7 Women Reveal The Most Surprising Things About Losing Tons Of Weight

"Since I had loose skin, my body shape wasn't quite what I thought it would be," says Erica L. Bartlett, 40, author of Winning the Losing Battle: A True Story of Weight Loss and Transformation, who has maintained a 130-pound weight loss for the past 13 years. "It was a painful reality that led me to realize that body image doesn't truly correspond to weight."

"A few people said things like 'you must have taken something to lose that much weight,' " says Christian Simone, a woman in her 30s who lost 100 pounds and blogs at The Plush Cyclist. "They say things like 'No one could have lost that much weight naturally.' "

Even if you've lost a significant amount of weight, you will likely automatically gravitate toward your previous size when browsing the racks. "Even though I was aware that I was losing weight, I kept clinging to those old sizes," says Bodell Ostertag, 31, who recently lost over 75 pounds. "The day I started looking for a size 8/10 after being 18/20 was probably one of the happiest and most shocking days of my life!"

After she lost 90 pounds, one close relative told Petrina Hamm, "You were more fun when you were fat." "One of the biggest surprises for me was the shocking absence of support, compliments, or well wishes from certain people who I considered closest to me," says Hamm, now an online fitness coach. "I've come to know people who had other weight loss success stories and encountered similar reactions from loved ones."

Jamie H., 36, who has lost 40 pounds to nearly hit her goal weight of 135 pounds, has had people tell her she's too thin. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard 'You didn't need to lose weight. You looked fine,'" she says, adding that that she chose her goal weight based on the healthy BMI range for someone of her height (she's 5'2"). "I've also heard, 'Where did you hide all that weight? You don't look much different!' or 'Lose any more weight and you're going to wither away to nothing.'"

Nancy Sayles, who lost 100 pounds, has been taken aback by the reactions of some of the people in her life. "Overwhelmingly, my friends and family were my best cheerleaders, but a couple of them resented me," she says. "If I were to guess, it was probably fueled by a bit of jealousy because I accomplished something they had not done but needed to do."

Before she explored weight loss surgery, Francine McClain, 54, was "just sitting around believing I could never be happy with myself again," she says. After the surgery, all that turned around. "What surprised me was how fast I lost the weight and how much more energy I have now," McClain says. Slimming down also boosted McClain's self-esteem. "This surgery has changed my life," she says. "I have the ability to look myself in the eye with no hesitation. I feel confident and I like myself again!"