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

zyxst

My body is smaller than when I started, but I'm still pretty fat.

bennettinfinity

I don't know that i 'see' myself as fat, but I still objectively see myself as overweight (still looking to lose about 15 pounds).

What still gets me is that I'll pick up a shirt or sweater and think 'there's no way that'll fit'; but not only does it fit, it LOOKS right! It's those moments that help keep me motivated for the home stretch!

Maryaly40

yes

tristaj90

I've lost 98 lbs and maintained that for a year. I'm around 136 at 5'4" and am told I'm skinny by everyone around me. I was always overweight and when I graduated high school 5 years ago I was around 178-180 lbs at 5'4".. My highest weight was 234 pounds in March 2012.. I still see myself as fat and am in awe and wonder and also confused when I go clothes shopping and am buying smalls/mediums tops and size 6 jeans. I feel that I should still be in Large/XL clothes and I feel like the sales clerks are judging me when I purchase my small clothes like "you can NOT fit in that, what are you thinking??"
So I definitely have not adjusted my mindset to my "new body".. Plus seeing the excess skin/stretchmarks/extra flub in my problem areas does not make me feel skinny either.

Efflictim

I definitely still see "fat fat fat" in the mirror. I'm still very slightly overweight, but nothing like I was before. I think it just takes time to let your brain catch up.

^^

The_Angry_Fish_Guy

Sometimes I do.

Redhead_23

I went from 180 to 135 (lowest), currently 145. I don't really see a difference between 145 and 180. I did see a little change at 135. Not sure if it helps but I'm 24 and 5'8. I want to get to 120-130.

clsindc

bump

00NL

i have never felt fat because i never ate like a fat person. i always gained weight due to hypothyroid. So i am not made up of burgers or coke or food. i am just in a medical condition.

qtgonewild

some days i see a difference. most days i dont. i still have 50 more to go. maybe thats why. but other people are seeing me different then i am seeing myself, thats for sure.

dym123

It's obvious I'm smaller than I was at 265ish, but when someone calls me skinny, I seriously think they must be on crack, because when I look at myself in the mirror or even a photo all I see are areas that still need improvement, my tummy and my thighs. But sometimes, I'll put on on outfit and think...damn, I look HAWT!!!

wolfsbayne

well, when I lost 50 lbs a few years ago (I've put 20 of that back on :grumble: due to not staying the course), it was very hard for me to look in the mirror and not see the fat girl I once was. It was even hard for me to not shop in the plus size section of the store. I always found myself starting there until I realized that my size wasn't there. I'm sure that once I get back down and ultimately to my goal size, I'll still see the fat girl somewhat. It's how I am, I guess.

thekyleo

every day, I still think i'm fat

TravelinChiGal

Even though my clothes are getting smaller, I am always going to be the fat girl. But I'm OK with that because the fat girl has a ROCKING personality - outgoing, supportive, friendly, and has very little that she fears.

So maybe I will look different to people, but I will be just me

Mcgrawhaha

yes!

KateEMD

I never realized how big I was. Now I look at pictures and see that my weight was more of an issue than I let myself believe. I guess that is a strange way of seeing that you had a problem. Now I do see myself as big because now that I realized the issue, I don't know if it will go away.

Does that make sense? The brain works in odd ways.

ktaylor1188

yes...sometimes i do still look in the mirror and see much more of the old than the new. its frustrating... however when i look at old pictures, try on my now size 8 jeans, or maybe even walk by a store window...i catch a glimpse. i am very proud of how far i have come. and i know i am a million times better off! the biggest thing i focus on are the things i cant distort with my mind, like the fitness. the fact that i can actually RUN multiple miles lol...which i could only do multiple seconds before :P i think it will just take time, after all i knew the "fat" Kelsey a lot longer than the "fit" Kelsey :P good luck to all of you! enjoy your successes!

