Weight loss is one of those topics that everyone - young and old, rich and poor, men and women - seems to struggle with equally.
While some turn to magazines and diet plans for advice, others go looking for help on the internet.
That's where one 21-year-old woman, who was only looking for support, discovered life-changing advice from a self-described widower with a tragic story.
"It still hurts me to think of the days and months where she was eating less in the hopes that I'd love her more."
A Reddit user who has since deleted her account shared a heartbreaking post on the website's r/LoseIt weight loss forum.
"I'm losing weight," it began, "but my partner is still giving me a hard time about my appearance."
She went on to describe that even after losing 50 pounds, she was putting up with hurtful comments from her nagging boyfriend on a daily basis.
"We were going swimming the other day and I commented that the water was cold," she explained. "I was met with the response 'trust me you have more than enough insulation.'"
Many commenters had the same message for the young woman: dump him! But an "old man" shared a much more valuable piece of advice, which has since gone viral.
The man, who uses the screen name EndlessEnds, revealed that he is a widower, and called his late wife "the most beautiful woman I have ever known, inside and out... but she often struggled to see that."
He described how she began "dieting and working out extensively," and how he worried his own jokes had "made her feel less than beautiful."
Eventually, the pair came to a "pretty severe argument," where the wife asked her husband "whether I didn't find her attractive anymore because of her weight."
"It still hurts me to think of the days and months where she was eating less in the hopes that I'd love her more," he wrote. "It makes me angry at myself."
"I think you should let [your boyfriend] know how this makes you feel. If he loves you, I think he would be horrified to realize what his words do to you. If he does not realize that, you need to feed your soul a better diet."
"I was both the person who hurt her, and the one who failed in his duty to protect her."
Of course, EndlessEnds' emotional story touched just about everyone who read it, and the thread quickly filled with supportive comments.
"This was a beautiful post," one person wrote. "I hope lots of other people learn from your regrets. I have moments like this myself, where looking back I am sad I was not giving my husband what he needed at the time."
Others thanked EndlessEnds for his wisdom, but told him he should forgive himself after all these years.
While the widower eventually returned to thank the users for their support, he said he shared the story after having a "sad realization" about how he had treated his wife.
"I was both the person who hurt her, and the one who failed in his duty to protect her," he explained.
He also revealed that his mean jokes came at a time where their relationship was already in trouble. "I was advancing my career and really neglecting our marriage," he said.
Whether or not the original poster breaks up with her boyfriend, it's safe to say plenty of people learned something from EndlessEnds and his emotional story.
No matter your size, your partner should let you know that you're loved and appreciated.
[H/T: BBC]
