How do you make yourself realize how much you've changed?

hg5159
hg5159 Posts: 76 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have lost 46 lbs since November 2011. (I'm 5'7", SW 221, CW 176) I KNOW my clothes fit different, I'm in a smaller size, etc. But when I look in the mirror I see the same thing I saw 46 lbs ago. I can look at photos of myself and see a difference sometimes, but day-to-day I don't see it. I'm not done losing - I have 16-26 more lbs to go (depending on my final goal weight). But I don't know how I will get myself past seeing the same person in the mirror. Short of hanging up a before photo of myself to look at each day, what can I do to see myself differently? What do you do to remind yourself that you're not the same as your BEFORE photo?

This is a before photo from June 2011:
769fbf9b.jpg

This was just the other day:
Untitled-1.jpg

I've never posted photos to the forums before, so be kind. :)
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Replies

  • womaninashoe6
    womaninashoe6 Posts: 30
    You look great! Keep up the great work. I can relate to having a hard time seeing the changes. My husband is constantly telling me and I can tell because of my clothes, but I still see just a slightly smaller version of the same body. Make sense? It's like I am just a smaller fat girl. Don't give up though. keep speaking truth to yourself. You HAVE lost weight. You DO look different. Embrace the changes!!
  • Schmetterling14
    Schmetterling14 Posts: 35 Member
    Wow! Great job!

    Have you thought about actually writing down a list of the changes you see and feel -- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual? Almost like a before and after list? I've done that when I've made big life changes. It always seems to work, especially when I go back and look at the list to help "remind" myself.

    After all, part of losing weight is reforming your self-concept. That takes time.

    Again, GREAT work!
  • TXHunny84
    TXHunny84 Posts: 503 Member
    I'm the same way... I just see and relativly smaller version of my fatter self....
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    The only way I can really see or tell that I have actually lost over 70 pounds is to look at old pictures. My family and I were discussing it one night, and I stated that I just could not see it. My husband had me go into our dining room and look at a picture of myself, just a face shot, from before I started loosing. I was STUNNED at the difference! So now I use that pic when I need a reminder!
  • mburger84
    mburger84 Posts: 19 Member
    amazing! good for you! and honestly, I dont see anything wrong with hanging up a before picture of yourself...might be a nice daily reminder on the progress you've made. Also, maybe it takes the mind a bit to catch up with idea of the "new you" : )
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    I keep two containers in my room.
    One is my pounds to lose, the other is my pounds lost. As I loose weight I take one stone for every pound from pounds to loose and put it in pounds lost. Its a clear way to see where you are and how far you've come.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Do you have a pair of jeans in your original size?

    I'm really heavy, so it's hard to see all of the subtle changes in my weight when I look in the mirror or see pictures. I have an old pair of jeans from my heaviest weight, and whenever I feel down or stuck, I put them on. I snap them, zip them, and watch them fall to the floor. It's pretty funny and always makes me feel better. :)

    I definitely see changes between the two pictures. It's really obvious you've lost quite a bit of weight. It's common, though, to not see it in yourself. I have a friend who lost over 100 pounds and STILL sees her old self sometimes.
  • CrystalDreams
    CrystalDreams Posts: 418 Member
    well done! i know the feeling, i think i look the same. I judge based on what i can do physically and measurements now, rather than looks and the scale.
  • bethany812
    bethany812 Posts: 9
    It's a flaw in womens' DNA that we can't see what is really there. No matter how much weight I lose or what size clothes I wear, I'll always see the chubby girl looking back at me. We need to reprogram our brains to stop focusing on the negative and find the positive. It's hard but we have to do it.

    You look FABULOUS! Keep up the good work.
  • shani251
    shani251 Posts: 145 Member
    Wow! Great job!

    Have you thought about actually writing down a list of the changes you see and feel -- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual? Almost like a before and after list? I've done that when I've made big life changes. It always seems to work, especially when I go back and look at the list to help "remind" myself.

    After all, part of losing weight is reforming your self-concept. That takes time.

    Again, GREAT work!

    that is a FANTASTIC idea! i'm having a hard time with this too - i'm .2 lb from goal after having lost 52 lbs and i'm having a really hard time with the changes. i even still go straight to the women's section for clothes and i wear a juniors size now! it's frustrating for my family; they think i'm doing some false modesty thing, but nothing could be further from the truth.
    I'll try the list - thanks for the great idea! :)
  • margojr4
    margojr4 Posts: 259 Member
    I have my old measurements written on a post it note, right at my eye level on our bathroom mirror. When I get dressed everyday and see the note vs. the smaller tag in my shirt/pants/etc, it reminds me of where I was and where I am now :)

    BTW - YOU LOOK AMAZING! Keep up the hard work! :flowerforyou:
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I don't see the loss either. I don't even see it in pictures. I still look like a giant fat thumb. I don't even feel it in my clothes. They still fit. IDK I'm not much help.

