Does anyone feel the same? (Lost weight but still feel fat?)

britneyy32

I feel the same way.. I feel like I haven't made much of a difference in my body but when I look at my before/progress pictures there is a huge difference! But I feel like I'm never going to be satisfied with myself and I'm always going to think that I don't look thin enough

kdeaux1959

Many times the war of the mind progresses more slowly than the war over the flesh.. but since the flesh always follows the mind, it is a battle that is essential to long term success. Keep a goal in front of you. Congrats on your success.

kitsiekitty

HEREEE.

I've always felt fat. I'm five feet five, and currently weigh 143lbs, after losing about 15lbs? I never ha dmuch to lose in the first place, but i've always felt fat. Now that I'm wearing smaller sizes, I still feel fat. Everyone around me says i've lost, and they tell me to stop losing butbutbut! I can't. ): And I always feel as if one binge day (like last night where i went mildly crazy at a food fair in my place), will make me put on weight again overnight.

):

Rosie4732

I'm so glad I've read this
I'm exactly the same as many of you - gone from 157 to 119lbs (I'm only 5'5 so it's been a dramatic size loss)
Still have the same confidence issues.
Still pick up the wrong size clothing.
Still panic about social situations as I'll be the fat girl
Don't recognise myself in the mirror as my minds eye still sees me at 157.
I even point out women I think I'm the same size as now to my husband to try to help and consistently p pick larger women - when he picks out women he says I am a similar size to I don't believe him and get in a stop saying he's just trying to make me feel better!
I have a totally unreal image of my body in my mind - but I can't seem to change it!

Eta - I also feel less pretty in the face for some reason - I used to like my face and felt it was a slightly redeeming factor - in fact I'd never look in a mirror that showed below shoulder level
Now I barely look in a mirror at all

samanthawardle31

I know I am thinner, I look better in clothes, but do I really FEEL thin, no. I have a way to go.

WilmaDennis91

Sometimes, but I tend to want to rush things. And I get frustrated if I put on a pair of jeans and I'm still not satisfied about how I look in them, same goes for slim fitting t-shirts then I'll feel fat. -.-
But in the end, I still know that I lost weight and I'm looking better, and I point out the areas that I feel confident in, etc.

joyfuljoy65

thank goodness I found this topic - I thought it was just me!

I look in the mirror and cannot see any difference. I have lost over 4 stone, gone from an 18/20 to a 12/14 - so I KNOW I am smaller but I cannot see it.......... its bizarre!!!!

I was told I have body dismorphia by a 'friend' who told me I had lost enough weight now and was starting to look haggard, when i told HIM (not a woman!!) that I still needed to lose half a stone to get to my goal weight. Perhaps I do have it ......... after years of being overweight, and being constantly told that I was fat by my ex-husband, perhaps those words are stuck in my head and will never go?

Fortunately my husband now tells me how fantastic I look, and sometimes I can almost see it!! And the other day, I was in a shop looking and I wondered why the lady stood next to me was getting closer and closer as I was looking at a rack of clothes .. only to realise it was me in the mirror - I honestly didnt recognise myself! THAT was so weird!!

AJChenh

I've lost around 33 lbs and I can honestly say I don't see it at all (not even in before/after pics). Sometimes, it gets really discouraging because I'm working so hard at it and feel like I'm just stuck in the mud.

I'm terrified that even when I hit my goal weight I'll still feel this way. Kind of a scary thought.

MJ_Watson

Yeah, this is me, too. I've lost 25 pounds in the last two and a half months (down about 40 from my highest) and even though I can tell I'm getting smaller (things don't fit well any more, stuff that was too tight feels just right, etc) I just do NOT see it. My BFF and family members keep telling me there's a big difference, but I look in the mirror and on most days I look... the same.

Someone recommended progress pictures to me (before I started, since I've had issues with body dysmorphia in the past). You can see the pics I took on my profile page, and believe it or not, I couldn't even see the difference between THOSE when I first put them side by side. Then I got an idea: I cropped my head off, then I went away for a day or two. Came back, looked at them again, and just exclaimed "Holy sh**!!!" Were these even the same pictures?? It was amazing.

If you have an issue seeing a difference even in progress pics (I hope I'm not the only one...), I really do think it's a good idea. Maybe it tricks your brain into thinking of you as a different person? IDK, but it's worth a shot.

radlamb

Wow thank you for this...im feeling the exact same. So over nearly a year i have lost just over 3 stone gone from a UK size 16 to nearly that size 12 on bottom and size10/12 on top.

I feel like i should be jumping over the moon as my weight depressed me so much but I am not. First i still feel the same, I know my clothes have gotten smaller but it just feels surreal. Even though people compliment me something is still not clicking in my head. Part of me stills wants to lose more weight maybe another stone so i can be a comfty size 12 or even better a size 10.

