36 pound loss- why am I so down?

MrsWendyQ

I know precisely how you feel! I don't "see" a visual difference myself yet. I'm down 23, pants fit better and for the most part I wear a size smaller (sometimes two) but I was really hoping for more at this point. Last night I was in the bridal shop meeting my ex mother in law (she's the seamstress there) and I was seeing myself in those dreaded every single view mirrors...SCARY!!! And the worse part was knowing I'd already lost so much, seriously, how bad did it look before???? :sad: BUT, then I realize, it's gonna take some time...but I'M DOING IT!!!!! :bigsmile:

gonnareachmygoal

I felt exactly the same. I took a before picture and I took a 20lb loss picture and then another at 30lbs down (and will continue this until I reach goal). Seriously......I never even realized the change was that dramatic. When you look in the mirror, you sometimes can't see beyond who you were. Pictures don't lie!

femmerides

good for you! i totally know how you feel. since the beginning i've lost 44lbs but i feel like i look exactly the same. but i've lost it slowly so i don't see the changes...

RatBoyGL

That is substantial weight loss.

But, you want to feel better about your self? I will tell you how.

1) Drive to your local Wal Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.

2) Buy a mid-sized Microwave Oven.

3) Carry it with you every where you go for one week.

See, a mid-sized Microwave weighs about 36 pounds.

You will realize what you have done then.

I PROMISE.

h3h8m3

I posted a similar thread recently: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/240126-success-is-discouraging

I am at 40 pounds down now, and when I look in the mirror without a shirt on I am definitely disappointed. I am more than a third of the way to my goal weight, and I feel like I can't really tell any difference at all. Yes, my clothes fit better, and I do know that I've really lost a lot of weight, but it seems like closing in on half way there should show half of the results... but doesn't seem to be the case. The process has definitely got me thinking that I may end up needing to go beyond my initial goal.

Good luck to you. Even though it can be discouraging, it's a journey that we simply have to make. Figuring out a balance where we can be happy with our progress without focusing completely on the end-goal is really the key. I should be happier now than I have been for a long time. Good job, wonderful family, finally getting healthy... but the more determined I get to succeed in weight-loss the more my weight bothers me. I was pretty blissfully fat for a lot of years.

NeuroticVirgo

That is a good loss! I do know what you mean though. I've lost 33 and still feel the same. A friend of mine posted a paper towel analogy that i really like. I'll see if I can find it. I really like it, I think it helps me a lot with understanding.


Paper Towel Theory by Bob White

Let's assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your before/ picture).

The other one represents you (I'll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let's say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let's also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can't be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin' Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al - well he's not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White

TAWoody

Do you have before and after pictures?!?! I know if you have them and look at them everyday you should feel a lot better. If we can't compare ourselves with where we began it can feel discouraging when we still have a ways to go. You're doing really good though. I'm a little more than halfway done too.

shmoejo

i have been the same. 33 lb loss and i am feeling bigger then ever.

kristygay

I'm right there with you! Almost identical numbers as you, but most of the time I can't see a big difference. But I am sure other people notice, I went back to my hometown this past weekend, and many people (who didn't know that I had been losing weight) told me how good I looked and wanted to know how I was doing it. So I have decided to let others be my eyes for now, until my own catch up!