How long did it take...

lynn1982

The other day, I was running on the treadmill at my gym. There are mirrors on all of the walls, so I can see myself and others from behind in the mirror in front of me. Ever since I started running, I've had a tendency to look at those in the mirrors and see how they look from behind and *wish* that one day I could like that too. The other day, I looked in the mirror and saw this woman running. She had (what looked like) great form and looked like she was in great shape. She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't heavy either. She just looked healthy. I thought, "wow, I wish I could look like that!" I then looked to either side, trying to figure out who this amazing-looking woman was. However, I couldn't find her. That was when I realized that it was me! I was pleased but also shocked since I don't feel like that person and even when I look directly in the mirror, that is not the person whom I see.

How long did it take for you to see and feel the way you now look after weight loss rather than how you felt pre-weight loss? I've taken the before and after photos, I measure regularly, and the scale does not lie, so I know I've lost weight. But...most of the time, I still feel like a huge blimp...

RhonndaJ

No answers here, because I'm no where near that point. But I wanted to say that I loved your story.

shedoos

I'm still waiting...

I tried explaining that to my DH not too long ago. I know in my head that I'm no longer the fat chick in the room, but when I look in the mirror, I still see her... maybe not at my heaviest, but definitely as I was 40 or 50 lbs ago...

Hopefully someone will have an answer as to how to make it stop... but in the meantime - Great job on the loss and seeing your own sexy rear view in the mirror!!

MiNiMoNkI

It took me until the day my boyfriend looked at me and said "wow" i think in all from 140llbs to 11lbs took me 7 months but i noticed the difference after a bout 4 weeks of doing the shred x

obaker

I think we've lost the same amount of weight and I still haven't really reached that point!

Of course I have those days where I have a mini-win because I can see the number on the scales, or I have gone down a dress size, but when I look at myself in the mirror I feel like the only thing I can see is my huge tummy and my arm flab.

I often have to actively search for someone who I know is the same size as me. Then when I'm in a rut and thinking "I wish I looked like her" I can snap out of it by telling myself that I probably do

geri1955

Its a crazy mind thing! I lost 114 lbs about 9 years ago and was down to 147 lbs 5 '8" and was in a sz 6 jean...I still walked into the plus size dept! maybe we need therapy! :noway:

iKristine

Its a crazy mind thing! I lost 114 lbs about 9 years ago and was down to 147 lbs 5 '8" and was in a sz 6 jean...I still walked into the plus size dept! maybe we need therapy! :noway:

Serious? That''s sort of humbling, but at the same time sad.... I'm hoping you found your way back to the womens? lol

megpapier

It's taken me almost 5 months to get to the point where I am appreciating my body. Since I'm recently recovering from anorexia and used to being around 65 lbs anything above that weight usually makes me feel HUGE!!! But FINALLY! I actually LIKE my body! It is possible to overcome a severe eating disorder people!!! I'm proof!

JoyCurl

Great story, haven't gotten to that point yet. Thanks for sharing.

DoubleE615312

I have not reached that point either. Sure I look at pictures and they don't lie...I still feel uncomfortable when people comment on my loss, especially those that haven't seen me in a while. For example I had hubby's aunt tell me recently that every time she looked at me, she thought she was seeing a different person. I mean I know it was a compliment, but WTF did I look like before?

LeanMeanFitnessMachine

Its kind of a rollarcoaster ride with me - somedays I'll love my body, some days I'll feel like the ugliest girl on earth. I think its always going to be a constant tug of war with myself, even when I reach my goal weight and optimum fitness physique. I'm a perfectionist, and as such, its hard for me to accept that there's always going to be someone prettier, someone stronger, someone better than me. I just take it day by day and try to love myself and my body to the best of my abilities.

shellyvelly

I am trying to lose the 30lbs I somehow managed to gain over the past 3 years. When I think about your post, I remember that even when I was at my thinnest and was wearing a size 2, I still felt like I was fat! The moral of the story is that even the skinniest girls find something wrong with themselves. Look around at all the girls you know. I bet every single one of them has made a comment at some point about feeling or looking fat and you may have commented back that they were crazy for saying it...and now its YOU saying it! Maybe it's their turn to tell you "you're nuts girl! You look great!" Relish your accomplishments!


