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UnitedHealthcare Ask the Expert Arleen Fitzgerald Mental Health Expert This viewer asks, "I've
recently lost a great deal of weight, but when I look in the mirror, I see the old fat
me. How can I help to improve both the physical and emotional vision of myself. First of all,
congratulate yourself for all the hard work that's gone into losing weight. That's not
an easy task to accomplish. If you've been heavy most of your life, that may well have
become the vision that you have in your head. Being one of always being the friend but not
the girlfriend. Being the bridesmaid but not the bride. This may become part of your comfort
level as to your vision of who you are. And now that has severely changed. For many people,
being overweight is a protective shield against exploring their sexuality. Now others are
noticing you as a *** being and that may a make you feel uncomfortable, so it's important
to explore your feelings about your sexuality and who you are in this new body. Others may
be relating to you on a completely different way. It's possible if you were heavy as a
child, that you were bullied and harassed. And not part of the popular group. Now your
body has changed and your more like the it girl. This may bring up very hurtful feelings
for you. While losing the weight was very important and difficult to do, one of the
hardest things to do is maintain the weight loss. Both emotionally as well as physically.
Joining a weight maintenance support group may be the most helpful thing for you. You
can discuss how you're feeling with other people who are probably going through the
same thing as you. If all of these suggestions are not enough, you may wanna speak with your
doctor about a referral for some short-term counseling so that you can explore these issues
further with a therapist. Thanks for your question. UnitedHealthcare