I’ve lost almost 100lbs, why don’t I look any different?

SummerTwentyOne

My start weight back in 2016 was roughly 275lbs and to be fair a lot of my weight was carried in my chest. For the past few weeks I’ve hit plateau but my weight is now 180lbs. I’m 5lbs away from losing 100lbs in total, my height being 5”9.

While I feel really proud of getting myself healthier, And people always commenting on it, don’t feel any different and I don’t think I look any different. I still feel 275lbs.

I don’t know if it’s my body structure but No matter how hard I try to lose, I still look big.

A friend took a few photos of me last night, and felt awful. I’m always comparing myself to my thinner girl friends every day and I know it’s not right.

Has anyone else felt like this after a weight loss and has any advice?

Here is a photo as a reference

SummerTwentyOne

Here is also a photo they took of me. I still look like a big girl

88olds

You look terrific in that after pic. It’s a fact.

cerillo_encendido

First of all, i want to thank you for sharing your personal fitness journey with us. And also to commend you for the amazing results you have acquired up to this point. I can tell you have put in a lot ot work and effort into your weightloss. I want to tell you that what you are feeling is completely natural, and we have all felt similar about ourselves. In my case, i used to be extremely skinny. 6 feet tall only weighing 135-140 pounds with no muscle. After years of exercising i got up to 210 pounds and there were times i felt so skinny. I still do to be honest. Some of us just won’t ever be satisfied, and I’ve gotten to accept that. A good friend of mine told me that the day you choose to enter bodybuilding, you will never be happy with your body. That statement is very true for me. But in your case, rest assured that you look amazing!!!! 👍🏼 You really do. 5’9 is tall for a girl, so you aren’t very far from a good weight. It’s important to remember that we all have different body types and structures. So if you’re simply basing yourself off of weight then unfortunately you won’t ever be happy. I wouldn’t get discouraged if i were you. You’ve seen the results on the scale and everyone around you has. So that’s proof. It’s a fact that you are losing weight and look different, regardless of if your mind sees it or not. Knowing this will encourage you to keep on working hard. Plateaus are natural too, you can get through it. Just out of curiousity, what exactly did you do to lose all that weight?

loganag

You look amazing!!

snowflake954

In my opinion, based on your photo, you look like half of your before pic. What you're describing is very common for people that have lost weight. Did you take measurements? Take out that tape measure and you can visually see the inches you've lost. Our perceptions of ourselves can be very unrealistic. Good job by the way!

MikePTY

This post breaks my heart. It's important to realize that there are two distinctly seperate things: 1. The first is how our body objectively changed. 2. Our body image and how we feel about our body. What your experience is showing is that 1 and 2 are not always connected to each other.

You certainly look like a completely different person. If your before and after were standing next to each other on the street, I would think the after was a totally different person. Your change is incredibly noticeable.

But no amount of work we do on our body can change the way we perceive ourself. I imagine no matter how much weight you lost, you would still feel the same way about yourself. Because the issue is mental and not physical. If you are not already, I strongly recommend tryi g to see a counselor to talk about these issues with. That is not a bad thing or something anyone should be ashamed of. But it may help you with ways to perceive your body in a better light.

msunat97

You look amazing. Your dedication is clear and very visible. You should celebrate your hard work and look forward to your next challenge.

elisa123gal

In time maybe your head will catch up to reality. I'm 5 10 and weigh 150. I felt so fantastic when I lost down to that amount. Now that I've been maintaining for a year.. I realize I look normal and I'm working on toning and perfecting other things. The mind is a funny thing..it takes time for it to adjust to your new size.

corinasue1143

It’s just hard to see yourself as others see you. You look to me like you’ve lost about 100 pounds! So much difference!
Your feet and ankles don’t look much different. But even your fingers have lost weight!

rheddmobile

There’s a huge difference between your two photos! And you do look beautiful, your facial features in particular are so much more defined at your present weight.

