I think I'm skinnier than I actually am...

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  • hpynh2o
    hpynh2o Posts: 194 Member
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    I saw an old picture of myself the other day. Honestly, I had no idea I was that fat. It was rather embarrassing.
  • JackieLM
    JackieLM Posts: 127 Member
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    I do this.... The only time I see myself the way others do is when I see myself in pictures. I have a reverse body image but not in the way that anorexics do. They see themselves as fat when they are underweight, I see myself as decent when in fact I was REALLY obese. I finally realized that my weight was out of control and can't wait for the pictures to agree with what I see when I look in the mirror. Of course I know I am still overweight but I don't see myself 'for real' like I should.

    Add me if you want, we can do this together!

    Jackie
  • peasantgirly
    peasantgirly Posts: 173 Member
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    Some one posted this link on another thread a month ago. It was enlightening...

    http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-8283-body-shape.htm

    it shows you annon pics of people with the same specs as you, so you can get an objective idea of what someone like you looks like

    Thank you!! Somebody else mentioned a body gallery but I didn't know what they were talking about, so thanks!

    And, WOW, I thought I was the only one! It really makes you wonder how much of this distorted image in our heads contributes to our weight problems! I mean, you hear it all the time with anorexics about how they don't really see what's in the mirror, but I've never heard it being applied to overweight people. If you "feel" thinner, and you "see" thinner, that really explains it when you hear people talking about how the weight snuck up on them.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for an excuse for being fat, LOL! Just trying to gain awareness and understanding of this whole process! :)
  • trinitylyons01
    trinitylyons01 Posts: 126 Member
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    OMGOODNESS! I thought I was the only one! I look at myself in the mirror and literally say I don't understand how I can weigh so much. When I'm walking around I feel thin and I think I look thin. Then, just like with most of you, I take a picture or someone shows me a picture and I am in shock at how big I really am. (Darn cameras!). But when I stand next to my daughters who are both size 5/6 I'm SO much bigger than they are. I have to constantly remind myself what my SIZE is and not pay attention to my eyes, which have obviously adjusted to the fat and are now hiding the truth from me. :grumble:
  • Caligalslim
    Caligalslim Posts: 39
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    We all feel like that. That why I like pictures they don't lie.
  • slowturtle1
    slowturtle1 Posts: 284 Member
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    I'm the exact same way. I look in the mirror and see all the little bumps and bulges, but it's not until I have one of my thinner friends next to me in the mirror that I realize exactly how much larger I am in comparison. >.< It's always unpleasant seeing photos with me with other people and getting that wake-up call.

    I have exactly this same experience. I am shocked to see myself in photos! It happens with clothes, too. I really think I can wear some things because they look like they'll fit, but I put them on and it becomes obvious that I'm not there yet. I don't know why that happens. It is very weird, but it's good to know I'm not alone!
  • liftandcycle
    liftandcycle Posts: 209
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    you know how anorexic ppl are skin and bones and they see themselves super fat... its the same thing, only that in this case its your mind is protecting you.. there was actually a study done on this... your mind wont let you see yourself as you are, your mind will "fix you up"... im not 100% positive as to why...
  • Caligalslim
    Caligalslim Posts: 39
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    Yes I used to feel.that way back on Aug 20,2011 I carried myself well and I am 5'7.5 so I knew I was big but didn't think I was that big at 268 lbs until I started losing and getting healthier I am now 183.4 lbs 7 months later and I look back at my before pics and .I say damn!!! I was soooo big...uhhhh....still have 34.6 lbs to go and I don't ever want to be that 268lbs or even in the 200s ever again!!

    Wow I have a similar goal. You look amazing!! Thanks for giving me hope.
  • Karalopolous
    Karalopolous Posts: 574
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    I didn't think I was that big either. Almost 5'4 and I weighed over 200 BUT I was a size 14 and that is only 2 sizes larger than the national average. Then I saw a pic of me from my sons b-day party and the rolls and the largeness. Then I saw a candid shot of me and wholly tummy. I knew it was time to do something about it. I could see my toes I can't be fat right? Well now that I have lost 54 lbs I know that I just had big feet :) My problem is when I look in the mirror now I still see 200 plus me and NOT 147 me.

