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People Divulge The Number One Rule Of Their Moral Code

People Divulge The Number One Rule Of Their Moral Code
Aarón Blanco Tejedor/Unsplash

A moral code like a compass. It's a guiding set of rules or principles that humans live by. They lead the way we move through the world and interact with the people around us.

Some believe that moral come from a divine energy that implants that code into our consciousness. Those morals have then been translated into text and passed down by religious authorities. Not following those sacred values could bring on serious consequences.

Others believe that the moral compass is innately within all of us and is biologically and culturally evolutionary. That voice telling you right from wrong has always lived within us.



David Ludden Ph.D. wrote that humans have been enacting a moral code long before we could even write down what it was:

"We also have an innate moral code: Do not kill, lie, steal, or poach another's mate."
"These injunctions weren't just handed down to us on stone tablets. Rather, they're inscribed in our DNA."

We wanted to know what is the number one moral or value on your list of moral codes.

Redditor MetanoiaBender asked:

"What is the #1 rule in your moral code?"

Here's a list of important life lessons.

Don't mess with people's livelihoods.

"Don't f*ck with a man's livelihood."

"I was a brand new manager and made a joke about firing someone and instead of laughing they looked scared and upset. A more senior manager saw that and took me aside - he said "if you have the power to hire and fire, it's not ever a joke. Don't f*ck with a man's livelihood.'"

"Never forgot it and it served me well."

- Makerbot2000

"As an addendum, don't [send] sh*tty emails like 'Please see me in my office.'"

- Jim3535

"Mandatory meeting Monday morning 9am, all staff must attend".

"We turn up expecting mass layoffs, got some OHS bullsh*t."

"However, expecting the worst, I had already sent my resume off to the company across the road. They hired me. Also 50% of staff sent off resumes because of this e-mail. Many got offers and left. So many key people left, the other staff were overworked and were soon over it. It cascaded to a mass exodus within about 6 weeks of the e-mail."

"Don't send sh*tty emails."

- PM_UR_REBUTTAL

"After becoming a manager I made it a rule to explain unexpected meetings."

"'Hey I have an update on client [name]. Can we chat when you get a chance?'"

"Don't scare people."

- wayoverpaid

"As a former retail manager, this one can get tricky. It's certainly preferable to approach hard conversations with the tactic you described whenever possible. That being said- when navigating the complex dynamic of a sales floor with multiple employees within earshot any implication of a meeting with a lower level associate will be seen by others as disciplinary. This causes gossip and strife between the people working under you."

"What I personally would do is find the employee I need to speak with, jovially approach them, and ask, 'Hey will you walk the sales floor with me for a second?' I would then take a roundabout way to my office while discussing friendly personal-life or hobby related topics or upcoming store events. Once out of earshot of others and the employee is at ease, inform them, 'Hey so we need to step into my office for a second and talk about this situation that happened.' If it's an employee with a different gender, bring in a manager who shares their gender. At this point they are generally receptive and appreciative of the way you approached them and respected their privacy. Even if the employee knows the conversation could end in termination of employment."

- xdylanxfrommyspace

How to make friends.

"If you want to have friends, you must first be one."

- Back2Bach

"To be interesting you must also be interested."

- KingKongDuck

"Do you mean interested in learning? If so, that's good advice. A lot of people just aren't curious enough, and their personality takes a toll."

"Learning about arts and history goes such a long way."

- appleparkfive

"Used to be so curious and interested in things but my job makes me learn so much so fast that outside of work idc to learn anything anymore unless it's beneficial to wife and kid."

"Thinking about it now, I need to change jobs when possible."

- TheWoahgie

"I'm always super open with people and try to get them to be open with me but no one ever opens up as much as I do and I don't understand it."

- introusers1979

"You might be considered an over-sharer. Your frankness with strangers might be seen as off-putting because it's not the norm. It happens and people ought to be aware."

