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Man Seeks Advice About Confronting Younger Brother For Stealing Breast Milk And Replacing It With Cow's Milk

MOOOO.....

Redditor u/902I0 had some issues with his younger sibling's ridiculous antics and wanted to know how he should handle the situation. Nobody is perfect but some actions are just downright mind boggling and stupid. People's idea of "fun" these days can be infuriating. Listen to the story...

Am I The A-hole for accusing my brother of replacing my wife's refrigerated breast milk with cow milk?

"My wife and I had our first baby a month ago. She prefers to pump a few bottles worth of milk at a time and feed the baby from the bottle. She stores the bottles in the fridge."

"My little brother has never had a girlfriend. He acts quite awkward around my wife and other women from what I've seen. He came to my house last week to see the baby and he noticed the bottles in the fridge."

"Yesterday, my wife and I, along with our baby, went over to my parent's house. My brother knows since he's in our family group chat. He texted me when I was at my parent's house that he bought my baby some cool clothes and will drop them off. He knows my front door pin to get in."

"When I got home I saw the cool clothes he bought and thanked him via text. My wife bottle fed my baby that night with no issues. Today, however, she said the baby reacted very differently to the new bottle she fed her. She coughed much more than usual and spat out the milk, which never happened before. So, my wife tasted it and said it was cow milk, not her milk. She told me to taste it too and compare it with the two other bottles in the fridge. That bottle indeed tasted much more like cow milk than the other two."

"My wife suspected it was my brother drinking her breast milk and swapping out that bottle with cow milk. I agreed that it would not be out of character for him to do that. I thought it was a bit fishy he would come by and drop off clothes, especially since that was the first time he would come to my house when no one was home."

"I called my brother and asked him why he would drop by when we were not home and why he couldn't wait a few hours until we got home. He said he just bought the clothes from the nearby mall and it was more convenient to drop them off then. I asked him to please tell me the truth if he swapped my wife's breast milk with cow milk and he vehemently denied it. I told him how we found out the bottle contained cow milk and what a coincidence it must be. He said he really doesn't know, but I could hear the tremble in his words. I told him that my wife and I don't believe him and if he doesn't apologize now, we would tell our parents what happened and ask what they think. He once again denies doing anything so I hung up."

"Before calling my parents, I want to know what you guys think first. Are my wife and I just paranoid or do we have good enough reason to believe my brother swapped out her breast milk with cow milk?" u/902I0

Not Around my Kids!

Giphy

"Wow this is weird.... does he have a history of this kind of thing? It almost seems sexually deviant. Why would he do this? Breastmilk is usually a bit different in color then cow milk, more yellow, much sweeter, and cows milk is definitely way harder for babies to digest. So if you are sure it was cow milk in the bottle, then it sounds like he's the only one that could have done it. Anyone else in your house? Maybe ask him in person. Face to face. To be sure. If he did this, then he was putting your baby's health at risk for his own twisted gain, and that is really crappy of him. I wouldn't want him around my kids!" Raven3131

Mistakes Happen....

"Did you even think about the possibility that he just knocked it over? That he was smelling and looking and dropped it. Or that he has this awful rash and has read breastmilk helps (true) and used it for that. You mind jumps right to drinking, but that's not at all the issue."

"Cows milk is very, very bad for baby's. They should not be drinking it at all. I would tell your brother that, make it clear why it's bad and ask him if he, or anyone else, can be honest next time something happens to the breastmilk. If it falls, be honest, do NOT replace with cow's milk. Or with anything."

"Also, how did she not notice? They don't look the same at all. It's really barely a mistake you can make, unless you don't look at the bottle when you take it out of the fridge."Gwennie333

Check Up. 

"My daughter got really really sick (she was hospitalized) from drinking cow's milk. And she is 5 months old so I can only imagine how much more dangerous it is to a month-old. I'm not in the best position to give my judgement. Mine is to urge you to please follow up and check if everything is okay with your baby." murrayxi

Be Sure. 

"You sound somewhat skeptical that it was 100% cow milk— If it was cow milk, it was surely your brother. In which case; NTA at all. Cow milk is not good, and can mess some babies up digestion-wise. NTA, and your brother is weird."jakejames

"I don't have the best of taste buds. Plus, the temperature of the supposed cow milk is a bit warmer than the refrigerated breast milk, so that throws things off a little. I'm 90% sure it's cow milk and my wife said she's 100% sure."902I0

Skin Crawl.

Giphy

"I am a breastfeeding mom, and this made my skin crawl. If it really was drank by him, how absolutely intrusive and deviant. It's very dangerous for babies to have anything other then formula/breastmilk when they're that young as well."

"The only other explanation I can think of is the milk going bad somehow. Which if you're freezing before 24 hours it shouldn't be bad and should be fine in the fridge."

"Your brother is a creep if he did that, and I would keep him away from your wife and baby." Dontsuffocate

"you just know?"

"WTH is this thread? Everybody either on the crap post train or NTA bandwagon?"

"OP, do you have any (I mean any) actual evidence that he did something wrong? None of those intuition nonsense or "you just know?".. that's not gonna cut it. Especially if you're planning on some sort of grand spectacle where you make your brother appear like some creepy sexual pervert."

"Maybe take a step back, deep breath and think whether whatever evidence you have is enough/conclusive because your relationship with your brother will likely never be the same afterwards but surely you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of that discussion?"

"EDIT: Because it seems many responses are tripping up on this.. "none of this intuition nonsense" refers to the brother having done something and not whether it was or wasn't breast milk. That's a separate discussion in itself."rycology

Not in this House. 