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KyleB65

WOW!!! Too funny!
I have had almost the exact same experience!
I have been taking Capoeira classes for about 3-1/2 years. But it has only been this year where I started watching what I eat and subsequently lost a large amount of weight. Over the time I have been at Capoeira we have had different events where the class or event has been videoed. I always hated this as I look like the Pilsbury Dough Boy in the uniform. When ever I saw someone with a camera, I would do my best to move out of their frame or shot.
This past summer I was at a Capoeira event and of course some schmuck was their with a video camera! The event passed and I forgot about it. Just after the Labor Day weekend my Capoeira class had a party at our teacher's place and she played the video from this event. As we were all watching I kept seeing this bald guy that I did not recognize! As I kept watching it actually started to annoy me! I knew that I had been there and I could not remember who this guy was! After about 10 - 15 min the guy finally got turned so that the camera caught his face and it was me!! This was the first time I could actually see and recognize that my body had changed. Until then it was not real.
I still see myself as fat and I push myself every day to keep on track. But in my heart, there is a little pride in what I have accomplished to date!
Thanks for sharing your experience! It is nice to know that there are people out there who are on some level just like me!
Best of luck on your journey!

Mama_CAEI

For me, it has been the opposite. The person I saw in the mirror was how I used to look years ago, before marriage and kids and life. I was totally in denial about how big I had become; clothes didn't fit right, but it was the clothes' fault. I wasn't seeing reality in the mirror, I was seeing what I thought I looked like. In my head, I still had the body I did when I weighed 150 lbs, but I was starting to creep up to 200. I suddenly realized in the spring how big I had become, how puffy my face was, how I was just big all over and unhealthy, so I started making changes. Now, the image in the mirror and the one in my head finally match! It's still a bit of a shock once in a while to see it because I've become so aware of what I did look like all that time. I hope you can get the image in your head and the image in the mirror to match too!!

JennC831

Although I am no where near my goal, I've looked at pictures where I was at the weight I'm trying to reach now and remember myself thinking I was fat then!!! I honestly think it's a mental thing.. I've been super skinny and I've been super big... So I'm now trying to find a balance and get to a point where I'm happy and content with my body... It's a struggle everyday, but I'm determined to get there!

Congratulations to you for your weight loss!!! I can't wait until I get to that point!!

MrsWibbly

I have the opposite problem - I still see myself at around 125lbs (my 20's) and I am continually disappointed and sometimes even disgusted by the fat wobbly person in the mirror who is just really not me. Its getting better though - lost over 10lbs and its beginning to show on my belly (not quite so wobbly). I am at 135 now and I am hoping that now as the lbs continue to come off (really slowly) I will eventually look in the mirror and see what I am expecting.

Sweetcheeks278

I've had the majority of the weight I wanted to lose off since June/July and I still see the fatty I use to be. I have recently lost the last 5 lbs I wanted to lose to reach my goal weight and I have found that it was the magic 5 lbs. Now all of a sudden I'm really starting to see the changes and think, "Wow! I've really come a long way in the past 8 mths." It helps to look at old pictures of yourself and compare to new ones. It will put it all in prospective when you start getting down. It helps me.
Congrats on your weight loss so far! That is a wonderful accomplishment!!

rileamoyer

I still have days I feel fat. Don't know if it ever goes completely away. sigh.

WildFlower7

It does take a while to notice yourself. I had this dcussion many of times. Looking in the mirror even after a 35lb loss I wasn't noticing anything. Pictures was where I began to notice it the most. Have you compared yet, a picture in a similar pose from when you first started your journey to one from now? You should... it's a real confdence booster to see it in black and white right there in front of you... You'll notice it that way. The biggest difference was the last 10lbs for me, I started noticing it alot then. Also, are you just trying to lose weight or are you working on toning and aquiring muscle defenition too? For me, on my last 10lbs I knocked down the cardio and only did 30min instead of an hr a day and spent an hour working on toning. That made a HUGE difference!! Good luck and congrats on your successes thus far!

yvettenicole21

i know exactly what you mean!!

happyhaunt

I definitely know what you mean. I look in the mirror and still see myself as fat. It was only when I compared 2 pictures on my MFP profile that I noticed the difference.