I understand though because you and I have similar stats and I went through something similar. I started 272 lbs at 5’8” and when I had lost 100 lbs I felt like I looked great in the mirror but I kept thinking photos of me still looked heavy. Well... it took another 25 lbs and suddenly the photos looked the way I wanted to look. Someone once said that the last twenty pounds make as much difference to your appearance as the first hundred, and in some people that’s true. You are still a little bit above a healthy BMI, why not keep going until you hit the top of the healthy BMI range and see if it’s more like what you pictured?

mi_nina_lola

i lost twenty pounds and didn't see a difference in the mirror. people see it all the time with me, but i still sometimes have that twenty pounds extra mindset!

this is an incredible transformation that you've undergone. please Lady - give yourself some credit and pat yourself on the back for your achievement. you look sensational. if only we could see ourselves the way other people see us.

good luck on your journey - and i hope you will learn to be kind and gentle with yourself .

riffraff2112

you are half your original size and look great. Common problem to feel that way. Hope as time passes and you get used to the new you, you realize how far you have come. You can keep striving forward if that is your intent. Congrats on the loss, you look great

saofei

If u work out and do gym Everyday and wearing those special corset . Would give u a slimmer waist . Koreans and Chinese love doing these to get a smaller body" when they have a big body even tho they lost weight sit stand on a wall without touching the ground. Without a chair * is like a crunch/ squat and u can tone up waist/legs/stomach /arms because arms have to be on a vertical line not losen up. And sitting then upper your legs 40 X for a flat stomach and legs and arms .
I can tell u lost a lot weight but are indeed still a little chubby on the waist /shoulders. But the amount fat you lost on your chin is amazing and the half u got away too .
U can do it .
And there is a saying people that were fat will always feel fat. It's true .
Apologies if I sound rude because I'm a very honest person . I would tell u the truth rather what u wanna hear .

88olds

Rereading your post, you have a few different things going on.

If you read this board a lot, there are some common themes. One is brain lag time. It seems that even working with moderate, even modest rates of loss, our brains need more time to catch up. It’s the reason I spent years getting rid of clothes that were way too big. Huge. What was I thinking?

Another common theme is regaining. It’s a problem. Don’t take what you’ve done for granted. Don’t let your brain trick you. If you really don’t see a benefit to what you’ve done, its a short step to “Why bother?” And that’s the road to regaining.

I think the way to deal with a lot of brain negativity is to push back with facts. Our brains don’t like change and do like habits. Certain ways of thinking, certain things we believe about ourselves are rooted in brain habits. It takes some concentration to break them. Even then they pop up now and again.

On one level you say you are proud to be getting healthier. Find a way to keep reminding yourself of that. I can’t say your age for sure from a picture but I’m significantly older than you. Carrying an extra 100 lbs is a lot harder at 55 than 35. If you are going to compare yourself to others (we can’t really help it) you need to look at everybody not just women thinner than you. Go out on the street and look at older people carrying a lot of extra weight. It’s not pretty. Maybe try an exercise class. But instead of looking for everyone more fit than you, look at people 280-300 lbs. That used to be you.

Go out and get some use out of the new smaller and more fit you. Seek out some experiences to underscore the change.
Just stick to the facts. 180 is better than 275. Write it on a sticky note and stick it on your scale if you have to.

Keep looking at those pictures. Is it literally true that you don’t see any difference? And the question is about different, not about satisfaction with the end result. Those are not the same. It’s very possible to still be dissatisfied, but saying there is no difference is flat out untrue. Your brain is trying to trick you.