Also my body feels gross, its feels not toned and saggy, (even though i exercise)....

I know i should be happy and proud of myself as I have done it slowly and changed habits but part of me relied so much on food for my happiness that I can sometimes slip into old habits and even though i feel bad about myself I want to turn to food to comfort me (vicious cycle - i knw).

I guess my question is. How do I overcome this? Will I ever feel happy with myself?? I still just dont feel comfortable in my body??

Its good to know that I am not the only one feeling like this.

littleburgy

I've felt this way lately. Started my regimen in August, from then to September I was getting slimmer and really felt it. Through October and especially after last week I had water retention, and lately I've just felt chunky and bloated even though I'm in much better shape then before.

I dropped the scale when doing some cleaning and I think it might be broken, so I am getting a new scale to know where I'm really at and have decided to make measurements, too. But I've been in a "chunky" limbo lately and that is frustrating.

Only way I'll combat it is to know that numbers don't lie and the voice in my head can STFU!

mazdauk

I often feel like this, especially if I'm in the bath and see my flabby tummy:sad: But if i catch sight of a bit of myself in a mirror, I have to stop and check its me - I now have slim legs (OK I still have difficulty getting boots but I did even as a 16-year-old (UK) size 8/10), I have knees not lumps of fat, I have elbows and my arms are no longer the size of thighs! And I can put on dresses that were always snug and actually have room to spare! How did that happen?

Yes I'm a work in progress - especially my tummy - but compared to where I've come from I have something to celebrate!:drinker:

nuttinbutsuga

I use to hear people say this all the time and I would wonder wth was wrong with them...now I'm saying it. lol I know I've lost almost 60lbs and I know I've gone from a size 28 to a 22 but I still see that 380lb chick. People compliment me on my weight loss and instead of saying thank you, I often tell them I look hella smaller in pics (which I do IMO) and I'm still well over 300lbs so I haven't lost much. Talk about bein nuts!

HealthyVitamins

I'm only down 10lbs down, so I cant see a great difference yet, but I recently tried on some jeans that were huge for me, and a bridesmaids dress I wore a year ago that fell off me onto the floor.

so although I don't feel any different, trying on old clothes makes me realise that I am doing well and making progress

GingerLolita

I feel the same way! As I approach maintenance, I worry that I'll never truly be happy with the way I look... but I know it's really just a body image problem and recognizing that is the first step!

pawoodhull

Oh yes! Even after 152 pounds off I still some days feel fat. And I'm constantly worried about not being able to get the rest of it off (need to lose another 75) or gaining it back. I think anyone who has a lot of weight to lose has this issue, so you are not alone.

I've been told it takes our head a long time to catch up with our bodies, so take heart that someday you may stop feeling this way.

seltzermint555

Yes! I sometimes feel worse now than I did when I had a lot more weight...

There are days where I'm like hmm I can't wear that I think I look fat in it...and my boyfriend is just like 'you wore it all the time before you lost weight and didn't think you looked fat, why do you think that now?'


It's all in the mind...!

Totally agree.

I have a bit of an issue with this, as I grew quite comfortable being super sized and thought of myself as attractive in that particular way, like super big, actually accentuating my 3X curves. It kinda "worked" for me or at least I felt like it did. Now that I'm going down into the smaller plus sizes my body is nothing like it was. I am more like a chubby version of an athletic/hourglass figure. So things I "rocked" at 260-300 lb I totally can't pull off now. It is a mindf**k. My go-to styles, cardigans and dresses with leggings, don't look good on me now. Everything is totally different and shopping is surreal. I pick out my longtime favorite items and then after horrors in the changing room I'm back out on the sales floor choosing smaller and completely different styles. It's almost like going through puberty all over again ;-P I feel like even though yes I've lost a ton of weight already, I need to lose more to look right in my current "type"!

TAMayorga

Eta - I also feel less pretty in the face for some reason - I used to like my face and felt it was a slightly redeeming factor - in fact I'd never look in a mirror that showed below shoulder level
Now I barely look in a mirror at all

Yes! Me too! I look older, and I feel like my nose and ears are more prominent!

seltzermint555

Eta - I also feel less pretty in the face for some reason - I used to like my face and felt it was a slightly redeeming factor - in fact I'd never look in a mirror that showed below shoulder level
Now I barely look in a mirror at all

Yes! Me too! I look older, and I feel like my nose and ears are more prominent!

I had the same problem, however, when taking lots of new photos and comparing to the old photos side by side I really do see that I look better, even though I look older and my features are sharper. It is difficult to adjust to but over time becomes more apparent that it is a positive change despite some negatives. Maybe you'll discover the same!

TAMayorga

I totally I hear ya ...

