Do you still see your old self?

2

Replies

  • twkelly
    twkelly Posts: 91 Member
    I'm with you. When I first started on my weightloss journey I continually denied I was losing weight. No matter what the scale said or how much my wife complimented me I just saw the same old me in the mirror. For some reason I couldn't see what others saw. It wasn't until 2 weeks ago that I finally saw it. Co-workers were telling me that I had better go shop for new clothes as mine were hanging off me so i hit the local used clothing store with my wife. I headed for my usual XL racks but then turned to my wife and asked what size she thought I should get. When she suggested a size I told her no effing way i was fitting into those but she persisted and I wend and picked up a few of those pants to try. I was amazed to see that they actually fit and fit nicely. I also realized that I could probably fit one size smaller if I really wanted to (they'd be snug but I'd get them done up). I think that's when I really looked in the mirror and saw the new me. I'm still in denial some days and still see the extra that I'm still carrying but for the most part I am enjoying the new me.
  • Ke22yB
    Ke22yB Posts: 969 Member
    Sure we all have minds that play with us I took about 18 pictures to add to my profile and update at one of my mini goals of 150 pounds and deleted 16 of them because in my minds eye I saw fat there and fat here and wasnt happy with the shots
    The good news is I still have weight to go to ultimate goal so this keeps me from becoming lazy and complacent
    (profile picture is over a year old and is with my dad to honor him for fathers day)
  • bluemist248
    bluemist248 Posts: 207 Member
    I certainly do! I look at my size 10/12 self in the mirror and see the same big old size 18 tummy and thighs staring back at me. Making that mental change is far harder than any of lifestyle changes I've made.
  • TL0105
    TL0105 Posts: 41 Member
    I can tell that I have lost weight, but when I go shopping, I can't help but go to the old size 20...People at work keep telling me I am going to have to go shopping soon for a new wardrobe. Not sure why I can't wear clothes that fit me better, I guess it's just that "fat" mentality. Maybe I am just not used to wearing close that were form fitting. I'm hopeful that will change in time. :happy:
  • twkelly
    twkelly Posts: 91 Member
    And OP... I have to say... you rock! From 423 to 225, you look like a totally different person. You've done a fantastic job and should be proud of your accomplishment.
  • cycleholic
    cycleholic Posts: 98 Member
    Yup. My reflection has always been the same - even when I wore a 22/24. It is only when I see pictures that I can see the difference in the weight.
  • MustBeTheRows
    MustBeTheRows Posts: 377 Member
    I still expect to see my old self and I'm surprised when I see this smexy motherf*cker instead lol
  • Curvimami
    Curvimami Posts: 1,851 Member
    You are definitely not alone my friend. You were that way so long that its hard for you to see yourself any other way. Its totally understandable. Soon enough you will see clearly. Congrats on all your success :happy:
  • JoniBologna
    JoniBologna Posts: 653 Member
    You're not alone. I definitely have had self-perception issues. I definitely don't look in the mirror and feel disgusted. I do like the way I look, but I still don't see a smaller person. I guess the problem was when I was obese, I didn't see an obese person when I looked in the mirror either. Congrats on your accomplishment!
  • TriumphNow
    TriumphNow Posts: 526 Member
    It's definitely not just you. A lot of this battle is mental. It's hard to see our new bodies as others see them. It gets better though. Congrats your your success!
  • still_crafty
    still_crafty Posts: 682 Member
    Its a "good" day when I can look in the mirror and see something BESIDES the 190 pounds I weighed 6 months ago. I think it takes a lot of people time to forget where they were and realize how far they've come. But I'm working on having more of those "good" days.

    That's what this site is for . . . if I didn't have my rockn friends to remind me of how hard I've worked and how far I've come, I probably wouldn't have any of those "good" days at all.
  • Rhea30
    Rhea30 Posts: 625 Member
    No, I don't think there is anything wrong with you. I understand what you mean. It also works the same when I was at my heaviest, I'd look in the mirror and not see all the weight on me, but a thinner version of how I used to be. Looking at a pic of me heavy and I was like :noway: that CANNOT be how I actually look. Hopefully in time you will see what everyone else sees...a person who has accomplished a lot and is now a much healthier person :flowerforyou:

    That's how I was, probably still to a point LOL. I sometimes still feel like the thinner me (which still wasn't completely thin) from years ago until I start having a hard breathing from activity, then its a quick reminder. Its like resverse anorexia.
  • KarensCanDoIt
    KarensCanDoIt Posts: 190 Member
    I'm the same way. Somedays are better, and then some days are horrible. Like yesterday when all I saw when I looked in the mirror was a fat blob. I was trying on some cute exercise clothes and felt totally disgusted with myself. I put them all back on the rack. It's a constant struggle.
  • wellingfamily507
    wellingfamily507 Posts: 35 Member
    I struggle with that girl in the mirror, although I am noticing parts of me thinning out more and more, I am a work in progress, and feel I have a long way to go, I do see a healthier version of me, I am training to run a 10K and happily go off to exercise daily, I feel stronger, I can do more now, and I am more active, but I still don't see a big change in my body, which frustrates me some days. I just have to keep reminding myself that I am worth it, this journey is worth the struggle, and keep moving forward.
  • gracieabem
    gracieabem Posts: 211
    Absolutely. I still see the same person in the mirror a lot of the time, despite having lost around 40kg all up (a lot of it pre-MFP - most it in fact).

