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Surprised People Share The Most They've Seen A Former Classmate Change At A High School Reunion

Some people stay relatively the same their entire lives. It's as though you could have mapped out their trajectory from the moment you met them in grade five. Some people, on the other hand, do a complete 180 after high school. These are the people that make high school reunions extra sweet.

Thanks to these folks for sharing their incredibly awkward stories with us. If you'd like to read more, check out the source link at the end of the article. 

Comments may be edited for clarity.

A girl I went to school with was always picked on because her parents were poor. Her mother worked at a minimum wage job and her dad didn't work at all. To be honest, I don't know how people even noticed her enough to bully her, as she was always quiet and came in and out of class unnoticed.

At school she always... I hate to say this, took the bullying and never once ever complained, that's the best way I can describe it. I remember her as always of average looks and intelligence while we were at school and very skinny. Once we left school everybody went their separate ways.

Last year she surfaced on Facebook with a family, and a degree from Cambridge university. It turns out she had joined the army, went through officer training at Sandhurst, and is a captain in the Army Air Corps. She has pictures of her tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The quiet girl who got bullied was a very intelligent tough person, who I suppose we all wanted be ourselves. It was nice to see.

SamaelV

My high school boyfriend was the captain of the soccer team, held the record for the 2 mile run, was on student council and was voted Best Character.

He dropped out of three different colleges, law school, and the ESL program in Korea he was trying to teach. Hes also done time in prison for sexual assault against a minor. 

I will always wonder what happened.

skynolongerblue

Not my batchmate but an upperclassman. I used to go to a public high school where everyone was poor or middle class, absolutely no rich kids. This is in a province in a third world country, so when I say poor, I mean down and out dirt-poor. I made friends with this older guy who I would always see on my walk to school. When I asked him where he lived he would always point up to the mountain. I always thought of it as a joke but when he didn't show up for class after a really bad storm, rumors spread that his family's house in the mountains got destroyed. He stopped school after that and I haven't talked to him since.

Turns out, he had finished high school the next year and applied to a prestigious University in the country. He took a finance course but had to stop a few times because of financial issues. He graduated, 6 years later, with honors.

Now, he's a regional office manager for a bank and he also owns a small travel agency. The scrawny kid from the mountain became a big time businessman.

vickiemon

This one girl was super smart, in all the advanced placement classes, on school council and in all the smart kid clubs, always picked for any special outings like campus visits and symposiums. She came from a pretty well off family, successful parents and all.

Now? She's working at the local subway with track marks on her arms. I really didn't expect that from her.

-i-hate-you-all

There was a girl in my class who was really quiet, shy, always dressed super conservatively, never came close to breaking the rules - a bit of a Hermione type.

I bumped into her at a class reunion, having not seen her for like 7 years and she was totally different. Covered in tattoos and piercings and dreadlocks. Almost didn't recognize her. 

Baby_Dinosaur_Yoshi

Super smart guy at my high school got into meth and more, and ended up dropping out. He was addicted to crack for several years and then became a born again cowboy Christian. 

yosoyjackiejorpjomp

Super nerdy guy who got bullied a lot is killing it in his career and super confident. It was great to see him so happy, I didn't interact with him much but he's doing well despite the crap he faced.

Class valedictorian went to an ivy then another then was almost killed by an abusive partner. Scary how a tough and smart person (or anyone) can end up in that situation.

Gojcfr

There are at least half a dozen people in my class that have killed themselves or overdosed on drugs

I graduated in 2013, 4 of these people have lost their lives to drugs. All of them were from middle class families in the suburbs. 

TheDinnerPlate

One guy, legitimate child prodigy/genius type, in a super-competitive STEM program. As in, most of us are in 11th grade doing calculus and he's about twelve, having skipped a grade or two and then is sitting in on a higher grade just for math class. His parents had a professor from a major university tutoring him after school, pushing him to do math competitions, the whole nine yards. I don't think he got much of a say in it, it was what they'd been having him do since the age of three or so.

His senior year, he'd had enough. He dropped out of the STEM magnet program and switched to the creative and performing arts magnet program. His physique was very much a computer programmer's more than a dancer, and he had zero experience with song and dance.

Well it turns out, he graduated, went to a small private West Coast school instead of Harvard/Yale like his parents had planned, majored in musical theater. After a year or two, that changed to journalism. He took a leave of absence from school two years in to convert to Mormonism (did I mention his parents were hard-core atheists?) Even though Mormons don't make converts do mission trips, he did a mission trip. To India. For longer than the usual mission.

