Y2K Survivors Recount How Their News Years Eve 1999 Plans Went Down
For those of you who are too young to remember, New Years' Eve, 1999 was a giant source of anxiety to the American people.
People lived in fear of the Y2K bug, which was supposed to cause incredible problems in all computer software and cause nuclear missiles around the country to malfunction and fire.
Curious to see how the general public reacted, Reddit user nikkefinland asked:
Redditors who can remember 1999, how did you spend the New Year's Eve?
Here are some of the answers.
Whoopie 2K
I met a guy I had been chatting with on AOL. Got drunk had sex, did the walk if shame. 14 years later we are still together. hrtbrknmama
Gloria In Reclusive Deo
We spent it eating pork and saurkraut at the house of my parents' Amish friends. The theory was, if all technology suddenly gave out, we'd be in the right place. virnovus
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Failure To Launch
A friend and I thought we were so f*****g slick. We were standing by an ATM at the stroke of midnight. We thought that the Y2K virus was going to cause the ATMs to just start spitting money out. Right before midnight, a police officer, seeing us in our all-black garb, asked what we were doing. When we told him, he started laughing his ass off and told us he'd split the money three ways with us if it started shooting out. No money was made that night, but it left a lifelong memory which is okay...I guess. kcman011
Scary Spice
I was 12. My friends and I dressed as the Spice Girls and played Backstreet Boys' album "Millenium" on my boom box all night long.
I would totally spend this New Year's Eve the same way if my friends were into it. HodorYelledHodor
Mommy, Can I Go Home Now?
I went to a huge party with my family because I was only 8 at the time. All night all the adults were getting tanked, not just a little bit... They were full blown wasted, falling over etc.
I kept getting sparks in my eyes from party poppers because every adult in the hall was wasted and kept popping them in my face and then laughing before doing it again. Being 8 years old and wanting to go home I did it back and one woman got all the confetti in her eye and spent the rest of the night nursing a sore face. I had to go sit on these horrible plastic chairs for the remainder of the evening as a punishment. Ahh the good times. sauceoclock
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Stayin' Inside
I would have been 12 on the millenium. My mother genuinely believed in all that 'y2k' stuff and had stockpiled water etc. We weren't allowed to go into the town (about 15 miles away) to watch the fireworks or have a party because she was worried we wouldn't be able to get home. We had New Years the same way we always had it when I was kid. Everyone had to stay up til midnight and after the bells we went to bed. [deleted]
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Unimpressed
At like noon my Aunt had already called people and gave the update from Australia. 12:30 a.m. the first me and my friend paused the game we were playing and checked our watch and were like, "oh, yeah Y2K", looked out the window and didn't see any flames or such and went back to playing video games. NewRedditAccount11
An Actual Bug
I was 13 or so. We were all at a family friend's house, not worried at all. It had been pretty well debunked that anything bad would happen.
There was a plush bug-like toy that we were all playing with that would make a crash sound upon impact; it was marketed as The Y2K Bug (probably sold at Target at the checkout line or something). We tossed that all over the living room for hours.
Found It Also, On eBay. Kirjath
Trick The Adults
Parents had a huge blowout party with all their friends. I was 12 at the time. I decided it would be funny to turn off all the lights when it turned midnight to freak everyone out a little bit. So at midnight, I went into the garage and flipped the main breaker for the whole house. Heard a couple of screams, but everyone was so drunk that they didn't even notice as I turned the lights back on about 5 seconds later. I was a little s**t as a kid. sonOFsack889
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Typical Tomfoolery
Told my parents I was staying at a friend's house, told his parents I was staying at home, went to another friend's house for a party. Ended up getting really drunk, took a tree branch to the head while riding in the back of a truck, fell down a flight of stairs, used a dog as a pillow, and got punched by a friend for trying to fluff his dog.