    But today I was looking at a photo that had been taken that same day of me doing not much, just standing there holding three dogs. And I was surprised to see myself. I looked good. I didn't look at all like the vision of myself I still have in my head.

    It was a nice moment to be honest. I'm hoping in time I get used to the new me.

    Edit - having said that, I feel fitter and stronger and more confident. It is also hard to dismiss weight loss when my clothes are getting looser... again!!
  • MommaKit79
    MommaKit79 Posts: 852
    I was in denial about how much weight I had gained as well. NOW, it depends on the day what I feel and see in the mirror! AND, sometimes I hesitate to even try on some old clothes that havent seen the light of day because I dont think I have really lost that much weight.

    We ALL feel like this at some point in time, one extreme of the other.
  • strunkm4
    strunkm4 Posts: 265 Member
    I absolutely see my old self. I think because I see myself everyday, I don't see much of a change. When I look at pictures though, I see the change.
  • RF3377
    RF3377 Posts: 97
    Yeah unfortunately I'm the same, 99% of the time I think I look like the same person that was there 28lbs ago. I guess my mind doesn't see the change properly yet.

    When I look at everyones success stories that have lost around the same weight as me and you can see so much of a difference in them it really makes me wonder why I can't see the same results in myself!

    I'm 5'9 so I reckon because I'm taller it just takes bigger amounts of weight loss for it to regeister like it does with others!
  • felicia8604
    felicia8604 Posts: 274 Member
    yes! even as i lose weight and tone up im still seeing all the fatty spots. I just wish i could be happy with the progress i have made so far. It hasnt even been 30 days! I just keep thinking i need to work harder and eat better which in my opinion isnt a bad state of mind but i need to realize it could be worse.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    When I was skinny I never thought I was, but I see pictures now and in some I was way too skinny. So I figure I have a camera phone these days, when I'm down to my goal weight and still feeling fat, I'll snap a picture and hopefully get some perspective.

    Long way to go before I'm back to a good weight, though. Right now, the camera is the enemy.
  • Theskinnysideofme
    Theskinnysideofme Posts: 27
    i still see my old self and its reallybothering me :(
  • cushygal
    cushygal Posts: 586 Member
    The other night my husband and I were watching Extreme Makeover Weight loss edition with the girl from Florida and my husband asked me if I feel the same way she did once she revealed her new self.

    I said - what do you mean? He is like - do you feel that good now that you have lost so much weight?
    I said quite quickly - Nope, I still see the fat me and which he quickly said back I think you need to look in the mirror and get right with yourself.

    So even though I ahve lost 50 pounds and if I look at my before pic I can see the physical weight loss but I still hang onto everything that was FAT about me.

    So you are not alone.
  • HotCuppaJo
    HotCuppaJo Posts: 476 Member
    And OP... I have to say... you rock! From 423 to 225, you look like a totally different person. You've done a fantastic job and should be proud of your accomplishment.

    I couldn't agree more! I'm so impressed with your dedication and transformation, both inside and out! You are an amazing, strong individual. Congratulations to you....and I'm sure that over time you will begin to be able to look in the mirror and SEE (and BELIEVE) how far you have come... :flowerforyou:
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    deleted because I re-read and worried it might be offensive somehow when I didn't intend it to be (I was trying to explain how I experienced this the opposite way as well - going from small to larger)

    Congratulations to everyone on their losses, that's amazing!!! :)
  • lrichardson2360
    lrichardson2360 Posts: 225 Member
    I can see the weight loss in pictures, but when I look in the mirror I still see myself 60 lbs heavier. Sometimes I still feel that big. I have had serious eating disorders in the past and really try to ignore what I see in the mirror so I don't obsess about it. I'm lucky to have a really wonderful and supportive husband to keep me in reality.
  • Ashley_Panda
    Ashley_Panda Posts: 1,404 Member
    Constantly.
  • Omazed
    Omazed Posts: 66 Member
    I can totally relate to this topic. Growing up I was quite a 'BIG' kid and I always use to get picked on into my late teens. It was when I started taking up Martial arts and developing an interest for body-building that my physique started to change.

    I am now 36 and I still see my chubby self in the mirror and when i make the odd comment about getting fat, etc other people look at me as if I were crazy.

    You are definitely not alone.

    I guess it's this mindset that has kept me working out for as long as I have.

    In other words it's not all bad. We just need to manage it in a way where we do not get too controlled by it.
  • beckybernardo
    beckybernardo Posts: 93 Member
    I've only lost about 40 lbs, and I don't see a difference either, only two people have said anything, but I don't see a pound difference then when I weighed a lot more., Hand in there, everyone says it will come. I have always been thin until about 10 years ago and couldn't think of myself as big, now I don't see anything but being big
  • Windy32
    Windy32 Posts: 54
    yep all the time. When i look in the mirror all I see if a fat blob. The only reason i have not gotten too discouraged is I took a picture of myself 27lbs ago and I compare the pictures to current ones in same pose. I hate looking in the mirror.
  • kfitzpa
    kfitzpa Posts: 326
    Yep. I hate it. I don't see myself as big as I used to be but I definitely see myself bigger than what I am now. It's the worst when I go shopping and don't try things on and get things that are like two sizes two big because I think that's how big I am.

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