Talk about confidence

[Extremecon]

Hey,

when I was young I got teaser for being overweight so I got a large dose of the low self esteem. I lost about 70lbs a year or so ago and that helped my confidence and I started to think I actually look good. I could say I got comfortable since then I haven't made much progress.

All the weight I lost was from cardio(jogging) so I didn't build any upper body muscles.

It's winter, snow on the ground, i'm back home after being gone for awhile and I am eating a ton of junk food that I had no problem resisting when I wasn't eating it and exercising. I need to get motivated again to because I want a body like those guys in the ad above me. My heaviest was 340, I'm down to 270 and I'd like to go to around 200. I'm 6'6 (23) and think with my size and frame it would be a shame to let it go to waste.

anyways, enough about me.

I would like if some of the people that have gone from overweight to extremely fit could talk a bit about the confidence it gave you and other benefits such as increase energy levels, more alert, more focused and whatever else you've found.

I have goals I want to achieve other than just getting the hot girls. non girl related goals. But Ive realized that I am going to really need to boost my confidence to a much higher level.

In addition, if you can give any tips for helping to build confidence other than exercise I'm all ears. I thought about maybe trying to find some guys that are very confidence and learn from them and the way they interact with the world.(good idea yes/no?)

 

[hereandthere]

Hi,

I've gone down this road - I went from roughly 275 lbs 3 1/2 years ago, to my current weight of 194(I've been between 190-195 for the past 6 months). I'm also the same height as you(6'6"), so I think your goal of 200 lbs is a pretty reasonable one for your height.

As far as the benefits of weight loss, some you mentioned, some are obvious, but here's a list:

-Without a doubt, I have more energy - lighter on my feet, and probably more alert during the day. I simply feel faster and stronger.
-Excercise in the evening helps me clear my mind, so I'm more relaxed after I work out, and overall I feel I sleep better at night on days after I exercise.
-yes, I feel more attractive. And yes, it's obvious that other people see me that way too, from the things they say.

As far as actually building confidence, I think the key is putting yourself in situations where good things are likely to happen. Being confident means that when you do something, when you take a chance, you believe things will go well. People become confident by putting themselves in situations where good things are likely to happen, and by having those good things actually happen to them. It's not about luck, it's about giving yourself opportunities, and taking advantage of those opportunities when they arise.

It's an interesting subject - because I'm certainly still working to adjust my own perception of myself to be in line with how others see me now as well. It's not something that happens overnight. Believe me when I say, simply getting the kinds of compliments you weren't used to hearing at a higher weight can do a lot for your confidence by itself. But even then, it takes some time to adjust.

There's also a Body Image forum on these boards, it's also a good place for discussions of this sort.