I'll always feel "fat"

MsTonyaRenee

In the last year I have lost 46 pounds, toned up a good bit, and dropped 2 dress sizes but sometimes I still look at myself and think "I am sooo fat!". Anybody else experience this?

Amo_Angelus

I felt like that at 5'10 and 126lbs :P Loosing weight won't make you feel skinny, and that's normal. Self image and reality are very different things. And self image can often be harder than loosing the weight.

tialynn1

I am almost in the exact same situation. I have lost 42 pounds since January and dropped to sizes in all clothes. People keep saying to me I am wilting away to nothin at work, but I just don't see it. I think mainly because my stomach isn't as flat as I would like. I can see it has gone down, just not as much as I would like.

Josie_lifting_cats

For me I'm certain it will never change. But there were times when I was bigger than I thought I didn't look bad. I'm fairly certain it's more mental image than anything with me, but I don't know how to get past it.

iron_jj

I know that too well. I think my brain still weighs 194 pounds :laugh:

MsTonyaRenee

It's definitely a self image thing, a complete mental battle.

cmeade20

I constantly still see a pot belly in the mirror but I guess it isnt there?!?! I saw a picture of me two weeks ago that someone took without me knowing...I couldnt believe how slim I looked in it, I realized the pot belly only existed in my head (I still see it in the mirror though, I think there is something wrong with me!)

Impy84

i can relate totally. i've lost 30 lbs and still hide from the mirrors in my house unless i MUST check myself b4 leaving the house. I still feel unpleasant looking.

LittleButMightyOne

I went from 162 to 142.5 and a size 12/14 to a 6/8, but I still look in the mirror and notice all of the trouble spots. I often see only the places where I need to improve rather than the places I've already improved, and I feel a little depressed.

What helps me the most is feeling sore after a really good workout, or when I get a compliment about how I look now compared to how I used to look. It makes me feel hopeful, and it motivates me to keep going. I feel as if a day will come when I only feel grateful and accomplished when I look in the mirror, for all the hard work that got me there.

46 pounds is such an accomplishment, and you're such an inspiration! I know you'll get to a place where you feel good about yourself too!

chachita7

You have trained your body now you have to train your mind... it is 100% mental...

lil_pulp

I've lost close to 70 pounds and know that, to other people, I now look "normal." I relate to what you're saying, but have also found that, for me--and not until a couple years after the initial weight loss--there are moments when I look at my body (either in a mirror or at my actual body) and notice that it's much smaller than it used to be.

These moments leave me with mixed feelings--confusion (wait, is this really my body?), pride (this is really my body!), pessimism (yeah, but probably my old body will be back), and sadness (why is it such a big deal that this is my body? why is it so hard to see my body as "normal?") Eventually I hope to see my body and either feel neutral or, better yet, a sense of peace.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

Oh yes right now I feel like I'm still fat whenever I look at my pics. I lost 22 kilos (50 pounds) & total of 30 inches, my arms look toned in the mirror but in pics, it just looks disgusting like I'm still seeing the old fatty arms. Although I see some ab definition but not enough to make it more visible in pics & I can still pinch almost an inch of fat from that area. I'm doing my best to lower it down because I like to have a Victoria Secret model body.

gaiareeves

If you don't love yourself at any weight, then you won't be happy with your body no matter how much weight you lose. Self-confidence and self-image is mental, not physical; if you don't have healthy self-confidence, then you will never see your body in a healthy way.

It's why people always say that 'eating disorders don't make you skinny.' I know you don't have an eating disorder, but it's the same philosophy. People who starve themselves get to shockingly thin weights, but it's fuelled by self-hate and therefore in their eyes, they are never skinny.

It's the same deal with healthy weight loss; if you're losing weight because you don't like yourself/your body, you're never going to be 100% happy with the results. You need to work on the self-appreciation a little bit. If you can tell yourself you're awesome and mean it, then the mirror will start reflecting that.

lacewitch

start trying to think positive. every time you look in the mirror find one thing you like
"my smile is pretty today"
"my eyes sparkle"
"my arms are more toned"
"my legs are strong"
so every time you start to think something negative. redirect and find something positive
you will have to make it happen at first but eventually it will become habit to be more positive about yourself!

lil_pulp

If you don't love yourself at any weight, then you won't be happy with your body no matter how much weight you lose. Self-confidence and self-image is mental, not physical; if you don't have healthy self-confidence, then you will never see your body in a healthy way.

It's why people always say that 'eating disorders don't make you skinny.' I know you don't have an eating disorder, but it's the same philosophy. People who starve themselves get to shockingly thin weights, but it's fuelled by self-hate and therefore in their eyes, they are never skinny.

It's the same deal with healthy weight loss; if you're losing weight because you don't like yourself/your body, you're never going to be 100% happy with the results. You need to work on the self-appreciation a little bit. If you can tell yourself you're awesome and mean it, then the mirror will start reflecting that.

I agree.