- ron_swansons_meat

"Slow down your opening up. If you open too fast and demand others to open just as fast, many people just shut down."

- cultural-exchange-of

Always apologize if you've done something.

"Apologize if you know you've done wrong."

- xSalty_Lightningx

"Yooo this was a huge lesson my father taught us growing up. He really emphasized the strength it takes to apologize. More parents need to focus on this."

- Hi--Cats

"Not only apologize but do better in the future."

- I_am_Anna94

"Yes, THIS. I see so many folks throwing out apologies so easily, yet do nothing to actually make amends to whatever it was they did wrong."

- RedRainss

"I remember when i was a kid and I f*cked up real bad, I think I dropped the C word in front of one of my aunts or something like that. It wasn't close to the first time I'd been caught using profanity and I figured I'll just mumble sorry and bow my head 'n pout and weasel my way outta this."

"My grandfather wasn't having that sh*t. He told me to grab a plate and throw it on the floor, hard enough to make it break. I did. He said now tell it sorry. I did. He said is the plate ok? I said no it's still broken. He said now apologize to the other plates. I did. He said is the plate ok? I said no it's still broken. He said did the other plates move closer to you? I said no. He said maybe now you understand."

- Redditor

"That's a hell of a way to get the point across. I'm pretty sure it would stick though."

- Batfuzz86

Former Anti-Vaxxers Explain What Actually Made Them Change Their Mind | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Honesty is key.

"Never be afraid to be honest or kind. Both can be very hard in the right circumstances."

- KayBerna

"Or be afraid and do it anyway."

- oneworkinglimb

"True that. Courage isn't the lack of fear, but the willingness to move forward when afraid."

- KayBerna

"If you have to choose between being right and being kind, choose being kind and you'll be right every time."

- haysoos2

"How do you decide between speaking an honest truth/opinion which will hurt feelings, or telling a harmless lie out of kindness instead?"

- __Guy_Incognito

"Here's how it works out for me in life; kindness is a whole lot more important that telling everyone your honest OPINION. That's the key right there - if your opinion is likely going to hurt someone, maybe do your best to put the other person's feelings first, but it doesn't mean you have to lie. If you're in a situation where you're still being pushed to share your honest opinion, try to do so in a nice way. If, however, you are trying to tell someone an honest FACT, something that is grounded in reality and will affect them regardless, you are obligated to share that out of principle."

"I work in the veterinary field, and have seen many pets be diagnosed with cancer, skin disease, giardia, UTI, etc. It wouldn't help anyone for those owners not to know their pet it sick, no matter how expensive or difficult the treatment is. Similarly, before we have a diagnosis, treating that worried owner with kindness in the face of the unknown is sometimes the only bit good in that person's day."

- KayBerna

Always leave the offer on the table.

"I won't leave people out. I was frequently left out growing up, and it makes you feel an inch tall."

"I always offer and then offer again, to include people. It's always nice to have the offer even if you don't want to come along."

- Fatherchristmassdad

"Similar to this I always make it a point to make my own judgments about people. When I was growing up it was considered social suicide to be my friend. The only way I could make friends as a kid was if I befriended the new kid before someone else told them not to be my friend. I think the least people can do for each other is make their own judgments after getting to know someone a bit and to not make plans within earshot of others unless you invite everyone who can hear it. People are social animals, it hurts to be excluded from the group."

- kexingwen

Replace the roll!

"If I'm the one who finishes the toilet paper roll, I'm the one who replaces it. Sadly my family doesn't do the same and then I have to waddle to the cabinet to get a new roll."

- No_Lawyer_8901

"Honestly, if you are the one who gets it close to finished, you should replace it and leave the early empty near enough to use (to finish)."

"What if it's a really messy one and you need more than just the last little bit?"

- DominicB547

"This is where the military rule of 'two is one. One is none' makes sense to me. In my house every toilet has at least one spare roll ready to go within arms reach of the throne. We know that if you start the last one then you should re-stock after."

