Body Image and accepting the success

NotGoddess

I am having issues struggling with what should be a joyful NSV.

This weekend, my sister, who has always been thin, gave me a couple pairs of dress pants that don't fit her anymore. I tried them on and not only do they fit, they are actually loose. I'll have to wear a belt with the larger pair.

This should be a huge NSV. I've never been close enough to my sister's size to fit in her clothes and some years I bet she could have fit 2 of her in mine. Instead I thought there is no way she was ever as big as I am now, or more precisely, no way I'm smaller than she was. She's never been even close to overweight that I've seen. I even had the crazy thought that she bought the pants and just said they'd been hers to encourage me.

I look at myself in the mirror and even though I know I've changed, I just don't see it. I've still got a belly that hangs over and flabby thighs and arms. They are a little smaller but not that much. Don't get me wrong-I'm very proud of how far I've come. I've never been a yo-yo dieter and I've never been thin, so to be getting close to a 'normal' weight is amazing to me.

Yet part of me just doesn't want to accept it. Why is that? Any ideas on how to 'get over' this hurdle would be greatly appreciated.

hozik

My only suggestion is patience. It takes time for your brain to catch up with your new smaller body. Also, celebrate fitting into those smaller sized clothes, your improved fitness, strength and stamina. All the best to you!:flowerforyou:

annabellj

it takes a while for your brain to catch up sometimes. I was a sz 20 at 21 and then lost quite a bit to a sz 14 and i couldnt think i was attractive so i didnt attract the right kind of guys. when i started believing in me, prince charming,lol, well my best friend came along.you will get there.

jennyrebekka

first of all - YEAH! YAY! YIPEEE! WOOOHOOO! SHAZAM AND ALL THAT!

now....you probaby (like a lot of us) have had a track running through your head your whole life...something along the lines of 'you're fat, you're not good enough, you'll never be skinny' - - you probably hear this in your head all the time, maybe even so much that you don't even realize it is a 'problem' - and that voice might be really LOUD. But a nutritionist once told me to think about it this way:

What if someone in your life (friends, strangers, whoever) was standing right in front of you, berating you the way you berate yourself?!........Hopefully you wouldn't stand for it - and definitely would get them OUT OF YOUR LIFE as quickly as possible.

Sooooooo try to realize when that negative voice starts stealing your thunder - and tell it to shut the hell up!!!!!!!!!

DakotaKeogh

The ironic thing is, when we're big we don't let ourselves see it. I mean, we "see" it. But we don't.

Then there's the waking up moment. Whatever that is. A final glance in the mirror we can't deny anymore. Or, a medical emergency that made us accept it was out of control. (my case) So then we clean it up. And at that point our vision changes. Where we used to see big and believe smaller, we now see smaller and believe bigger.

Here's an anecdote for you. Some months ago I was in the grocery store after work. Got what I needed and rolled up in line behind this guy. I looked at him... same height more or less, in good shape, well formed. I thought, I could could be content being that way. That's how I want to be. Nice goal. Then I noticed the Levis tag on his jeans. Good old Levis, they sew that big tag on the back that says waist and leg length. I looked at it and realized, this guys waistline is bigger than mine! Here I'm setting his form as a goal and I'm already smaller, leaner.

We are blocked from seeing our own reality. Maybe that's nature's way of making us always aspire to be better. Whatever it is, just know, we are, none of us, as odious as we think. Know you're probably doing a helluva lot better then you think. Just keep doing the right things for yourself and believe that, eventually, something or someone will make you realize you've arrived. When that day comes, damn the calories, have a beer. Have two. Tomorrow is a new day, right?



Keep rocking it!

NotGoddess

Thank you all. I thought I was doing pretty well mentally until this hit me. I just need to keep going and let my head catch up with my body.

DakotaKeogh

You will catch up when the time comes. Fate is a pretty smart planner.

Cfkearney

I think you are fabulous and you look fabulous! One day, you will wake up and think DAAAANNNNNG! Look how tiny I am now! I have this list that is supposed help keep me motivated. I would like you to skip to Day 5. Look at yourself naked in the mirror and name five things you like. It will help your brain catch up to the physical you. You are doing AMAZING! Keep up the good work!