Image Anxiety

Real_Cool_Hand

I have this weird problem... that I'm hoping is not so weird to other people trying to lose some weight,
I see changes in my muscles, and I see a number on the scale veerrryyy sloooowlyy creeping down.
But I keep looking at myself as being much larger than I actually am. All I see is and feel is huge, even though I'm not that overweight. I need about 10 pounds to my goal and a lower bmi in the "healthy" range, but I feel like I am still the same big size.
Anyone else feel that way? Or have any mind tricks to get out of that thinking rut?

xaniza

I feel that way too.

I've started talking myself into believing that I'm a lot skinnier. It's going okay. I still want to lose like 40 lbs but I'm trying to embrace positive thinking and remind myself that I've come a long way so far haha.

bjshooter

I feel this way, i think its because we are thinking about it more Whatever it is, its not good, how can i lose 55lb and feel worse? My goal weight gets lower and lower and it is slightly worrying, I may never stop.

BeautyFromPain

I feel that way too.

I've started talking myself into believing that I'm a lot skinnier. It's going okay. I still want to lose like 40 lbs but I'm trying to embrace positive thinking and remind myself that I've come a long way so far haha.

TerezaToledo

I don't have much help or advice, but I frequently feel the same way. After almost 6 months of hard work I reached my weight and size goals, but I still feel the same way. Somedays I'll look in the mirror and can't see all the progress I've made. One trick that helped me one day was to take my measurements and compare with the ones I had taken when I reached my goals and realize that they were still the same, that they haven't increased.

Doing that made me feel better, but I guess it's hard to take the fat girl out of the thin girl even when the scale shows the numbers we want to see and our clothes fit perfectly.

PrincessGlitterTush

I have the opposite problem to be honest. I've always thought 'Flip, i know ive picked up weight, but i dont look THAT bad''.. Until like 3 weeks ago when I went away and saw the photos, and i'm just horribly embarrased that I've been this big and never realised it was such a problem. I've never been more motivated to lose weight. Not ever. I've always had a good and optimistic outlook though. So like you said, you can see the difference. You need to just repeat it over and over again until you start believing it too.

MamaBear57

In the last few weeks no but this morning I was looking at myself getting ready for work and I thought the same thing. Even though for the first time in about two weeks the scale actually went down. So like some others said I am trying to push these thoughts out and concentrate on the positive. The mind is a tricky thing and is sometimes our biggest enemy in this process. Good luck to you.

VeganInTraining

I have the opposite problem to be honest. I've always thought 'Flip, i know ive picked up weight, but i dont look THAT bad''.. Until like 3 weeks ago when I went away and saw the photos, and i'm just horribly embarrased that I've been this big and never realised it was such a problem. I've never been more motivated to lose weight. Not ever. I've always had a good and optimistic outlook though. So like you said, you can see the difference. You need to just repeat it over and over again until you start believing it too.

I was like ^^this and now I'm like you. I am at my goal weight and lower than my goal size but still sometimes pick myself apart. But then I look at my pants when they are NOT on me and they look tiny and I think "wow, I fit into those!" and it helps. I want to keep the body I have now and regain the self esteem that I had when I was bigger. I'm freakin' sexy and I need to remember that!

Real_Cool_Hand

I know, its just hard to stay motivated when you feel that way. We work so hard to get to where we want to be and can't appreciate it? Its frustrating! Nice to know I'm not alone though.
Thanks for sharing!

kiwi1855

I've gone from 288lbs to 191lbs, and I still see the person who is 288lbs in the mirror. I've started making myself recognize that I'm smaller - be it something as simple as sitting cross legged on the floor, or just dancing with my husband in our living room, and making him "dip" me and realizing that he's supporting the majority of my weight. We couldn't do that before!

You need to start making yourself realize how many changes have happened, and force yourself to see the results of your hard work. Take pictures to compare. Sometimes that's the best way. We see ourselves every day in the mirror, so the small changes over time make it harder to recognize the overall picture. Take a picture, and compare it with one that you have from before you started your journey.

Good luck to you, and congrats on your successes thus far!

thankyou4thevenom

I feel exactly the same way. I've dropped about two dress sizes and I still pick up the old size first.

lacewitch

if the mirror is not your friend for what ever reason - i.e. it's being evil. I have one mirror at work that is seriously unflattering and i hate it when i see myself in it so if i can't avoid that mirror i try to only focus on something i like - i.e. my eyes or my hair. wear sparkly earings and admire those and focus on anything that you canfeel positive about in your heart of hearts and gradually try to find more and more positives - try to go from i love this top to i love me in this top.

NLP techniques or other such techniques on positive thinking - its all in the language we use even with ourselves.