Phantom Fat

emancipateurself

So I was looking at my pictures the other day on my fb and started to cry....I didn't recognize myself...who the hell is that???? I'm going through quite a transformation here.....people are treating me differant...they aren't looking at me with disgust anymore. I actually care about myself and I'm a happier person and I know that shows...and I've stoped hiding myself with my flesh. I finally realized that I'm actual gorgeous however I've always been gorgeous I just never saw it until now.

My brain however hasn't caught up yet...I hear this is quite a normal reaction with significant weight loss.....I'm not even done yet I'm like half way through my weight loss goals......so I can't even imagine what my brain will do when I reach my final goal.

Just curious if anyone else deals with this as well?

willowfyre

I pretty much had that reaction a couple of weeks ago, but going in a different direction. When I lost fifty pounds at the end of high school, the only thing I was processing was being in smaller clothes. I didn't have your reaction until I gained it all back (+ some). For me, the way I look now is how I thought I looked before. <---a mix of negative and positive reinforcement kinda messes with your brain a bit. When I was smaller, I was still 30 lbs overweight, so I thought I was still really REALLY fat. Now I'm back to 80 lbs overweight. Looking back at the pictures from when I was smaller, I realized that I looked GOOD and I got a lot more positive attention than I do now. It's motivation for me to get back to that and even go lower.

By the way, you look amazing. Keep up the good work. Yay! for getting healthy.

Usbornegal

Oh yeah - I remember when I lost weight several years ago having the feeling that I didn't fit in my body, felt vulnerable at being smaller than I felt I was.

This time around, I am doing this as an athlete, even a slow, obese one. I think like an athlete, train like one, and now expect my body to look like one and am more surprised when I see the mirror and I'm not in the athlete's body I feel that I have.

embersfallen

YES. I saw pics of myself at my best friend's house on Christmas...from some family functions...and just about died realizing I used to look like that... seriously, compared to now, I looked like someone had shoved an airhose in my face, belly etc!!!! I feel BETTER then I did then,..for CERTAIN...but my brain does NOT always calculate it all...... I feel different at times to be sure...but still get self concious in certain situations... then other times I feel 1000 times better... it's wierd how the physical progress can be off kilter from the emotional and mental progress... the fit person inside is screaming to get to the surface and be seen.... we'll get there!