It was a good night. tattedspyder
From From The Home I Love
In my parent's home village in Mexico, at the time each house had a lightbulb in the kitchen if they're lucky and the running water for the town was from a local well running on a gas powered pump. My dad would tell me "We won't know if civilization collapses here." 4chanian_immigrant
Vive La Millenium
I was in Las Vegas with my girlfriend and a group of friends. Dressed in a suit and her in a dress, we hit the strip and walked from various casinos until our group found a spot we liked. Las Vegas was prime for a Y2k breakdown being that they relied on a tremendous amount of power and automation for a relatively small city. You could feel there was a slight tingle of uncertainty in the air that night and people were meandering around with a bit of a high anticipating what we all thought would be a total breakdown of society.
Las Vegas had blocked off the strip and set up a fireworks show (I believe they did this for two reasons - 1: Y2k celebration and 2: In the case of a breakdown, you wouldn't have people running out of hotels/casinos into streets packed with cars). So, right before midnight, as i'm in the middle of an amazing roll on the craps table, my girlfriend and group of friends drag me outside the casino onto the strip to watch the possible Y2k implosion/fireworks show.
Everything goes off without a hitch, I kiss my girlfriend at the strike of midnight and we return back to the casino. However, now that Y2ker's are streaming back into the casino, the table minimums have been bumped up. I was on a $10 craps table and they are now $25 minimums...so, with the foolishness brought on by the joy of the world not imploding, I rallied and laid down some serious (for me at the time) coin on my regular numbers and let the dice roll. It was serendipitous! I couldn't lose and sat at that table as long as my girlfriend and friends let me (which was only 15 minutes or so) and had an amazing roll...It was a great way to kick off the millenium! highway570
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Misbehavin'
I was a senior in high school. My buddies parents went out of town, so we had a party at his house. Busted into the liquor cabinet making horrible mixed drinks like gin, rum, and kool-aid. Danced to Prince's Party Like It's 1999 over and over. Got to third base with my girlfriend, and then had to take her home at 12:30 because of her curfew. Went back to the party and played Atmosfear...this board game that had a VHS "dungeon master" that told you to do things and interrupted play as you tried to win. Then more booze concoctions and passing out in the buddies parents bed. Ah memories... nickyrat
Wait, Which End Of The World Is This?
I was 13, at church and terrified that The Rapture was due to arrive at midnight. We all had knotted stomachs at the prospect of a tormented damnation for all eternity, and as the hour came, there was a brief, audible silence before a collective sigh of relief as the hour passed.
My kids, should I ever choose to have any, will never know that kind of torture. [deleted]
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Playing It Safe
I worked on a Y2K team for an international company. The whole team spent New Year's Eve at work. We had a huge spread of food and beverages. A couple of TVs were setup to watch every time zone ring in the new year starting with the first one. And we got to talk to people all over the world in the company at each of our locations to verify everything went ok. Even though I was at work, it was a nice and interesting time. Greyyguy
Bein' A Big Kid
At home with my parents drinking sparkling grape juice and pretending I was drunk. I was 7. Oh, and we watched the typical New Years stuff on tv.
Millenium & M's
I was with my family (my parents and younger brother) at a cabin outside Pidgeon Forge Tennessee.
I ate millennium m&m's (which were all white if I remember correctly) and watched my dad set off fireworks that we weren't allowed to be shooting off. It was cold and dark and lovely. I ate collard greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread with butter for luck, and a sip of champagne because it was a special occasion.
On the first day of the new millennium we drove by Dollywood and decided not to go because it was packed. We got barbecue instead and I read a book and took a nap.
Pretty uneventful, but I'll remember it till I die, unless I get Alzheimer's. Kijafa
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Relationship Bugs
New Year's Eve 1999? I broke off with my first boyfriend (he'd been seeing another guy behind my back) then went to a big party some of our punker friends invited us to. Which turned out to not actually be their party, but a party hosted by someone none of us actually knew. They'd discovered it via the friend of a roommate of the host or something and decided to mount an invasion. Good times. Drank until I was in a good mood, slithered home, slept on the couch, then spent the next decade telling anyone who'd listen that my first relationship ended because it wasn't Y2K compliant. runpmc
This Sounds Familiar...
