a lot to be questioned. To be frank, the only form of clear direction and ambition is present only when the Death Eaters and Voldemort take control. Beforehand, it was stagnant and ultimately wanted to keep its fingers in its ears. It's even telling in what became the norm: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. When you are afraid to speak a name, and thusly things related to the individual, you have granted a lot of power out of your own cowardice. And the wizarrding world gave Voldemort a lot of power.
  5. Clear separation of the magical and non-magical communities. Yes, you can't just drop the veil and hope all will be well. But really look at how things operate. Arthur is amazed at the Grangers exchanging their money for wizard money, and have their own for0m of currency. Transportation is by brooms and floo systems. Communication through birds. Buildings are hidden in plain sight. The magical community goes through little effort to ever actually live in the non-magical world, but wishes to do all it can to separate itself. Now, obviously such places that are separated must exist for the safety of everyone. But this constant separation only amplifies my 3rd point and that they are terrible at actually cooperating with their non-magical neighbors.

So why do I mention all of these things. It's real easy to read Harry Potter and think "Oh man! Being a wizard would be amazing! I want to be in that world!", but the reality is that things aren't better, just more of the same in a different way. They are, broadly speaking, a group of easily swayed people that wish to remain removed from a situation that cannot be solved by magic alone: interacting with non-magical people. However, they also lack the ability to take responsibility and investigate matters in a way that would actually protect those that don't even know another world exists. They wield some of the most powerful forces known to humankind, and have the education of middle schoolers and societal functionality of older kingdoms. Imagine a group of people like that existing in this world, and tell me how order is ultimately maintained?

Either it isn't, and magical members of the community regularly interact and interfere with muggle society to their own gains, with little regard to its impact. Or there is ultimately a "task force" (EDIT: I had forgotten that there is one. Obliviators. Look them up. Crazy.) that operates in such a way that they are regularly wiping people's memories or whole lives so as to keep a secret. Muggle saw a girl using a broom, wipe her memory. Muggle was brutally murdered by witch. Unsolved murder as far as the muggles are concerned. Theft? Oh well. Any illicit behavior is swept under the rug in some capacity so as to not "cause a public outcry". The magical community can talk about how muggles and wizards are equal, but they are pretty much lying. The non-magical community is at the whims of of the magical community each and every day, and they don't want you to really know it. It's like if the Illuminati were real, but full of incompetent people who don't really understand you or your world.

So, to answer OP's question, think of anything that does happen in real life with one extra caveat: The prime directive is in full effect and we can never truly know it happened. The Ministry of Magic will subvert the law and idea of justice whenever anything bad happens to an average person. Imagine watching a movie where you are watching Aurors going around, seeing all the ways Voldemort and his Death Eaters left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, and intentionally tampering with evidence and crime scenes, obstructing justice, and interfering at every turn so we can never know who did it, or that there is a magical world out there that thinks we can't actually cooperate or be trusted with such power.

And remember that Arthur Weasley was amazed by a turnstile. That most of them are probably incapable of actual problem solving and reasoning above a 5th grader level, since magic makes everything easy.

They know what's best for the non-magical community, guys.

P.S.- I know the movies aren't strictly canon, but watch them and pay attention to how the muggle side of things are presented. Being a muggle is boring, dull, uninteresting, and gray. Colors are muted. Everyone acts the same. That's pretty much how the wizarding world contrasts the muggle world. Quite frankly, a wizard or witch standing up and saying "We need to take control of the muggles. They obviously don't really have any idea what they're doing. We'll uplift them!" should happen about once a year.

whatdoiexpect

It Mirrors Us

Giphy

In the last book, it's mentioned that many of the first year wizarding students had simply gone missing without explanation, because of the Death Eaters on the loose. These kids are never found. It's pretty frickin dark to imagine the Hogwarts Express getting stopped and boarded, and all the young first year students getting escorted to concentration camps.

wooshock

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.