The last I'd heard from him, he was married and having lots of kids somewhere on the West Coast. He's a fantastic guy, but if you'd asked me in 11th grade where I thought he'd end up, it would not have been anywhere close to "failed musical theater major and Mormon missionary."

norathar

In high school this kid was the typical super athlete, alpha male who had a mean streak but always seemed to direct it towards the openly gay students.

Came back to our 10 year reunion and he was about as gay as could be. He came out after we graduated and he started college where he met his husband. He actually went as far as to apologize to everyone he bullied.

godbullseye

I stayed in my hometown till I was 24 - six years ago and 4 years since I visited. So most of the changes I've seen have been through Facebook.

The biggest change would be in a girl - let's girl her Sara - who I'd been friends with since we were 9. She was always odd but that eccentricity turned into full on madness. She got heavily into drugs and by 16 she got into sex work and a whole array of other unexpected things.

Anyhow, around 22 she had a kid and totally turned her life around. Before I moved, I bumped into her and we hung out a few times. One night we got drunk at our local and I told her how proud I was of her and I said: "I can't even imagine what you went through..." and she grabbed my hand and the pain in her eyes was like shards of glass into my heart. She just said "You have no idea. No idea..." and that was enough to indicate the level of trauma she experienced. She's 30 now and is still eccentric as heck but is a devoted mum and a successful local photographer and special event planner. Major kudos to her.

HiMyNameIsLaura

Super senior with a 1.1 GPA, at the ten year he was finishing up a joint MBA/JD at Harvard

MBBIBM

A girl I sat next to in homeroom for 11th and 12th grades was always really mousy and quiet, long brown hair, same jeans & T-shirt every day. At the five year reunion, there's this totally gorgeous lady in black, high-heeled boots, dyed blonde hair in a razor cut...it was her. No one could believe it.

I was lucky enough to move in the same social circles as she did for a few years and get to know her better, she was always a really cool person but it was nice to see her come out of her shell.

batnastard

Wasn't a reunion but... A guy I went to school with was always popular. The girls always liked him, he was super smart, funny, athletic... He was a golden child. I on the other hand was very nerdy. After college, a few years later I went to a party back home. I ran into this guy at it and it was great seeing him. The first thing he said was "I don't know why I'm here, this party is too cool for me." I was aghast. The smoothest, coolest, most confident guy I had ever met was now this self doubting timid guy. We talked for awhile and I think he secretly was super nerdy and shy, but back then he forced himself to fake it. In college it seemed he finally was okay with just being himself. We started talking about old classmates and he said one of the nicest things I ever heard. He told me he didn't really keep up with anyone, but I was one of only a handful of people he was ever interested in running into over the years. He's still a great guy and he's one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet, and I gotta say... He may not be "cool" anymore but he's awesome in my book.

anix421

Not a standard reunion, but those don't really happen in the UK, as far as I know.

Long story short, a guy got expelled for punching me in the face and breaking my nose. It was just a petty squabble between two teenage boys. I think we were no older than 15 when it happens. Kid stuff.

Anyway, I since moved away from that town and hadn't seen the guy since. Cut to about 4, maybe 5 years after the incident. I'm visiting back home and decide to go out with some of my friends from high school. We're in the smoking area of a bar when the guy who broke my nose recognizes one of my friends. They start talking without him noticing I'm there. Eventually he notices me.

There's a long pause, it feels like forever but it's probably only a second or two. Is he going to hit me? Is he going to be angry? I go with my gut, I'm somewhat of a pacifist so I extend my arms to go in for a hug. He does the same. Somewhat of a beautiful moment. He apologized, we both agreed it was dumb, we were kids, people grow up. He then proceeded to buy drinks for me and my guys the rest of the night.

All in all, for a nights worth of Grey Goose vodka, I'd take another punch to the face.

the_pascal_avenger

My old friend in high school was a white girl who would dye her bright blonde hair black, she wore dark purple lipstick and lots of black eye liner, she sometimes stole her mom's gun to carry around, and she dated total douche guys. 

Fast forward 10 years later: she stopped dying her hair and let it grow out to her waist, she doesn't wear makeup anymore, wears nerdy glasses, dresses like a hippie with long flowing skirts and beaded jewelry, she's very mystical and earthy, and only dates hipster guys with beards. She's also a school teacher.

She came this close to having a shootout with a girl in high school but you'd never believe it if you saw her because of how sweet/hippie/angelic she looks now. What a transformation.

