For Successful Losers: Do You Still See Yourself as Fat?

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MJay0023

I lost about 50lbs but I keep seeing a fat guy in the mirror. but to be fair, I still have about 15 to 20 lbs to go.

KingOfTheBurke

Definitely still see myself as fat even though I'm only 10 pounds from goal.

My history is that when I was in my early 20's, I weighed 230 at my highest. I made friends with a runner who got me started by showing me that if I went slowly enough (like 14 minute miles-- barely a shuffle) I could go much further than I would have ever dreamed. Within a year I was down to 180. I've gone back up as high as 200 and been as low as 160, but for the most part I've stayed between 180 and 190 for the last 30 years.

The funny thing is that in my early 30's I had a couple of years when I was running half marathons and cross-country skiing. I weighed about 160 pounds, and I remember being on a ski trip and getting dressed one morning in the hotel. I got out of the shower, got dressed, looked in the mirror and to my great surprise, I did not look fat to myself. That is the ONLY DAY OF MY LIFE I felt that way. Fifty two years, and for exactly one morning I saw myself as thin. I have a picture taken that day, and I treasure it because I remember that for that one single day, I saw myself differently.

I truly don't spend time beating myself up about it, but I think that in some way I see myself the way an alcoholic does. In my mind, I'm a fat man no matter what I weigh, someone who struggles with eating well that has managed to live a decent life because I found some exercise I enjoy and because I keep trying. Even when I'm fit I never feel any affinity with the skinny runners or the size 6 hipster chicks. I envy them, and sometimes even resent them, but they're not my people. I love reading the success stories and seeing the people who have fought the same battle I have, the gals holding up their fat jeans from 100 pounds ago, who went from round and dowdy to downright hot. Or the guys flexing confidently in the mirror and smiling far more in the "after" picture than the "before." The people who have lost weight, fallen off the wagon, brushed the dust off, and tried again for the umpteenth time. Those are my people.

robot_potato

I don't see myself as fat. I struggled with that for the longest time. Ever since i was a kid i never though i was good looking or had a nice body. Then, I hit 150 pounds in the summer of 2012. I went camping with my family, and looking through the pictures I saw this beautiful woman, with this ridiculous ear to ear grin, in a bathing suit. You could see the cellulite and stretch marks, and she didn't care, she was still happy. And then I realised that was me. And I loved it. I've got 15 pounds til I get back to 150, but in my head I am that beautiful woman, and I love myself.

nedtoloseme

I think even though I have lost weight, I also see myself without clothes on. When I look I see where I need go lose more pounds. I think it will take a little while to get over that.

kazzsjourney2goal

l logically know I am slimmer....but I still carry a lot of the insecurities I had...same fears...same disbelief in myself....but I am improving...its a slow process tho

bethcox16

easy question yes!

i really keep wishing for the day that i actually think i look skinny in something! because i cant tell anymore and it is actually quite depressing

DaddyDave101

I don't see myself or call myself fat anymore but I don't think I am where I want to be. I think if you had shown me the results on day 1 I would have snapped your arm off for them... But when you put so much work in and focus on it full time you become abot obsessed and constantly want more results... When I get my last 5lb off I am setting a new target of another stone. Will again teview it then!

Zomoniac

I'm not fat anymore. But I still have too much fat, and until I don't (ie until my definition isn't being covered by a layer of it), I'll still see myself as too fat.

Nissi51

YES!!!!!'

I have lost over 100lbs and still see myself as fat.

I am shocked most times when I see a picture of myself and I am not fat.., truly weird

Great question

MBDD91

Ive lost nearly 20 kilos now and I am so close to my goal weight and I still feel fat. Everyone else says how much weight Ive lost but I dont see it at all.

Jkn921

Not really as I don't think my image defines who I am, if I'm not happy I usually say to myself 'Still needs more work..' and get to it.

It does become an issue for me when everyone else repeatedly says it.

I feel a lot better than when I was overweight and am really happy with my progress everyday. It does get frustrating time to time but it's a hard challenge and we should all be proud of ourselves of taking control of our lives.

maffff

I'm 22kg down, now 12 stone 4 [172lbs] which is about two thirds the way through a healthy weight, but I'm not fit at all [which is where my priority now is.

Yep, I still see myself as fat. I see that I've changed and I'm better, and people notice it, but I still see myself as what I have been most of my life.

tabbyxxcat

YES!!!!!'

I have lost over 100lbs and still see myself as fat.

I am shocked most times when I see a picture of myself and I am not fat.., truly weird

Great question

Although I haven't lost over 100lbs (YOU KICKED BUTT!!!! WOW!!!!!) I agree with this.

People say they wish they were as small as me, and I'm just like, isn't it the opposite? O.o

When I see pictures of me where I didn't have time to pose or I didn't know they were being taken, I'm surprised at how I don't have the double chin or large arms or puffy stomach. I used to pose specifically to hide things like that, now I am the person I've always wanted it to be and I just can't believe it's real.

Zomoniac

I'm 22kg down, now 12 stone 4 [172lbs]

You win the prize for most different weight measurements used in the first half of a first sentence.

WhisperAnne

Some days I feel fat and cant look at my body. I loathe myself. But other days I love how I look. I know I did a great jo losing 145 pounds but it's hard to not still feel like the fat girl sometimes.

