To the people that have lost over 40lbs...

BADGIRLstl

Are you still (mentally) stuck in your fat body? The scale tell you that you have lost weight, your pant sizes are smaller, but when you look in the mirror, you see that same old fat/big/large person? I've only lost 25 lbs, and if it wasn't for the pictures I WOULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I LOST WEIGHT. Sometimes it seems like it takes the mind a moment to catch up to the actual weight loss/prgress.

I want to know if you struggle with this same issue.

hazedot

Honestly? For me yes. I do still feel like the size 20 girl I was when I started, even though I'm now a 14/16. Even standing on the scales and seeing myself at nearly 200lbs I still feel fat. I don't know when I won't feel like that anymore.

susanjackson66

Yes I do. I sometimes look at my smaller pants (size 5/6 from a 14) and think there is no way I can fit into those. I still find myself holding my breath when putting them on! Then they fit and I think wow! I really have lost weight. I just wish I saw what other people saw.

Sasha_Bear

Girl yes I struggle with this constantly, some days are better then others. They say were our own worse critics hopefully it won't be like this forever, and I am able to see what others see.

sassylilmama

Yes! I have been big since I was a kid and now I cannot really see myself as the size I am. Really trying hard to get past this right now.

Dtho5159

Ive lost 42 so far and still act like Im the almost 300lb body I was before I joined MFP. Knowing Im not is just weird to me, even though Im fitting in my pants I wore before I got married so I KNOW Im less but I still feel that way... I wonder how I feel at goal when Ive lost 150lb.

hrcowman

Yes, I feel exactly the same. I have lost a little over 30lbs and I have dropped from a size 17 to a size 13. But when I shop for clothes I still go for the bigger sizes even though know I'm smaller. I feel great when I fit into those lower pant sizes, but it's so hard for me to remember I'm not as big as I was.

MassiveDelta

Yes...Its been more then a year. Ive been at this body size for more then a year. I still see that sometimes, not always

Saruman_w

Not to me.. Ever since I've dropped the weight I've felt tons better about myself, but not only that I can feel healthier as well. I got way more energy than I used to, I don't have nearly as much trouble getting up in the morning as I used to, I rarely catch the cold now and if I do it's not nearly as painful or an annoyance. But as far as mentally, I don't feel big anymore.

norma67

yes I still see the same person in the mirror and in my head.
I know that I am different
the clothes are smaller
and I have more energy

I know it is all in my head and have to learn to re-think how I see myself
but yes I still see the same round stomach and all.

walkwithme1

For me it's definitely a hard thing to wrap my head around. Taking compliments isn't easy either. Sometimes I just don't know what to say when someone comments on my weight loss and how good I look, I'm not used to compliments. Hoping to move past this part of the weight loss soon.

Davali

Yes - I have a shock each time I see myself unexpectedly. It's strange because before I lost the weight, I always had a mental image of being smaller than I was, and now its's the opposite. Not sure what it will be like once I'm at goal.... Looking forward to trying it out though!

Chanels_mom

As of today I have lost 28lbs ( I weigh myself daily, i know i know). It is so frustrating because I am really giving my all into this FINALLY, and I can't see any changes in me whatsoever. Other than my clothes fitting loose. I know that is an indication that I'm doing something right, but it's really upsetting to know I got myself into this predicament and now I have to lose over 60lbs in order to notice a difference. It's really depressing and I just have to keep telling myself it's because I am a really big (hate that word) girl. I don't plan on giving up, but I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

Ashley_Panda

Yes, it's very hard being pregnant and having gained some. But even after losing 135lbs. I still felt like I looked over 300lbs.

MandyMarie01

Are you still (mentally) stuck in your fat body? The scale tell you that you have lost weight, your pant sizes are smaller, but when you look in the mirror, you see that same old fat/big/large person? I've only lost 25 lbs, and if it wasn't for the pictures I WOULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I LOST WEIGHT. Sometimes it seems like it takes the mind a moment to catch up to the actual weight loss/prgress.