She came from a very abused background and I think the "gangster" persona was to protect herself. The hippie person she is now is probably closer to her real personality because she was a good person inside, just angry, confused, and hurting very badly.

sunnyvaleinhell

I met this guy, Allen, in my freshman year. I became friends with him. He was always in the school garden picking up caterpillars/worms/ants and making compost bins and ant farms. He was a little weird, little quiet, but a nice dude.

He was also really small, like 5'5", 100 lbs. He got picked on a LOT. He never really got angry about it though, just kept quiet about it and did his thing. I always liked him.

He stayed the same pretty much all thru high school. I lost touch with him after he and his family moved for his dad's job in junior year.

Fast forward to a class reunion, after college and everything. I was catching up with some friends and walking around, when I heard someone yell, "HEY [my name]!!!!"

I turned around and saw this hulking 6 foot, 230 pound running back looking guy coming at me. I was like "heyyyyyyyyyyyyy dude, whats up?"

Scary guy: "IM GOOD HOW ARE YOU MAN??? LONG TIME NO SEE"

Me: "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Scary guy: : "IT'S ALLEN!!"

Me: "WHAT THE????"

It turns out puberty finally hit him, and then he joined the Marines. The change was not only physical, but the way he carried himself, his demeanour, all of it just shouted discipline and confidence.

Oh, and the kid who used to bully him still lives in his mom's basement. 

aris9

Not someone else, but this is my story.

I was a burnout stoner in high school.

Played in a metal/punk band.

Skipped school to get high and skate all day.

Cheated my way through most of my classes (except art and history, which I enjoyed)

Graduated near the bottom of my class.

Got married way too early.

Toured for a few years making a living as a musician (living the dream).

Went bankrupt.

Got divorced for being a lousy husband and a cheater.

Spent a few years working for Walmart with my face down in a pile of cocaine.

Lost my house and destroyed my credit.

Moved in with mom.

Met an awesome girl (with kids).

Spent a few years toiling away at jobs I hated.

Straightened my arse out and finally "got real" with the fact that I'm headed nowhere.

Went to school to become an EMT, and spent some time volunteering to try to give back to my community.

Was encouraged to continue my EMS education, and became a paramedic.

Started working full time in EMS about 4 years ago.

I'm now in the process of finishing my degree to become an educator and hopefully teach others what I have learned and share my story.

I'm in the process of building my first home on a 10 acre lot, where I intend to grow Christmas trees and harvest fresh honey, with proceeds from the sales going toward local children's homes and veteran advocacy groups.

Celebrating 12 years of solid and happy marriage (which at times has its ups and downs, but who doesn't?)

My oldest is graduating college next year.

My middle daughter finishes college the year after that, and my youngest just received an academic scholarship to college.

I currently have job offers from 3 other EMS agencies with great prospects, and I just received my first official "Save" pin for a patient I resuscitated a month ago, which I was also interviewed for on a local news station for due to the circumstances surrounding the call.

I am going to be moving my mother in with me once my new home is built so I can take care of her (she has significant health problems) and it makes me feel proud that I can give back to her.

My father and I have finally begun to patch our rocky past, and I am finally in a position where I can encourage my wife to go to school to pursue her academic goals.

If you would have told me 25 years ago that this is where I would be in life at age 41, I would have told you you were out of your mind.

Life can change for the best.

It just takes 1 good decision a day to make it happen.

Don't let the choices you made yesterday determine the ones you make today.

I apologize if this comes off as bragging, I am honestly just overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness and wanted to share.

kewc138

There was this kid in my high school who I would describe as "Alt-Right" before Alt-Right was a thing. He is one of those people who would taunt single moms, and would berate me for having Jewish heritage. He also had on his Trumpet Case a sticker that said "My Gun Has Killed Less People Than Ted Kennedy." Yeah.

Today he is super liberal with 4 adopted kids. Complete turnaround.

ooo-ooo-oooyea

Classic tormentor—not a care in the world, blew off classes, barely graduated, antagonized everyone and was a bit of a bully. At the 10 year, he had gotten married, had three kids, established a stable career, bought a house, and was 100% striving to be a solid human being.

One of the most awesome moments of that reunion was realizing that 180-degree turnaround.

vikingzx

I went to school with a guy from a very wealthy family. As in, his parents once bought two $10m houses next to one another, just so they could knock them down and build a much larger house across the two blocks.

This guy was more or less the epitome of "never has to work a day in his life." Average grades in average classes, not particularly into sports, not at all nerdy but not a jock. Just a guy who hung out with all the right people, threw some epic parties, but was not really outstanding in any way other than he was loaded. He was a nice guy most of the time, with no particular inclination to anything and no indication of what would come. If anything, everything about him at school screamed the opposite of what happened. He and I shared a few classes together over a ten year period, and I saw nothing which would indicate he was destined for anything but a standard rich kid life.