Pearsquared

Yes, although a more accurate answer might be "sometimes". I feel like I'm not tiny enough even though I fit into mediums in the Junior's section, and the smalls in the Misses section are sometimes too big. Because I'm 5'1'', I feel like I should fit into the smallest size ever, but I have to remind myself that I'm still an adult and while I'm short, I'm still shaped like a fully grown woman, not a stick thin teenager.

ProgressNotPerfection32

It's weird..............I didn't THINK I was as fat as I actually was, even after seeing pics and wearing the size I did, until I lost a lot of weight and now think "man I was FAT!!" NOW that I'm almost to my goal, I still see the extra skin, pounds, and body fat and think I'm fat. Even though my pants are half the size they were 3 years ago, my feet are smaller, I can see visible collar bones and ribs, and I look great in clothes (aside from a muffin top from extra skin). I was overweight for 10 years and it took at least that long to realize it was a problem so it's probably going to take at least a few years for my brain to catch up again.

littleburgy

I don't see myself as fat like I used to, but the "wow I'm getting skinny!" excitement has worn off -- now it's a new normal, I just see myself as normal. Funny thing is, I thought I was only on the higher end of normal but if I suddenly put my weight back on I'd probably be totally horrified. It's just odd how our perceptions are and what's reality.

Eleonora91

I still feel fat because I know that I am. My goal isn't very low, I won't be overweight anymore, but I won't be thin, and I won't be at my ideal weight for my height. I'd probably lose more if I didn't want to get rid of all of my clothes and change my figure completely. I am not very satisfied with my body, but I doubt I'll ever be anyway, and I feel much better than I ever did anyway. I may not be thin but I at least can bear my figure right now.

aka_Kamalevantis

When I see my (fully dressed) reflection in the mirror I see a smaller/slimmer person looking back at me, and I am pretty happy with that person, although I am still about 40lb away from my intended goal, but when I see myself undressed I still hate it, I still see rolls of fat and lose skin, I feel like I look old and baggy....

321lb me still exists (she always will do) but she is generally just a memory, until I see myself in any state of undress; 194lb me is confident, loves her new found energy & zest for life and fully dressed appearance....

I still have two idendetities at the moment, but lets face it, I still have a way to go, I keep saying 40lb, but I may not need to lose that much, or I may need to lose more, I don't know yet.... xXx

JAGWIRE13579

Quick answer, yes. When I look in the mirror I can't tell I've lost any weight. I have a lot of extra skin that compounds the problem. The only way I can tell I'm smaller is to try on the clothes I still have from my fattest days and they fall off me. I still have 30+ pounds left but even if I reach my goal I'm not sure it will change what I see in the mirror. That being said, I'm not worried I will ever get an eating disorder because of it. I know the problem is in my head and I will never try and get below a healthy BMI.

ktsmom430

For the most part yes, I still see myself as fat, and am having a hard time with the mindset of being a "normal" sized person. For me, I do not think it will ever really go away totally. Just the way it is for me.

FerretBuellerr

I wouldn't say that I still consider myself "fat." I knew I wasn't really extremely overweight to begin with, but even after losing the weight I still notice just as many imperfections as I did when I was 30+ lbs heavier - they're just different imperfections than before. Other than my thighs, I still don't like my thighs :sad:

nostress123

I still see myself as fat... I'm 5'5'' and 145-147 pounds. My body has a comfortable weight it typically falls into which is somewhere in the 150s and with family stress and post baby chunk I shot up to 165. Now about 20 pounds lighter and I still see look at that yucky belly, look at that sagging chunk above your thighs, look at the rolls on your back when you twist and turn.... I still feel and think I look extremely heavy and unattractive. I have a few key good points (arms, mid thigh down to feet, minus the knees), but they do not overshadow, not by a long shot, the bad fat yucky parts

Blue801

I have the opposite problem, Big lady who sees herself as lean, guess thats why its taken so long to do something

^^ this. I didn't feel terribly fat until I started looking at pictures. Oddly I do remember feeling disgustingly fat at 120 pounds. Self-perception can be rather odd.

weaverac1

No matter how hard I try I still see the fat girl, and I want to see so badly what everyone else sees! I agree with a lot of the other posts on here that the only way I do see the difference is when I take a before and after picture and put them together. I am still working on getting to my ideal weight but wonder if we as woman are ever really happy with our bodies? Hoping that someday I might be but for now I will keep working on it.

SLLRunner

This is for all those who have reached, or are pretty close, to reaching their goals.

I've been reading some interesting thoughts from others who fit in this category regarding self perception.

Some adhere to the thought that their "fat selves" are behind them. They no longer associate themselves with who they were in that state, almost as if it's a different person.

While others still see themselves as essentially fat, no matter what their bodies look like now.

How are you seeing yourself these days? Are you adapting to the "new" you to the point of releasing the "old" you? Or do you feel mostly the same? Or even protective of your former fat self?

Well, I love myself no matter what weight I am. It took me a long time to get to this place.

Now that I've lose my weight, I know I'm not fat anymore. As my grandfather used to say, "I'm tall for my height and right for my weight."

silken555

I have actually never felt fat. If it weren't for the fibromyalgia I'd probably still be where I was last year. I'm certainly enjoy the slimmer me but I liked myself either way...:)

thesupremeforce

No, I'm good.