Keep going. It takes a lot of persistence to lose 100 lbs and keep it gone. But I tell you for a fact it is doable. Don’t let your emotions run your plan. Keep working, good days and bad. Just because you feel discouraged is not a reason to stop. You are doing the right thing. It’s a fact.

psychod787

Losing weight can be a mind Frack...... enjoy it your hard work and maintenance.

buster2485

I think were always more hard on ourselves than others. You look great! No doubt about it.

nighthawk584

Well, echoing others, I think you look 100% better and healthier! I am hard on myself too so I know where you are coming from. Trying to recondition my brain into being good to myself for a change. It's a slow process. Congrats on the 100!

cbstewart88

You look marvelous!! When I lost weight, I was perplexed too. Why don't I look skinny?? I realized that I have a HUGH ribcage and would never look like I had imagined I would look. My doctor told me sarcastically: Yeah. I can take out about 6 ribs if you want...

seltzermint555

I look at those photos and see someone who looks so much smaller and prettier, it seems like it should be plainly obvious to anyone & everyone - including yourself.

But I also kind of "get it". I started at 307 and I know now at 170s I look better, smaller, and different. However, most of my adult life I was around 250-270 (at 5'8") and sometimes I can't really see HOW different and how much smaller I am now. I didn't feel that big at 250 to be honest and I don't feel that small at 170. But that's a huge difference.

Things that help are photos of me next to other people, especially other women. I know before I was so much larger/wider than my friends and now I'm much more similar in size even to the ones I would call "thinner". It is pointless to compare yourself to people who are naturally petite, skinny, etc. I hope you will learn to see that. Look at yourself next to other women of your height & build instead. I bet you will like that comparison far more.

One thing I can see here, OP, is that you really did not look "fat" at all when you were taking that before pic. You looked well proportioned and did have a bigger chest. But you didn't appear to have some of the features that other women may have at that weight such as double chin, fat rolls on arms and belly, etc. And in your after, you look healthy and curvy and not too gaunt in the face...which is an excellent thing, but to you may seem "still big". Trust me when I say you don't look big...you look YOUNG. When you get older, fat will drop from your face and age you. You have a perfect young face even if it may not look as lean as you like. I have struggled with some of the same things myself during my weight loss (down almost 140 total and maintaining for 6 years now)...I never had a double chin, for example, and I feel like in a lot of ways I look "the same as always". But I know that I'm better off health wise and for the long term that is important.

It can be hard to see what others see. Hopefully in time you will see it more.

brenn24179

I am thinking are you crazy, you look great. Great weight also because you are tall. I have hear anorexia people dont know they are skinny, always feel fat. Come to think of it I always think I am chubby I guess because my Dad called me short and dumpy. I am 5'4 and 158. Be glad you are tall, you can eat more also. I have boobs also, yep they aren't all that, a lot of trouble. Mine really didnt go down that much after 40 lb weight loss but yours sure did!

CourierSixx

You look great! Don't listen to @saofei
You have come so far and it really does show. You have reviewed so many positive comments here, telling you so. Do not allow your head to pick out the one comment that was harsh and not really helpful. You are such a pretty girl. When I lose my 100lbs, I will still be an ugly middled aged lady with a turkey neck. I'd kill for your jaw line!!!

Cat_A_89

I see a huge difference, especially in your upper body and face, but I get where youre coming from because I feel similar. I've lost 45 pounds and although I know I've gotten smaller I still feel selfconcious and cover up with big shirts. Im still 50ish pounds from my goal which might be why I still feel so big but it'll get there eventually. I started at 225 and am now 179 at 5'2

apullum

You look completely different in the second picture. Your perception of your own body hasn't caught up with your new reality, which is pretty common among people who have lost a lot of weight. You don't "look big"; your brain is used to seeing yourself that way and still tells you that you are obese when you are really not.

I lost 100 pounds over 2.5 years and have been maintaining in my optimal BMI range for 2+ years now. Sometimes I am still surprised to look in the mirror and not see a fat person anymore. Sometimes in the store I pick up clothes in my old size without realizing it. What you're experiencing is common. It usually does get better after you've been in maintenance for a while. Your shape will also still change a little in maintenance. Fat may still shift around, loose skin may "firm up."