He kind of dropped off the face of the earth after school and rocked up to our 10-year reunion looking completely different. He was taller and much bigger. As in stronger. Built like a brick, and really fit.

It turns out that he had left high school and earned a degree in strategic studies while training to be an officer in the SAS. He was in the army, in the SAS, for eight years and received some pretty serious decorations before leaving to head back to school and start a business. He now has a few master's degrees in a few different fields - everything from computer science to history.

Nearly ten years on from that and he's sold the cybersecurity firm he founded post-SAS for tens of millions of dollars and has returned to government service as a senior diplomat and foreign policy adviser. All without touching a cent of his parents' millions.

I would never have picked it. I'd have assumed his path would be something like a boring commerce/law degree and a career in the family business conglomerate, which he'd eventually take over. Fast cars and loose women.

I mean, there's still hope for him yet.

someanonymou

Not from my class (just turned 22) but my father said that one guy from his, and I'm quoting "gang", changed to a completely different species. He was the "wild" guy from his group, always getting into trouble and somehow never got caught. He even made one street vender pass for his dad so he could avoid a meeting with the principal. But at the class reunion he was THE perfect man, not a hair out of place. He joined the police department, he is a district general 2 kids both in military school. Whole new guy.

minus117

I went to a pretty big high school. There was this group of 10-20 girls in three-ish different groups. (circa late 90s). They were just regular kids. Got decent grades. Sometimes played sports. But were overly popular. Well liked but not really hitting it up with the fellas. Many of them went to dances alone or in their girl group.

Now? They hit that late 20s stride and are all now GORGEOUS. I think it has to do with the fact that they all enjoyed being active. But didn't play sports that FORCED many of us to be active. They ran because they liked it, went hiking because it was fun. Swam, joined yoga etc. So they stayed in shape.

About half are happily married with kiddos, the other half enjoying life. Owning businesses. Successful beautiful people. It's wild to see actually. 

Innerouterself

My high school bully used to be the toughest, most intimidating girl in school. At our reunion, me and another girl were sitting together and the bully asked us if we wanted a beer. We both said no because we were both (quite obviously) pregnant. When bully girl realized it, she was so embarrassed and apologized more than once. Later, bully girl was talking about her boss and what a scary lady she was. It made me realize that she was still just a scared kid. It felt kind of good since I grew into my self confidence and she left all of hers in high school.

FlippityMcBunnypants

One girl, kind of plain looking, gangly. She once set the football field on fire during a baton twirling half time show. She was always teased.

After high school, her father sold his business a chain of grocery stores most Americans would recognize. She got millions

At our 10 yr reunion, she is unrecognizable. 100 k in plastic surgery. Married a rich executive at her father's new company.

Absolutely gorgeous. I mean playboy bunny gorgeous and sweet as can be. Unbelievably happy.

IrocDewclaw

There was this one guy who was a little awkward to say the least. Creepy, not the brightest academically, and was often the butt of every joke. Well it turns out that straight after high school, he borrowed a large sum of money from his grandpa and started a construction company. Company took off, and he is now living a very comfortable and flashy lifestyle.

generationsofleaves

I was laying tile at a guy's house who I went to school with, but was a year under me. His brother was in my older brother's grade. His older brother was the biggest drug guy I knew. He did any kind of drug he could since about 6th grade. He never graduated, his younger brother did and was not into drugs. I asked him what his older brother was doing now and he told me he owned his own insurance company. I could not believe it. A few years later I hear the younger brother had been left by his wife and he chased her down at a drive thru and shot at her car and she sped away, causing him to run after her whilst shooting. He was eventually killed by the police.

rastascoob

One of my good friends was a guy when we graduated, she is much happier now.

Thegreatherakles

The smartest girl in my high school class earned a scholarship to a highly prestigious women's college in New England. She lasted one year. I tried to talk her into attending the state university, but then lost track of her. Turns out that she never finished college, met and married a man who's a minister, and ended up living in a small town in a rural area of a southern US State. Had ten kids and now sells herbal supplements and shakes to make ends meet while her husband preaches.

My graduating class (early 1980s) also had two people go through gender reassignment. One wasnt a surprise. The other person, there were no hints whatsoever. Best wishes to them both, I hope they find peace and happiness.

Ocean2731

Thanks for reading! 

Source

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.