This can happen to you after losing weight

How great does it feel after losing 10...15...30 pounds? No one would dispute that it feels phenomenal.

However, I've observed that such feelings give way to cockiness in some people. Admittedly, that happened to me when I lost 25 pounds a couple of years ago.

My face looked thinner. My tummy had all but disappeared. Some of my clothes was looking huge on me, forcing me to go a size or two smaller.

Now that I was wearing more fitted clothing, I noticed more looks from women -- whether at work, restaurants, or the mall. This is what gave me the ultimate high and motivated to continue working out and losing weight.

Now, I'm a happily married man and never even entertained the thought of doing anything more than smiling at these women. Still, the fact they were fancying me in this way -- a confirmation that they were digging something about my physical appearance -- made me feel really good about myself.

My self-worth must have hit astronomical levels that year. I started looking in the mirror and taking pictures more often. Never before had I been so preoccupied with my appearance and wardrobe.

Fast forward to 2016. Since then, I've done a good job maintaining my weight, maybe gaining about 5 or so pounds.

When I look back on that time, it's easy to see that my weight loss had gone to my head. I had become a little conceited, a quality I always disliked in other people.

I know a few people who have lost a boatload of weight this year and have proceeded to show off their before and after pictures on Facebook a few times each week. These are folks who hardly ever posted pictures of themselves on the site prior to their transformation.

I think it's reasonable to feel proud about slimming down. After all, losing weight takes a lot of work and effort.

But we must guard against letting our pride descend into pomposity. Whether you want to call this gloating, conceit, or self-aggrandizement, it's not an endearing quality in a human being. There's a real fine line between self-confident and cocky.

When we're riding high and feeling so good about ourselves, it's only natural that we assume other people who look at us must feel the same way.

In fact, we might be convinced that others must be checking us out when that might not be the case at all. That's what having your self-esteem going through the roof does to you.

Eventually, most people come back down to earth, especially after they gain a few pounds, give up their regular exercise routine, no longer have the money to buy new clothes, or encounter other life events that shift their focus.

Again, there's no problem celebrating your accomplishment, but rubbing it in people's faces is beyond the pale.

Have you ever become cocky after losing weight?

Women vs. Men: Who likes to backstab more?

Whether it's on TV or in the workplace, the general consensus seems to be that women gossip, backstab, and stir up more conflict than men do. But, as with every other topic, I thought it only fair to put this so-called stereotype under the microscope. If you watch reality shows like Celebrity Apprentice, you'll notice it's the women who spend far more time bickering. While the men do at times become embroiled in tit for tat, it's the women who are portrayed as meaner and more hostile. In the workplace, I have noticed that women seem to gossip far more than their male counterparts. I haven't really seen any cases where a person blatantly backstabs the other, but I have caught both men and women in little white lies. If it is true that women are generally more into backstabbing and gossiping than men, why is this the case? I believe that it isn't fair to make a blanket statement like "all women play these games while all men keep to themselves and pre...

Do you have Isolophilia? Find out...

You're probably asking yourself, "What in the world does Isolophilia mean?" It sounds like it would be something negative, doesn't it? After all, words that end in "philia" (e.g., pedophilia) tend to involve things we want nothing to do with. But Isolophilia isn't something all people deplore. In fact, introverts like me welcome it. Put simply, Isolophilia is defined as having a strong affinity for solitude. It describes a person who relishes being alone. While extroverts can only take so much solitude, we introverts find that it rejuvenates us. In order to recharge our batteries, we need to retreat to a quiet environment where we we're left alone to rest and/or gather our thoughts. Extroverts, on the other hand, become bored and drained when they're alone for a lengthy period of time. Social interaction is the fuel that drives them. So while an extrovert would probably do anything to avoid feelings of Isolophilia in most cases, an...

Men prefer to marry brunettes

Study after study shows that men prefer blondes as girlfriends or mistresses and brunettes as wives . It seems many men see brunettes as more trustworthy and loyal. What's more, even though participants claimed that blondes are better in bed, they feel brunettes are better kissers and more affectionate than blondes. I find these results to be rather interesting. In my high school and early college days, I actually had a preference for blondes myself -- that is, until I hooked up with my now-wife. From that point on, I deemed brunettes as more attractive and marriage material, probably because they reminded me of and more closely resembled her. I think we can blame Hollywood, shows like Baywatch, and Playboy for painting blondes as wild, big chested, promiscuous and loose. (Yes, I know that there are brunettes in Playboy, but they seem to be in the minority.) When someone tells a man to think of an attractive blonde, who do you think likely crosses his mind? More likely than...

How to Read People

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