The bottom line, though, is that what your brain is telling you does not match reality, and a lot of us have experienced that.

Regarding the plateau--you're getting pretty close to your optimal BMI range, so your weight loss will slow down as you get closer to your goal. Don't be surprised if you go 4-6 weeks sometimes without seeing the scale go down once you're close to your goal. That's normal. Just make sure you are continuing to weigh and log your food, and be patient.

odette0188

I used to be a size 8 (UK) I’m 5ft 5 and then I was constantly criticising my body. I didn’t feel thin and I tortured myself.

Years later I am 4 stone heavier (poor decisions etc etc) and I would give ANYTHING to go back to those slim, fit and toned days, just so I could give myself a cuddle and tell myself how amazing I looked!

We are never fully satisfied.

You have lost half your body weight - so it seems from the pics. You have a lovely sculpted face and are beautiful. You won’t ever look like you’re ‘really skinny friends’ because they ARE TOTALLY different body types to you. Chances are they look at you and are jealous of your good boobs? Or your nice bum?

Try to find some inner peace and look after and love yourself.

Now if only I could apply this to myself 😂.

sarawilliams5889

You have done such a wonderful job with your weight loss! You should be really proud 😊
I have been up and down 20+ kgs over the past 10 years and will feel the same at 80kg that I do at 57kg. I am surprised when I can fit into a size small etc when I am at a lower weight. I feel a lot is linked to body dysmorphia. It might be a good idea to talk to a therapist/psychologist about your weight loss as they may be able to help you with the mental side of it, which can be half the battle. All the best 💗

Roza42

I get it. I went from 277 to 170-175 in about a year. I have come to realize that I just think of myself as a huge person. It's been about 6 months since losing it, but I still sometimes pick up clothes and think, "oh that's too small" . I don't know that for me that will ever change. Though I did send a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of years a picture and afterwards I realized I hadn't even thought about it. So sometimes i do like how I look.

koalathebear

I think you look amazing, but I also think you were beautiful before the weight loss because to be honest, despite being on a weight loss journey myself, I don't believe/want to believe that our self worth is only tied up in the fat we lose ... I think it takes a while to see the changes that other people see and also feel the changes. For me, it really kicked in when I started dropping clothing sizes - until then I just still felt really heavy/awkward/ungainly ... It has also been a challenge to figure out the point at which I felt happy in myself to stop losing - I actually revised my goal weight to stop short 4kg of my original goal, because I felt like a slightly higher weight would be better for me. I hope you'll be able to feel how far you've come and what an amazing job you've done soon *huge hugs from Australia*

allother94

I’ll be honest with you at the risk of sounding sexist.

I’ve heard about girls losing a lot of weight and becoming drop dead beautiful. However, they still see themselves as the girl before the weight loss. So guys are able to date them even though the new version of the girl is way out of their league. Not only are these girls beautiful, they have great personalities.

DiscusTank5

I read a Weight Watchers article once that said that it takes a year for the brain to process weight loss, so that often we look in the mirror and still "see" ourselves at the weight we once were. Give it time!

1fitwong

Great accomplishment! That’s impressive! You look very different and your efforts most definitely show! Congrats on an awesome loss!

I’m also 5’9 but in my 40s. The weight range for my age and height is 137 lowest and the highest 176. That’s the difference between me wearing a size 4 and a size 10-12. I’ve found there’s a significant difference in the way I look every 5-10 pounds in between. At the low end I look really thin and in the mid range about average, and at the high end of the range I just “feel” big compared to thinner people even though no one ever says I look “fat”. I’m 172 now and IMO I think the difference is how the weight is distributed. At this weight there are subtle gains in my upper body ( arms, neck, upper back, face and shoulders versus the more obvious thighs and stomach) that make me feel I look big when I’m on the high end of the range. Are you weight training? That’s one way to achieve a leaner look that I’ve been considering.