    I haven't lost quite the amount you have, but that's exactly how I felt. My heaviest was 202 at about 5'4 and yeah, I swear I was in denial and like, ohh I'm pretty close to normal. But now, I've lost 36 lbs and I can't really see a difference. WTH?!
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
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    I think that so much of this has to do with the fact that obesity is almost the norm in our country now. Walking down the street, half the people you see will be overweight, if not obese. Also, you are used to yourself, so you have been desensitized to how big you are. Body dysmorphia is not just for skinny people.
  • ItsMeMaryW
    ItsMeMaryW Posts: 119 Member
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    I started at 393 lbs. I never saw myself that large till I saw myself in a picture. I now weigh 207 and I am not sure how I see myself if that makes sense. I don't see that heavy person but I do a double take when I see myself in the mirror now. I know I still have work to do but I don't feel like I look obese anymore. (even though I am still considered obese)
  • paruls86
    paruls86 Posts: 188 Member
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    Does anybody else experience this? When I look in the mirror (at 5'4" and 230) I am *obviously* overweight. I don't know anyone in their right mind who would say otherwise.

    However....I don't seem to "see" myself as that big. Am I deluding myself? Am I in denial?

    I know of thin women who look in the mirror and think they are bigger than they actually are, but I don't know of anyone else who does the opposite!

    Maybe it's because I've been overweight for so long, it just feels normal now, I don't know....

    Anybody else?
    I am there to give you company.. I love to see myself a bit thinner than i am... m working around it
  • mwilke
    mwilke Posts: 378 Member
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    It's weird because when I read this, my first thought was "yeah!" I definitely feel smaller than I am and when I see pictures where I really look big, it's almost hard to believe.

    But on the other hand, when I'm talking to friends, co-workers, etc. about it and I tell them how much weight I want to lose, they always tell me I don't look heavy enough to lose that much weight. I'd say they were just being nice but I have some pretty direct friends, lol!

    So I guess it's a mix? Body image is weird like that sometimes.

    This. At 5'2", I weighed 220 lbs at my heaviest. I am now down to 197 but still don't see myself as super-huge. Yes, I am over weight, and by BMI standard obese. But I don't think that I look bad. I think that I carry my weight well and look smaller than I am. When I tell people that I weigh 200, they ask me where it is. So, if people ask me that, I know that my thinking is not completely off base.
  • izzydino
    izzydino Posts: 254 Member
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    I always saw myself as about 160 lbs which is about a size 12... Well, it turned out I had grown to 280+ and into a 24... And couldn't tell a difference. And then while staying at a hotel I saw myself for the first time in years.... But as I lose weight I can't tell the difference since I still see myself as 160 :)
  • JigglyPig
    JigglyPig Posts: 231 Member
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    I can totally relate. The person I see in the mirror is not the one that shows up in pictures sometimes (mainly candids!) or the reflection I catch in a window.

    Candids - they get me every time, haha.

    That's exactly my problem! Am I chubby? Yes. I know this. But I don't ever realize just how chubby I am until I see a photo. It's a wake-up call every time. I don't think of myself as THAT large...but I am. I never know it until I see a picture - especially when it's a picture of myself next to a smaller friend.

    Especially the candid photos. Hahaha if I'm posing, I know how to suck it in! But if it's candid..it's super bad. :D
  • Apple1454
    Apple1454 Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi,
    I don't realize it until I am hanging my clothes on line to dry. They seem so big and yet I know they fit me. An eye-opener.
  • Ghette
    Ghette Posts: 350 Member
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    I think I'm just fine until I have to put on a bathing suit, go clothes shopping, look in a mirror or see a photo of myself. Thats when I go Holly crap ! your huge girl. you need to do something and get healthy.
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
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    My mirror doesn't match reality at all.
  • shan889
    shan889 Posts: 73
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    I used to have this problem when I was a lot heavier. I would always think I was way skinnier than I actually was. I would see those dang pictures!!! They get you EVERYTIME. I would feel great until I saw those or worse....CLOTHES SHOPPING.

    Now since I have lost some weight, I find myself doing the exact opposite. Now I can feel myself gaining weight even if I gain a pound... so I am very cautious. I would obsess. "Oh man I gained four pounds back, I bet I'm starting to look bad..." and than I would run into a friend at school and they would say how tinier I am looking. I would also get ready in the mirror and think I look "okay" but than see a picture and be like "OMG, my double chin is gone!! Weird...." lol
  • NicholeRobb
    NicholeRobb Posts: 166 Member
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    When I look in the mirror I know I'm big but don't think I look all that bad. Until as someone else said...candids lol. I hate having my picture taken & will delete any I see that r not flattering at first chance lol. So most of my pics r face shots. I am however considering for just this site...taking "before" pics to share. I have seen so many & they r so inspiring. Plus I think if I can see the progression for myself (especially in those awful full body shots), it will help keep me as well as others motivated to continue this seemingly impossible journey. When I started a wk ago my goal was to lose 120. At my first weigh in today I lost almost 4lbs & over 3in...so I'm feelin pretty good about it :)

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