I want to know if you struggle with this same issue.

I've lost 30 so far and I struggle with it, if i get discouraged or think oh i havent lost anything or whatnot i take out an old pic and look at a new one and see the differences

Learnin2LuvMe

I have those moments for sure,i have to look in the mirror alot to see the difference,pics do show alot,so its always a good thing to take befores,so thank goodness for that,but im hoping until my bottom belly is gone then I will finally feel satisfied!!

Brooks088

I just was thinking about this for the first time this week. I still have 60 pounds to go but I still see/feel myself as the same. I wonder if I will ever be happy with the progress I have made/how I look in the mirror. I know 43 pounds lost is alot of weight...just hard to see myself still so overweight and think I have lost that much. I thankfully kept a really good journal from when I began...how difficult things were getting to do (tying your shoes for example)...life is better but its taking a while!

lucythinmint

Yes. Total I have lost 110lbs. most of it before MFP.


I struggle with this so much. I have been buying the wrong size of jeans because I can't honestly believe that I can wear a size 6 in jeans. I have been buying a 10 because I can't fathom leaving the double digits.

I take measurements and I have for the last 3 years, I can see that the inches have left but I can't believe. I even see that I have muscles (I lift) and I still feel like I am a squishy blob.

I thought it was just me. It got so bad that my husband started to complain because I was wearing baggy clothing that looked sloppy and was basically falling off my butt.
I am forcing myself to try on the smaller size, the tighter shirt. But it is hard to look at myself and see the clothing and say, "I look good"

On a side note. I can't say I look good, but I can tell the whole world about my fitness level. I ask everyone, "wanna see me bust out some push ups?".......... priorities. :bigsmile:

danithegirl89

Omgosh yes. I have lost 42 lbs total and I still feel big, insecure and awkward. But I constantly look back at pictures or try on clothes that I used to wear that were tight and now are way too big. I think it is going to take awhile to realize that I am 42 pounds lighter!!! I still have at least 20 to go, but I am less than five pounds away from being at the high end of my "healthy weight range". I still feel huge. So crazy!

bluebird321

Having a bunch of before and after pictures helps me. I also was doing yoga for a long time before I lost the weight -- the fact that I am able to get into certain poses I wasn't able to before also reminds me of the huge difference.

2Bgoddess

In the mirror, i see what i look like but in my head i am still fat. When i try on clothes i get annoyed that they don't seem to hang quite right, and my friend had to point out that they did in fact hang, they were all too big. She said 'for crying out loud, get the hell out of the plus size section!'

LolasEpicJourney

I think most of us still do. I've lost 105 lbs from my highest weight and I still feel huge some days. Others I feel like I've come far but I sometimes have to put on the fat pants or compare pictures to remind myself I have done a lot and I so look and feel a world better. I think I'll always struggle with the fat girl image... I don't think I'll ever feel thin enough when I look in the mirror-which is sad but I'd rather realize that now before I go too far

itgeekwoman

I'm right at that 40lb loss right now and I constantly judge myself. I don't think I'll ever be skinny enough. That's part of the problem though. We lose the weight, but we still need to deal with the issues. In we.. i mean me. There's always something that drives me to eat. I think right now, the key is to love myself. Positive self talk is the way that I'll feel good about me.

Often when a person loses weight in large amounts and changes their life so much to lose the weight, other changes occur. This includes divorce/marriage job changes or other major changes. All because we become more self confident.

Don't make any critical decisions yet. Just be.. I found that when I printed out a picture of me before I lost the weight .. and posted it in my cubical at work. It helped me to remember that I'm still that person, just smaller. I'm stronger, but not really more beautiful, just more compact.

tangiesharp

I've lost 36 pounds, but yes, I still see the old fatt(er) me. It's hard because everyone wants to celebrate my "success," but I can't get my head around it. I've still got at least 8 more pounds to go, but that's probably not going to make much of a difference in my attitude. I'm starting to incorporate more fitness goals now, rather than weight goals. Fitness things like running and completing a triathlon this summer. Those may become tangible goals I can celebrate better than looking in the mirror.