I hope those bad voices will get less and less for me. I'm pretty much at my goal, .2 lbs off, and some days I think whoa I'm hot, other days I look at myself and still see the old fat me. Sometimes in public I catch a reflection of myself in a mirror or a window and have a "holy sh-t!" moment because it's very bizarre seeing myself this size. Almost like an outer body experience. People who haven't been through any of this don't understand how weird it is to see a smaller you.

And this ^^^. I am also at my goal and am terrified that I will follow past behavior and "rest on my laurels" and allow the weight to creep back on. So I will have days when I am happy with the changes I see and days when all I see are fat rolls.

TAMayorga

Eta - I also feel less pretty in the face for some reason - I used to like my face and felt it was a slightly redeeming factor - in fact I'd never look in a mirror that showed below shoulder level
Now I barely look in a mirror at all

Yes! Me too! I look older, and I feel like my nose and ears are more prominent!

I had the same problem, however, when taking lots of new photos and comparing to the old photos side by side I really do see that I look better, even though I look older and my features are sharper. It is difficult to adjust to but over time becomes more apparent that it is a positive change despite some negatives. Maybe you'll discover the same!

I hope you are right. I keep telling myself that my health and fitness changes are a positive that trumps the negative. Someday I will get used to my new face. :flowerforyou:

avskk

This is exactly me. I'm 40 pounds down but I feel like I look exactly the same -- fat, lumpy, misshapen. It seems as if five months and 40lbs should have made more of a difference.

Chuchiiee

This describes me 100%

In December, 2011 I started off at 173 which was my junior year of college. Now to date, I weigh 147 which is 26 pounds down.

However, I still feel the same. I look in the mirror and I have the same body shape...just a smaller version. I am naturally apple shaped so you can guess where all the fat still left on me is stored (My gut and arms).

Every time I look in the mirror I still feel depressed. I thought I'd love shopping when I lost weight, but it seems like I hate it more. I was a size 11/13 (junior) in jeans before and though a 13 definitely doesn't fit, I still have no problem reaching for a size 11.. I actually have no clue what my real pant size is. I just throw on a belt on my size 11's and they look fine. I wear a medium in shirts now compared to the larges and x-larges I used to wear, but I still can't seem to see a difference. Originally my goal weight was 145... But It looks like I'll have to change it and go lower. Maybe 130 is my ideal weight because 145 just won't cut it.

mariahk35

not only do I feel that way but my crazy thoughts sometimes think my scale is lying and I really didn't lose weight.

AlongCame_Molly

Yep. I'm terrified of switching to maintainance because of it.

TigerBite

Changing your body composition (more lean mass, less body fat) will go a long way in helping you see what you want in the mirror (unless you have BDD or some other distorted views) ... Do some sort of strength training (not necessarily traditional weight lifting, yoga and Pilates works too), in addition to your cardio ... Simply dieting isn't going to get you the physique you desire (for most people, I'm sure there are some people out there who just want to look good in clothes ... but most of us want to look good out of them too) ...

Therealobi1

not only do I feel that way but my crazy thoughts sometimes think my scale is lying and I really didn't lose weight.

thats where the before and after piccies come in. until i saw some that my friend posted of me is when i saw how much i lost.

i was told my brain hadnt caught up with my body and i think it was true. i now can see what i have lost and am happy. still wip re reducing fat.

FindingAmy77

I am sort of in that boat. I feel its hard to be happy that I lost this weight because last Tuesday my weigh in was the exact weight I was when I started the last time and lost 54lbs but gained it back. Now Im sort of floating day by day doing what I have to do, but sort of lost the excitement of it all. I think this feeling is normal. Just keep working at staying in shape and don't focus on the numbers as much then you will feel and look so much more healthier. That's what I tell myself anyways.

stickwithit2013

Going by my own awareness of my self and how I look in the mirror, I don't feel any different. This was also the case when I was *gaining* weight: I didn't feel fat then, but I do feel fat now!

I can see the difference in photos and I really enjoy the "surprise" each time, but it still feels like my clothes are growing rather than it being me who is shrinking. I've lost a bit over 75lbs so far, with my ticker representing only the loss since joining.

People say "Oh you must feel so much better!" (meaning fat=unhealthy rather than aesthetically) and I don't at all, it didn't make a difference. I do have a neurological disorder though so maybe that's why: I lost weight to make it easier for my carers to support me and push my wheelchair, not for myself.

I'm not quite into a normal BMI, which is my initial goal, but I doubt I'll feel thin when I get to my ultimate goal either!

Rather than it making me feel it's not worth the effort, I've found it a motivation!

Psychedelicately

Yes, I feel the exact same way. I've lost 41 lbs but I still shop for the same large sizes. When I weighed more I was somehow more comfortable wearing tighter clothes, now I can't handle wearing anything that shows that I'm overweight at all so I wear bigger clothes. I keep thinking once I hit my goal I'll feel 100% better, but I know it's psychological from being overweight and focusing on my outward appearance for so long.