I was working at a pizza shop and was sent out to deliver a pizza to a guy in Times Square. On my way there I discovered my girlfriend Michelle was cheating on me, and later she dumped me. Eventually I discovered that the pizza delivery was just a result of a prank phone call, so I stayed at the cryogenics lab I delivered it to and ate it myself. When New Year's arrived at midnight, I toasted to another lousy millennium, and fell backwards into an open cryogenic tube and was frozen for 1000 years. lihorne
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Woodsy Dads
I was 13 years old, living in the UP (of Michigan). I was with my father at a huge party out at someone's camp- now, if you know anything about the UP, sometimes camp is nicer than the house that people live in officially. This was one of those, in my opinion. The only "downside" is that there was no electricity already- but the guy that owned the place had a huge generator to light the place up. The most memorable thing about that night is that my dad let me drink a few beers! Also, there was a bonfire that was about 20 feet in diameter, with flames that were at least 30 feet high at its apex. I am NOT s******g you. My father would never admit to being superstitious, but he found me wandering around talking to people just before midnight and and grabbed my hand as the countdown began. He was white-knuckled by the time it hit midnight. I honestly think he thought the world was going to end. He was an interesting fellow- he passed away last November, telling stories about him still tears me up a bit. Thanks for listening, anonymous friends! rewayna
Wary Walking
I went out drinking and partying with friends. Ended up at a private rooftop party and got yelled at by the cops for "accidentally" throwing our empties into the street. As I recall I wasn't too worried about Y2K, but I had a bag of rice and a gun in the trunk just in case. I expected a few power outages and random wonkines with minor systems, but I guess enough people were on the ball fixing stuff that nothing bad happened. I myself had fixed some Y2K code a few months earlier, so for once I was part of the solution. lshiva
Other Reasons To Worry
What I remember most about that new years was actually the next morning, the first. I was in college and we drove to another university a few hours south (Southern Illinois at Carbondale). When we went to sleep there was snow on the ground, and when we woke up, it was almost 80 degrees outside, on January first, 2000, in Illinois. It was really creepy and strange, everyone was outside I shorts and t-shirts playing basketball and hanging out. That's when I knew something was drastically wrong with our climate. ive_lost_my_keys
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Nothing Went As Planned
I was going to our local teen friendly, no alcohol party. I borrowed my mom's truck. Driving past the gas station, the sign read $1.09 per gallon. I arrived at the party. I got some cash from one of those tornado cash grab machines, where you step in and money flies around. The clock struck 12, and the lights were still on. I met up with one of my friends, returned to the gas station to top off the tank with my winnings. Driving home, I couldn't help but think, "I guess it's not the end of the world like they said it'd be." planification
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!
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.
People Explain Which Overly Hyped Foods They Just Don't Understand
We all have our favorite foods, food preferences, and even foods that we don't like.
But there are some popular foods out there that just don't make sense. Nonetheless, we keep seeing them advertised, included in movies and TV shows, and of course, our loved ones ordering them while we look on in confusion.
Curious about others' food preferences, Redditor YarnSpectre asked:
"What's one food everyone seems to go crazy for, but you just don't understand the hype?"
So Much Sugar
"Nutella. It’s just okay."
- Former-Finnish-4653
"Way too sweet for me, I’d probably love it with one-fifth of the sugar."
"Unfortunately that's true of a lot of desserts, though. Most would benefit from a cut of at least 25 percent of the sugar."
- Mindful-O-Melancholy
Not-So-Chocolate Cake
"Red velvet cake. I've had ones that were supposed to be excellent but it's just red cake."
- dedmuse22
"Most red velvet cakes are just s**tty vanilla cake with red food coloring. Get one (or make one) the correct way with non-Dutch-processed cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar. It's an incredibly smooth, very different type of chocolate cake."
- whiskeyclone630
Mastery Makes a Difference
"Those multicolored cookie things that everyone was making into cakes or something for a while? Macaroons? Macarons? I don't think I've ever had one that tasted good. They're pretty, but that's it."
- TensionShift9576
"Macarons. I never cared for them either."