Scott_P

Yes. I can really only tell that I look different when I look at my starting picture.

Amy911Gray

Yep...was at 40, 50, 60 and I will probably be that at 70, 80, 90, etc.

It's really hard to get into the mind set that I'm not 245 pounds and a size 24 but 179 pounds and a size 14...It's just hard to get there...

spacey1968

This is the biggest problem that I struggle with. I can close my eyes and feel the difference in my body. I have lost 65 total pounds and look in the mirror and see the same body I had before. It is so frustrating! I stand in department stores and just want to cry because I don't know what to do. I love how my body feels and how the muscles feel under my skin, but I feel like I still look flabby and fat. It's such a head game. So to answer your question...I'm still struggling with this......

cnsmith2

Well, I AM still fat lol.... so yes I see myself that way. I was pondering today though, and thinking about my number and I realized I've almost lost 60 pounds... I mean I've almost lost a decent sized child in weight... my niece probably weighs less than what I've lost lol.

I''m incredibly proud of myself and starting to feel different though. I think it takes time, but it does set in.

I'm glad I have pictures of me at my heaviest so that once I lose another 40 pounds (and more) I can look back at the differences.

nsblue

lol still have the "fat" brain syndrome... will have i imagine for a while.... still head for the "big" section in clothes... n i wont fit in them lol

IrishHarpy1

All. The. Time. I even convince myself sometimes that I'll wake up in the morning to find that all the pounds have come back. :ohwell:

I still automatically head for the "women's" section of the stores... gravitate towards the 2X shirts or size 22 pants... tell myself that I won't fit into anything stylish. Then common sense - usually in the form of my husband or my sister, who are my clothes shopping buddies -- will kick in, and I'll tentatively try on something. I'm always surprised when those single digit sizes actually FIT!

One thing that I've done to help keep perspective is that I've held on to a pair of my size 22 pants. Whenever I look in the mirror and start thinking that nothing has changed, I pull them out of the closet and lay them on the bed next to a pair of pants that fit me now. It gives me that visual comparison that I *don't* see in the mirror.

Remember, we look at ourselves every day -- those changes that happen when we lose weight/tone up/get healthier aren't nearly as evident to us as they are to others.

haleycreations

Well For me I find at times I still have the bloated feeling and look bigger in the mirror. But then I go out and see a friend that I have not seen in years and they say what have you been doing with yourself you look amazing. I know that I have went from a size 42+ waist to a 34" waist at present day. I also know that muscle weighs more than fat so if you do not see it on the scale you will probably see it around your waist.
I will say that when I was working out for the first 30 days I did not see any results on the scale, as my body was transforming the fat in my body from bad fat to healthy muscle. I so far have lost 55 lbs in the past year and a half, and have managed to keep it off and maintain my waist line. One of my friends told me to throw your scale away for the first three or four months, as you will get discouraged and you don't need anymore stress when you are trying to loose weight. Stress will only add more bad fat to your waist line.
Well when you lose the weight as I did I went through my closet and got rid of all the clothes that I out grew so that I would not have the excuse as to why I slipped back into the old sizes. If the clothes are not there then you will try harder not to slip back into the old routine and give in as easily. I found that I only have a few pairs pants and shirts now that really fit in the smaller size but it feels amazing to know that I am doing it and keeping it off.
I hope that something I have said may inspire someone out there and you can find your inner self. I have one last thing to ponder, Ask yourself one real question and truly answer this honestly. What is my Why? With this I mean what makes you want to lose the weight or get in better shape in the first place. For me it was making sure that I was around for my daughters when they get older. It was also being able to finally stop taking my depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and high cholesterol medication. So Look in the mirror and ask yourself What is my Why?
Talk to you all soon.