When Did You Finally Believe?

RaspberryTickleChicken

Sometimes when I see a photo of myself & my knee-jerk reaction is 'who the heck is THAT?' At a closer glance I see that it is obviously me ... 35+ lbs lighter.

This odd phenomena is usually followed by repeatedly asking the Hubs 'wow I really lost the weight huh?' in an attempt to somehow confirm that it wasn't just a fluke.

SO I'm rather curious if any of the long-term maintainers had a period of time where they experienced a certain disbelief of their new life? And when did you guys finally come to terms that the progress made was not just a 'happy accident' but rather the result of persistence hard work?

(Please don't recommend a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, or 'seek professional help' as I am fully aware that this is something in my head - thanks!)

Mr_Bad_Example

How would this qualify as something that requires professional help? And by the way, lots of people who seek 'professional help' are quite aware that the issues they struggle with may be 'something in their heads'.

cwolfman13

I've been maintaining for a little over 18 months now after losing about 40 Lbs. I guess I never really had that kind of disbelief. I really didn't start all of this to lose weight though and wasn't really worried about my weight...I started all of this due to some really bad health markers and making adjustments to my nutrition and became more active in an effort to reverse that...along the way I lost about 20 Lbs and then discovered MFP and lost another

I also would say that I never really had a weight problems growing up...in fact, I was always very lean and have been involved in athletics most of my life. I put on some weight when I graduated college and took a desk job...I also developed some less than ideal nutritional habits and became pretty sedentary. For me, this all seemed like a pretty simple math equation and being the financial analyst I am, there really wasn't this kind of disbelief that it would work or could work...it just seemed like math.

Winterlover123

Every morning! I have two full-sized mirror doors for my closet so it's kind of hard not to see myself!
I look in the mirror and I think to myself "that's not my body. I'll wake up soon" Then I go through the day, go to bed and that's still me. Crazy.
My realization that it's hard work was actually last Saturday looking back at my food and exercise diary

RaspberryTickleChicken

Mr_Bad_Example wrote: »

How would this qualify as something that requires professional help? And by the way, lots of people who seek 'professional help' are quite aware that the issues they struggle with may be 'something in their heads'.

Just in case some long-term maintainer decided to not respond in-kind or didn't have anything productive to add but decided to give me their 2 cents worth anyway

karensuegill

I have lost and gained weight several times. This time I plan to make it permanent not only because I look and feel better but because of health issues that will return if I don't maintain my weight. I think for me I have discovered that being healthy and staying healthy is a big brain shift. I think accepting your new body is also a brain shift and takes some time to see yourself as you really are and to realize the person looking back at you in the mirror is really you. Take some before and after pictures and put them in a place you look at every day until your brain begins to accept that this is the new you. I've had to educate myself about health and nutrition to help my brain understand why it is important to make a permanent change in my life. Celebrate your new body by buying some clothes that accentuate your new figure and you will receive lots of complements about how you look. That will help you stay motivated to stay healthy. Stay connected to my fitness pal where you can get lots of support. Get some friends on MFP and share with them.
You can be my friend if you want. Good luck in your quest to maintain and stay healthy.

ianthy

This is my second time around of reaching GW - I am still trying to work it out. I see myself in the mirror and not sure it's me. I struggle to work out what size clothes I even take at the moment. So I think it takes a while for it to sink in - that all the hard work of many months and in some cases years has finally paid off. Interesting - I did not notice the big change in my appearance or overall look until near the end of my weight loss journey.

dopeysmelly

I get that feeling every time I look in the mirror at the office when I go in once a week, or when I'm trying on new clothes in stores. We don't have any good mirrors at home, so it's always a shock when I see myself, and it has been for about 6 months (when I was only halfway through losing the weight).

I consistently forget that I look different to other people, and I've only just started getting used the idea that they're not ignoring me, they genuinely don't recognize me!

Having said that, I never once thought I wouldn't achieve what I set out to do. I just didn't know what I'd look like at the end.

Spiderkeys

I didn't keep too many photos of me when I was at my heaviest, cause I was too ashamed of my weight and always tried to avoid a camera, but it's not a photo that I need to be reminded, just go thur your drawers and find old pair of pants nearly forgotten about and lost, and then laughable, wow! did I really need clothes this big?

seltzermint555

It definitely took me awhile. I've lost over 130 lb total (a gradual downward trend since 2008) and honestly I never fully "grasped" how big I was at my largest (307 lb), I still saw myself at around 250 or 260 for a very long time. Similarly, I still kind of picture myself around 220 now that I am in the 170 range. It's getting better slowly.

For me I think the biggest thing in "believing" I am a pretty average sized person is the way I fit into the world around me. I used to be really uncomfortable in some booths, theater seats, etc. Now I fit with lots of room to spare. Over the past year I have FINALLY stopped having that moment of anxiety when I approach a tiny looking booth or small bath tub in a hotel room, because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm "normal" now and will fit. After 20+ years of being morbidly obese it's pretty weird still.

Spiderkeys

seltzermint wrote: »

I used to be really uncomfortable in some booths, theater seats, etc. Now I fit with lots of room to spare.

I know what you mean there, I used to feel embrassed just catching the bus, just sitting down, I nearly took up two seats and I that means thats an extra person that has too stand, I could of been polite and just stand up myself, but no one will be able to get past me, as I always the size of two people instead of one, now it's pleasurable being in crowded areas now as I no longer take up too much space.

nxd10

Every time I looked in the mirror or saw my reflection in a window for months I saw a much younger face I hadn't seen for years.

After two years, I now see myself. And it still feels good.