"I had one yesterday at a potluck, homemade ones. They were seriously something else, with some sort of butter cream and jelly inside. Never had anything quite like it. Now I wish I had grabbed a few to take home."
"I still won't eat store-bought ones, though."
- Totally-A-Banana
The Wrong Kind of Spice
"Hot Cheetos or Takis. Anything with the artificially colored spicy powder."
- jadziasonrie
"Takis texture is my issue. They’re like semi-stale rolled-up Doritos."
- addvalue2222
The Sugar Cookies of the Midwest
"Those dry-a** Walmart sugar cookies."
- ComiNotub
"They taste like play-dough cookies came to life."
- Significant_Potato29
For Garnish
"I mean, people go crazy in both directions, but cilantro. There’s the whole 'does it taste like soap or not' thing, but it’s usually presented as 'people either think it tastes like soap or they find it amazing.'"
"I am neither. It doesn’t taste like soap to me, but I also don’t love it. Meh."
- Whiteums
"I don't think it tastes like soap, but I do think it tastes weirdly metallic. I don't go out of my way to avoid it in pre-prepared food, but I usually leave it out of things I'm preparing myself."
- caffeinated-tea
Fancy Decor Only
"People like how fondant LOOKS. I refuse to believe a single soul wants to EAT it."
- sorandom21
"It's like eating a candied raincoat."
- BlueShirtGuy
Back for a Limited Time
"Every time it comes back, I’m SUPER excited for the McRib at McDonald's. I bite into one and then… the spongey texture hits me and makes me remember why I don’t need to buy it ever again."
"Then, somehow, McRib season rolls around again two years later, and there I am in line…"
- the_yellow_jello
"I'm convinced this is why they only bring it out every once in a while. Nobody actually likes it, but they wait just long enough for you to forget that it's no good and then hit you with a combo of nostalgia and 'limited time only' FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)."
- FiveAlarmFrancis
A Seasonal Tradition
"Pumpkin spice. It’s fine, but absolutely not anything to make a fuss about."
- AdMaterial9419
"There is a car parts place in a small town I drive through to visit family, and last year on their reader board, they had: 'THEYRE BACK! PUMPKIN SPICE BRAKE PADS.'"
"And now I can never see anything pumpkin spice and not think about it, might have been my favorite reader board sign ever."
- deadcomefebruary
Pure Caffeine Addiction
"Energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster."
- DishIntelligent5645
"I'm an avid Monster drinker, but I totally get it. I'm always trying new and interesting energy drinks I see, but so much of it is just garbage."
"The white Monster tastes like 90s Fresca to me and is the only energy drink I love."
- broniesnstuff
Overly-Complicated Drinks
"Can it be a beverage? Because I kind of hate IPAs but everyone else seems to love them. And I like beer, just not IPAs."
- AngelOvTeOdd
"I have nothing against people who want complex beers. It's just not for me. I want an easy as f**k to drink fizzy yellow beer for when it's hot out. And a nice smooth stout for all other times. When I want more complex flavors, I'll go for wine or scotch."
- I_will_be_me_Arsenal
Just Too Expensive
"What about lobster? I can dig it with drawn butter and I ain’t mad at it. But f**k me if I’m gonna pay $29.99 for a lobster. I’d rather eat shrimp."
- nosaj23e
Questionable Value
"Truffles. I paid $60 this weekend at an Italian restaurant for eight slivers on my pasta shaved in front of me. I barely tasted anything. I don't get the hype."
- heybuddy
Improved Gut Health?
"Kombucha."
- Tiny_Wasabi2476
"Ah, yes, dirty pond water."
- meteorguy
Rich Tastes
"Caviar."
- malYca
"Everyone goes crazy for caviar? Most people seem to dislike it."
"Though admittedly, people who do like it tend to like it a lot."
"That all being said, I really don't like it, either."
- Heathen_Mushroom
When it comes to food, to each their own, but it was interesting to see some undeniable fan favorites like pumpkin spice hit this list.
It just serves as a great reminder for a larger picture idea: Don't be unkind about the things that might bring someone else joy.
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.