"NTA, and maybe make sure he cant get into your house when you're not home. That can be terrible for the poor baby's digestion, even deadly depending on the age. And... it sounds like your brother might be a sexual deviant, if he has done this, then he has gone out of his way to set up a situation where he's violating your wife's dignity in her own home. Protect your family from the threat, brother or not, and tell your parents. Cow milk and breast milk are noticeably different, trust your judgement and make sure these more subtle offenses don't turn into something more sinister. Your wife must feel pretty gross, I'm sorry for you both." haveitoldyouyethaveitoldyouyet

Sour taste.

Giphy

"NTA, him drinking your wife's milk is incredibly creepy, and not only that but he also endangered your child's health. If I was your wife I wouldn't want him near me, breastfeeding a child is extremely personal, him inserting himself into that feels really intrusive and wrong."nessy612

About Him. 

"Has he ever done anything comparable to this that would lead you to believe it was him? I mean the evidence you have is pretty damning as it is" casualpotato96

"Nothing comparable. He's a socially awkward but very intelligent guy. He never got into trouble as a kid. But like I said, he's super awkward around women, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's a bit sexually deviant." 902I0

Menace. 

"NTA, and the really serious issue here is that your baby could have been killed by his stunt. Google infants drinking cow's milk. Change your pin code. Your brother is a menace and a weirdo. I wouldn't ever trust him again. Take your baby to the doctor immediately and tell them what happened." brotogeris1

Accidents Happen.

Giphy

"I really hope the dude like dropped or accidentally used them or something. But i'd feel like he would admit if that happened so."Korpela

"I'm sorry to tell you this because it's disgusting but there are a fair amount of men who drink breast milk because they think it will help them gain muscle mass."

"Edit: okay I get that it's not actually that disgusting and just bc something grosses me out doesn't mean it's automatically bad. I do think it's stupid because there is 0% proof that it works and also a lot of the time they're buying it out while parents whose babies can't take formula and whose mothers can't provide enough for them really struggle (my cousin went through this) so I don't have a lot of respect for the guys involved lmao."hogelett

Get Him!

"Nail his butt to the wall. There is a huge difference between the sweet taste of breast milk and cow milk. Newborns can't digest cow milk, can have a bad reaction to it, and your baby could have gotten really sick from drinking it. Even before formula and if another nursing mom couldn't help they never gave babies straight cow milk. Goat milk is much closer to human milk. Your brother might of just been curious but he has to know you don't mess with the baby's stuff because they can get hurt."lisasimpsonfan

"will you go fill up a bottle of milk for my baby?" 

"Don't ever underestimate people's ability to be ignorant of things you think are obvious. This is the same world where men thought there were left and right tampons. I don't know anything about babies (I'm a woman) and if I hadn't seen various PETA things about how cows milk isn't meant for humans, I might not realize that it made much difference. I could see someone saying "will you go fill up a bottle of milk for my baby?" and grabbing the quart of cows milk without realizing they were supposed to look for a bottle that had been pumped. I once had a friend who couldn't figure out that you had to put water in a coffee maker in addition to the grounds. Smart guy, too, at least in terms of book intelligence."JLLsat

Set a Trap....

"This might be horrible advice, but I would tell your brother that the baby is having a horrible reaction to the milk and is in the ER and you need to know if the baby drank cow milk."

"Edit: I have been enjoying the conversation this comment has turned out, thanks for that and the silver."

"In reality, OP most likely already missed his chance at a straight out confession and doing this tactic wouldn't work if the brother is already on the defensive."

"I do think it is fair game to say the baby is having a reaction and it is important to know if the milk was changed. Maybe he could have framed it as something where he thought the brother was trying to do a favor and filled a bottle for them, that they appreciate it, but if it is cow's milk, it is bad for the baby... etc. etc."Punky_Grifter

Is He a Fool?

Giphy

"Is your brother an adult? What the hell is he doing swapping out food for your child like that, and drinking breast milk? I tell you the code to my place would be changed immediately. What else has he done in your place?" MaryK007

"He's 23. I will definitely change my code ASAP. He hasn't done anything out of the ordinary in my place since he's only there when I'm home as far as I know."u/902I0

Get a new Code... 

"I'd make sure to not give him the new code. Cows milk is not good for babies under 1yr. As a pumping mother the taste between breast milk and cows milk is very different, there is no way you could mistake the taste. It may have been curiosity or, as others have said, if he is a body builder he may have heard it's good for muscle repair or he might have decided to try and sell some. But in my opinion he has drunk it. I would test the other bottles or even dispose of them rather than feed them to your baby, in case he has tampered with them too." Kapearce82

Family Can be Trouble. 

"I read the other comments before making this post. Specifically to the other folks saying this couldn't be real... I hate to be the one to point this out, but lactation fetishes are real, and quite common."

"OP, follow the other poster's advice. Change your security PIN, limit your brother's access to your wife and child, and tell your parents about this breach of trust. You need to make it clear to your brother that his behavior hurt his family and it's unacceptable."

"Also, tell your wife to look through her undergarments to see if anything is missing. While I don't want to condemn your brother as "the creepy pervert" I wouldn't be surprised if she was missing at least one pair of undergarments."CIA_astroturf_acct82

HIDE! 

"You're not an a**hole."

"Bro what the HECK??? I don't think you should let your brother see your wife anymore cause that's so creepy. I know I'd be mad about it. I'm not sure how your relationship with ur brother is but I'd definitely distance myself. He's a creep and a fool in my opinion, especially if he DRANK it. I cannot even begin to imagine how uncomfortable and upset you and your wife are, but I hope things turn out well and that you guys get some peace of mind." Sara-tonin-

Be Serious.

Giphy

"Seriously, this needs to be on top! OP just had a baby a mouth ago. A child this young should not be having cow's milk this young since their digestion system isn't fully develop and can't digest it fully."

Cow's Milk vs. Formula

0110111101

Well, reader, what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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.