- Immediate-Escalator

Treat people the way you want to be treated.

"Don't be an a-hole."

"I go out of my way to not have to deal with a-holes, and it's time well spent."'

- iWillNeverReplyToYou

"The golden rule really matters. Treat others the way you want to be treated."

"It's one of those sayings that you have to actually analyze and absorb, and life changes for the better. "A penny saved is a penny earned" is another one we all hear, but when you think about it and truly absorb the mentality, life changes for the better."

"There's so many sayings we all hear, and a lot of them really can make life better."

- appleparkfive

"Don't be an a**hole is the first rule in our house, too. Second is assume best intentions (on the part of whomever you are dealing with). There are others but we've always said if you stick to those two solidly, you'll do just fine."

- toweltraveler

"Also, I swear by 'don't assume the other person is intending to be malicious.' There's been so much house drama (in my student university house) bc 'so and so' thinks 'so and so' is doing this to spite her, single her out, targeting her."

"Always assume there's no beef, and there will be no beef."

- dirtyseacrystals

Keep your word.

"Keep your word, always."

- Gulfcoastpest

"Yes!! I try and live by this as well! If I decide to make plans, I follow through, if I say I'll be there, I'll be there. I grew up with constant disappointment, and as an adult, I realized a lot of people pay lip service but have no intention of following through, they just want to look good in the moment. I try and live up to my word as much as possible because of this. I may not have a lot of friends, but god damn it, I'm honest and dependable."

- RoguesTongue

"This needs to be paired with 'learn how to say NO.' It'll make it a lot easier to keep your word if you don't give it when you really shouldn't."

- nowiforgotmypassword

"I genuinely try to do this... I really do. But I am pretty bad about it. Eventually I realized I need to be more realistic about what I expect myself to do, not just for others, but for myself. But it's been a learning process. Usually it's small things: "I'll show up at 11:00" then show up 11:05 when it's a 5 minute walk, that sort of thing. I always feel terrible about it."

- Stekun

"I kept reading to see if anyone else felt this way. I'm bad about it, but I always thought I had the best of intentions… I was told by a therapist in my teens that just saying one's intention out loud was a good way to get past the inaction and antisocial tendencies I had from my severe anxiety/depression. The theory being that the more one announces one's intentions to other people, the more one feels accountable and is more likely to follow through with their plans. In my case, it didn't work and I just let people down and felt more guilt. Being more realistic helped me develop boundaries and also determine who was able and unable to handle the personal space I needed, which was (and is) a lot."

- lisarista

Can malice be explained by ignorance?

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by ignorance."

- Downvote_machine_AMA

"People are only capable of that which they are conscious."

- MetanoiaBender

"Now I understand why people do that. It's a survival mechanism. But instincts aren't always our friend in a civilized society."

- ChronoLegion2

"The way I've heard it was 'incompetence' rather than 'ignorance'; mostly same idea."

- shall_always_be_so

Avoid gossip.

"Don't tell truths that are not yours to tell. You don't need to be spreading people's business around without their permission."

- gouhobandgraw

"I think this has value, but some of the big things should be told to protect others. Being hands off when someone will likely repeat an action that hurts others is the actual worst."

- J_Bunn

"A related moral code I try to follow is to not take gossip to heart. So when people talk trash about someone I have never met I do my best to ignore it and form my own opinion. If someone is really trash, they're going to show you and you could decide for yourself."

- gouhobandgraw

Walk a mile in their shoes.

"Always put yourself in the other person's shoes. It really help see thing from their perspective."

- jman377355

"Before you insult someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you insult them, you're a mile away, and you have their shoes."

- Hotarg

Our morals dictate how we move through the world, and ultimately how the world will treat us in return. By treating others with kindness and respect can bring that back to you. Suddenly, you're surrounded by people who care about the world just as much as you do.

But the same can be said without following this code. If you treat others poorly, you can expect the same in return.

It's your choice. What do you decide?

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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.