P.S. Suddenly auditorium seating and airplanes seats are so roomy! And I always fit fine in them before - I was just at the top my healthy weight. It makes me feel slim.

yoovie

yeah geez- about 18 months.

nvpixie

For me, it's all about the clothes. When I put on something that used to be tight and is now too big to wear, it clicks in my head that I really have lost 15 pounds. I went shopping this weekend, and actually had trouble finding jeans in a small enough size. I it.

nvpixie

Well, I should add that I'm a bit annoyed that I can't find a pair of "dream jeans"

jrline

When I am at a store and trying on clothes that are the size I wore in Middle School

yoovie

try seeing yourself with a completely different color of hair and 100 pounds lighter and tan lolololol

50sFit

I believed the moment I began my journey.
I knew that fat guy in the mirror was NOT the real me. I set a goal to get back to my old weight when I was in peak condition as an athlete.
I lost 93 pounds, and at age 50 achieve a level of fitness most guys will never know.
Again, I believed the moment I started.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I finally believed it when I got to the point where I absolutely HAD to go buy new clothes.

mmm_drop

I still am surprised by my pictures sometimes. I *know* I'm a much smaller size, but I guess I don't feel like I look it, until I see a picture.

nvpixie

mmm_drop wrote: »

I still am surprised by my pictures sometimes. I *know* I'm a much smaller size, but I guess I don't feel like I look it, until I see a picture.

I agree. Pictures reveal it all.

silentKayak

I think it's pretty common. I'm 20 lbs down, and now am actually the size I THOUGHT I was for the last few years. I can tell because I'm no longer horrified when I look in the mirror. But I also know that 20 lbs from now, I'll still see myself at this size for a while.

Last time I lost a lot of weight, I tried on a pair of pants that looked impossibly small but said they were the right size. They went on easily, they buttoned, and they looked great. I actually burst into tears in the fitting room.

Sadly, that was my lowest weight in the last 10 years. The next week I started a new desk job, my weight went up again, and all my new skinny clothes slowly stopped fitting me. I believe that not seeing myself as having lost the weight was one factor in my regaining.

The good news is, that will never happen again, because I actually have a maintenance plan now (even though I'm pretty far from both my Current Goal Weight and Ultimate Goal Weight). I know my actual weight (ignoring variance and water fluctuations), and I know how to tell within a week or two if I'm gaining, losing, or maintaining. I know my caloric intake and my TDEE with and without exercise. And I know how to lose 5 lbs before they turn into 10, then 20, then 30. I am so much better prepared for maintenance than I was before.

TitikiOoh

When I put on clothing that used to be snug or have to buy something a size smaller then what I thought I would.

TheVirgoddess

When I walked into Target and bought underwear, right off the shelf (instead of ordering them online via Amazon because my size was too big).

prdavies1949

I believed last week. My wife and I started this new life two and a half years ago. In the next Eighteen months I went from 306lbs to under 200 and at 6' 2" I was pretty much where I wanted to be. Believe it or not that was the easy bit. Maintainance has been a roller coaster but last week I compared my weight to the same time last year. I'm within 2lbs of that weight. So hey I've maintained for a year. I now know that I can go up a bit and down a bit. And live a normal life.

MapDancer

My husband introduced me to a new client of his, knowing that we had some job related similarities. We had a great time talking. After she left I thought - she sees me as a normal size person, never imagining I was 32 lbs heavier. I still have 12 lbs. to go, but I feel more confident. And I can't stop looking at myself in the patio door reflection when I go outside with the dogs

CassieReannan

When I bought a size 10 pants and it fit!! ... but sometimes I think I am bigger than I am still.

Francl27

I still don't. I get comments about how thin I am but I don't think I'm that thin at all (I'm still very curvy plus I have a noticeable amount of loose skin on my belly). I fit in size Small clothes but I still can't quite believe it either.

I got my husband to take a picture of me and the kids two weeks ago though and for the first time I realized I really don't look fat anymore when I saw it, but that's about it. My brain still hasn't caught up.

Linnaea27

I still am having trouble believing that I'm as small as I am. I still dislike my tummy (and am working on losing a few more pounds and weight training to try and get it to where I want it). I kind of look at myself in the mirror in disbelief that I am relatively thin. People tell me I'm tiny, and I wear smaller clothing sizes, but it's kind of hard to comprehend. I often sort of feel like I'm still the same size as I used to be, and then when I see a picture of myself 10-15 pounds heavier I am astonished at how much heavier-looking I was then.

I think getting some more pants that actually fit might help. . . . I only have one pair of size 4 pants and one pair of that size shorts, and that's what I need. The pants I like that will look good and last are not cheap! It is always a surprise to pick up something in my new size, look at it and think, "oh that's too small" but try it on and find that it fits, or is even a little loose. So weird! I guess it might take me a few years of maintaining this size to adjust, since I was the bigger size for the last 9 years or so!

JagerLewis

I hit my goal this month, lost 62 pounds! I was thin not that long ago so I still had my old clothes to wear. Those clothes got to big so I needed to buy new ones...Size 2!! I was shocked that all of my clothes are labeled size small, x small, size 2 or 3, but it really didn't hit until I saw a picture someone took of me last weekend. I had to show my husband and kids asking "do I really look like that?!?!?" Of course, they looked at me like I was nuts, and said, "umm...Yeah!" Even though, I knew what size I was, I didn't really SEE the size I was. I think it will be a while to see my size in the mirror.

iwilldoit2018

I have been at GW for about 6 weeks, having lost 76 pounds. It is still hard to view myself as thinner than before, even when I see pictures I still view myself as heavy. I am working on it, but I have a feeling it will take time to adjust to the fact that I am not heavy.