zilfig64

No.
I see myself as overweight and not in the shape I want to be. I have already passed my original goal (I lost 20 lbs before I started on MFP) of 65 lbs, and my secondary goal of 80 lbs. I am now on my way (weigh?) to my third (and final?) goal of 116 lbs - which would be 1/3 of my starting body weight.
Mainly I realize just how fat (not big boned, or heavy) I was before I started on this Saga, and a realization of where my body should be. Sometimes I do get down if the weight doesn't come off during a week - you know - work out every day, eat at your macros each day, and weight stays the same or goes up - but then the next week doing handstands (yes, I can do that now) when the scale drops 4 lbs.
But everytime I feel like that I pull out an old picture and look in the mirror with it to see the changes, or do 20 pushups (when I started I could do 2-3).
While I still track everything, I also look at weightloss and working out/getting stronger as another part of the great saga that is life - and I still live - you can bet I will have fun and not over worry about what I will eat and drink this Sunday as the Broncos trounce peter the cheater and the seachickens!

Nancy33333

I've lost about 30 pounds and am pretty much at goal. When I look in the mirror, I do not see any difference, it's like the mirror has retained a photo of me from 30 pounds ago and just keeps showing that. I've gone from sizes 14 and 12 to sizes 8 and 6, and when I look I just don't see it. I have to rely on the scale and clothes sizes to know that I'm at goal--because otherwise I might keep going and that would not be healthy. It's totally weird. I wish I understood this better.

That said, I don't "feel fat." But I didn't feel fat 30 pounds ago when my BMI was in the overweight category. I sort of couldn't fully see that either.

sugarkissprincess

Yes, because I still have the "same" look to my body just smaller. Until I tone up, I'm sure that feeling will always be there

MB_Positif

No. I still have fat on my body but do not see myself as fat at all.

ascrit

I know in my head that there is a huge difference in the way I look and that I am a "successful loser." But when I see myself I still see someone who is disgusting and fat.

Escloflowne

I still see a fat guy in the mirror, not sure when that will go away, I hope when I have abs I'll finally be able to let go!

Enigmatica

I look the same to myself in the mirror no matter what I weigh. I can see the difference in pants sizes though!

brewji

Yes I still do.

I was bullied about it for over 10 years, so I guess it just sticks in my mind

silver_arrow3

I haven't reached my goal yet. I actually still have another 20 pounds or so to go before I get there. I think from about my highest weight I've lost about 50 (I lost 33 since I started using MFP), but when I look in the mirror, it doesn't look to me like I've lost anything. I really have to look at my face to notice differences.

SexKittenlovesitrough

yup. i do

perseverance14

I don't look at myself as fat but when I look in the mirror, I'm either really hard on myself because I notice the flaws that I do have, or other times I don't recognize myself and can't believe how far I've come. When I look at old pictures, that's when it really hits me. The biggest eye-opener lately has been when I buy clothes. I've never been able to fit into a small and now that I can, it's mind blowing to me.

Interesting, I still have a lot of size medium and small clothes, I just could never see myself as a "fat for life" person, especially since I always exercised, now I won't be. I don't think I will have any problem seeing myself as a thin person when I get there, just as I have no problem thinking of myself as a non-smoker, not an ex-smoker, it has been many years. It was some book I read back when I quit smoking, and basically it said calling yourself an ex-anything sets you up to "fall off the wagon". If you can teach your brain to think "I am a thin and healthy person", it would be easier to stay that way. I tried it with smoking, and even if I bring it up in an example like this, to me is like I never smoked, like I am just not that person anymore.

lilawolf

I always saw myself as thin. I was in serious denial about my gained weight which is why I was 30lbs past ideal before I realized that I needed to do something about it. I say realized, but I never internalized that size as ME. Now the mirror is just starting to reflect my inner vision more and more.

Maybe its the weight/size that you were at the longest? Or the one you went through puberty with?

daw0518

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

This is so true for me. I haven't officially lost anything yet, but I've always liked my body & how I look in clothes, even at a size 16/18. Sometimes I think this positive self-image was a bit of a detriment because it kept me from being motivated to change something, but hopefully it continues to be positive when I lose weight & hopefully I love my body at whatever size I end up.