    However, I see a huge loss in you. You look gorgeous not that you werent beautiful before, but you can see the hard work that you have put into your health. You may not see it in the mirror but the rest of the world does. Be proud of your loss and the dedication you put in.
  • Maryaly40
    Maryaly40 Posts: 551 Member
    For me, it's other peoples' comments on how I look. Just Saturday, the regular WW leader asked me if I realize I look like a completely different women. I keep replaying in my head what she said, how she views me. I'm starting to see it but it takes some time for our minds to catch up with our bodies. You look great!!! Keep doing whatever it is you're doing :flowerforyou:
  • Amy_Lynn74
    Amy_Lynn74 Posts: 134 Member
    I'm actually wearing the shirt you wore in your before picture today. I think hanging up a before picture of yourself is a great idea. I decided to go to the library and I got a couple of self image books so that I could start working on the brain part of this whole thing. Maybe you can find a book to help you too. I haven't really read much in it yet because I've been working 60 hour weeks lately.:flowerforyou:
  • Chigger56
    Chigger56 Posts: 105
    I think that it takes a while for our brains to actually *believe* what we see in the mirror.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    keep looking at the pictures!! I have a whole album on my cell phone to flip through several times a day. I am still wearing the same clothes after losing 25lbs, but they SURE fit differently.

    this was me about 10 weeks after I started. I had lost about 5-7lbs.
    7355961762_499d855e15_s.jpg
    dillons party by crochetmom2010, on Flickr


    this is me about a week ago. Almost exact same outfit, but now I have lost 25lbs. Still have about 60lbs to go!

    7719017984_9b6ec5f26f_s.jpg
    IMG00645-20120726-0919 by crochetmom2010, on Flickr

    I look at these pictures at LEAST once a day.
  • jcjsjones
    jcjsjones Posts: 571 Member
    I think we all go through this. For example, it took me 6 months and 50 pounds to clean out my closet. Eventhough I knew nothing in there fit and it was just a waste of space, I just couldn't do it. I just didn't FEEL smaller. However, after lots of coxing from my husband I finally did it. It made me feel so much better!! I think it was kind of "letting go of the old me".

    I think our thought processes and self-images take a little longer to catch up to our weight loss. I have lost 65 pounds and 5 dress sizes, yet sometimes I look in the mirror and I still see the "fat girl"....but she gets smaller and happier everyday!!

    Be proud of what you have done! Losing that amount of weight is amazing!! :happy: :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • jogglesngoggles
    jogglesngoggles Posts: 362 Member
    I have the same problem...I know I'm different, but it's hard to believe. Your pictures are proof, you look AMAZING!! good job!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I keep two containers in my room.
    One is my pounds to lose, the other is my pounds lost. As I loose weight I take one stone for every pound from pounds to loose and put it in pounds lost. Its a clear way to see where you are and how far you've come.

    That's a cool idea.
  • Chigger56
    Chigger56 Posts: 105
    And by the way...you lots *mahvelous*!! GREAT JOB!!
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,278 Member
    You look fabulous....if that helps. ;)

    I can see some difference in myself after not even 20 pounds. But I know I have a LONG way to go. Nobody is saying anything to me yet, so that's a clue. :D
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    You look wonderful. I know the feeling. I've lost 40 and sometimes I don't think I see anything.
  • Mama_Mila
    Mama_Mila Posts: 511 Member
    Lookin' good girl, but you don't need me to tell you that! Keep up the good work!!
  • sunshine_gem
    sunshine_gem Posts: 390 Member
    I think that it takes a while for our brains to actually *believe* what we see in the mirror.

    ^^ This! Your brain gets so used to seeing the bigger you that it just can't quite accept the changes. Try looking at an old picture and then look at yourself now. Pick 1 feature that you think has changed. Just 1. Take a while to get used to that then pick another 1. Eventually you'll see it all. :-) Hope this helps.
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I don't know how to get the brain to catch up. I've lost 35 pounds. It's put me into a different size. I am having a hard time letting go of my bigger cloths, and I am hoping I will find a solution. Last night I was looking at my legs as if they were not mine. They are smaller and stronger. Maybe it just takes time.
  • jtakingcareofherself
    jtakingcareofherself Posts: 144 Member
    I think journaling goes a long way. You are different! I can see it - you look great!
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
    I keep two containers in my room.
    One is my pounds to lose, the other is my pounds lost. As I loose weight I take one stone for every pound from pounds to loose and put it in pounds lost. Its a clear way to see where you are and how far you've come.

    What an awsome idea. Maybe I will have two rock piles in my garden.
  • mymelody_78
    mymelody_78 Posts: 657 Member
    Amazing job! I tend to try on old clothes to make sure that I see the difference.
  • vguynes
    vguynes Posts: 753 Member
    You really look AMAZING! Congratulations on your success! I seem to have similiar body image problems. I have gone from a size 12/14 to a size 4/6, and I still see the overweight person. The things that help me "see" the new me are comparing pictures and listening to EVERYONE else (because they can see the difference)! Good luck on your journey!
  • Itssojen
    Itssojen Posts: 73 Member
    I think the most significant indication of the change in my body is my clothing size. I was in an 11/12 pushing a 13/14, and now I bought my second pair of size 7 bottoms this weekend. I haven't worn a size 7 since my freshman year of high school. I wear a S/M top (depending on the type of top or whether it's Juniors/Petite/Misses). Most of my clothes sag now, and I'm having to rebuild my wardrobe, which is definitely fun! I still look in the mirror and see myself as bigger than my friends, but apparently I'm the only one who sees myself that way. I still have more work to do, and when I tell people that, they can't believe that I want to lose more. When you've set a goal for yourself, it becomes increasingly important to reach that goal rather than just settle for what seems okay to everyone else. I know I've changed - sometimes, I just have to reaffirm to myself that I have.

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