It's surreal - anyone else not used to their 'new' bodies?

arrawyn79

So today I went downtown and was walking around and actually felt stylish and attractive for once! (instead of slobby and blah). I think it's because I bought these cute black boots recently, and had my new dark wash jeans tucked into them and a cute (also new) sweater and (new) jacket....(new clothes does wonders for the mood!)

Anyways, I was walking by all these stores to and from my destination(s) on the street, and I would catch glimpses of myself (and my LEGS! I've always had big thighs/bum/hips) and I'd be like NO WAY! That's not me!!! It's so weird to see myself...and I don't recognize myself! Those are my legs in size 8 jeans! No!!! I didn't think my legs could look like they do now! (okay, there's still a bit of meat on them, they aren't pencils and I don't want that anyway - they look toned and not jiggly (except my butt is still jiggly but whose isn't?! :laugh: ).

Seriously, though...it was so WEIRD seeing myself in store windows! just very...discombobulating. I still don't recognize it as me. I'm sure other people here feel the same?

I feel great and i don't want to lose any more weight and now I just want to maintain. But my husband said to me yesterday he thinks i'm too thin now. I put on a shirt when i got home from work yesterday and when hubby walked in the door he said i looked gaunt and too boney in my chest (pointing to my collarbones) which kind of bothered/upset me (not to tears but still!). But i feel totally healthy. I'm 150lbs and 5'3, so no where near skinny skinny... and he then said that maybe he's just not used to me being thin and seeing bones and that he (and I!) hope he gets used to it!

Anyone else's SO's react like my hubby? and if so, did they eventually get used to it? I'm still not even used to my body so no wonder my hubby isn't either! I just hope he comes around and changes his mind and doesn't think I look ill... (which he also said yesterday :frown: )

Nteeter

I totally ran up some stairs two at time really fast the other day and when I got to the top I was like wait, did I just do that? I went back down and up two more times two steps at a time. It was awesome.

arrawyn79

wow! that's awesome! If i did that, I would also be like 'wait a minute, I DID that?!?!' that must've been a strange (but great!) feeling! :happy:

suzieqcookie

i've only lost 39 of my 92, and it feels funny when i walk... i don't have as much mass in my midsection or thighs so i feel ... well.. weird! Like i lost weight and gained height

susanswan

I hear you! Always bottom heavy, I can now step into size 4 straight dresses! Need to work on the jiggly part still, but hey, size 4 beats size 16 any day of the week! I still want to reach for larger sizes when I shop because after all, let's get real here! but size 4 it is. Unhappily I put on my size 4 dress slacks today and was upset they did not fit. They were TOO BIG and sloppy looking! COME ON! I think I am at a place where I need to buy clothes and then alter them. Kind of between a 2 and a 4 depending, although dresses might be a size 6 sometimes. It is a crazy mixed up world! But I LOVE IT! = D

LorinaLynn

I still don't see it much in the mirror or reflections, but when I see photos, my eyes bug out.

coopersmom2006

I'm down to a size 4 (or 2 in vanity sized clothes) and I still can't recognize myself. My trainer (who is also a friend) gave me a serious talking to last weekend. I bought a couple of sassy outfits for date night with hubby and I couldn't decide which to wear. Went over to get her input and she told me she really thinks I have a skewed view of myself, that I still see myself as 40 lbs heavier which is very true. She talked me into wearing the most daring dress (a strapless short number with sky high heels) and I have to admit, I felt like a million bucks. Hubby was a VERY happy man after he picked his jaw up off the floor. I'm pretty fortunate that he's supportive. He's never told me that I look bad in any sort of way so I don't have that going on here. I do know what it feels like to not be used to a new body though. I wish I had a stylist to take me shopping. LOL!

starracer23

Congrats to you!!
I also find it to be surreal.
It's like "WHOA...wait? WHAT?!" I bought a pair of shorts that were a size 4...then I bought another pair that were a size 2...I was totally dumbfounded. My husband was like "woman, get used to it...this is the new you!"
The smallest I ever was, was a size 8 in junior high. I have now had 3 kids...weighed 260lbs (9mths pregnant) and now I am weighing in at 153 and I am in the best shape of my life. I have muscle tone that I never thought I would achieve.
I am having so much fun when it comes to my clothes, I find that I feel much more stylish and cute as well.
Before I would just wear whatever was on clearance and what would fit.
I love this new me!

tinamartinson

I have more to lose but there are some strange things like my shoulder blades are bonier so I feel hard surfaces when I lean on them. And my collarbones are more prominent and that makes me feel good about myself. And the double chin...I like that it is less double!

Like someone else said I still pick out bigger clothes first then I have to remember that after 30lbs I don't wear that size anymore.

It all feels good!

alitarose

Oh wow, I think your husband should be more supportive! At your height/weight you are not to skinny. He's just not used to the new you just like you said. Don't change! Health is what really matters. When my husband lost 15 pounds there was a rumor going around that he had cancer! When we heard it we had to laugh, he felt so much better and he was the correct weight for his height and build. He's kept it off 15 years and no one thinks that anymore, most of them don't know he was ever overweight at all. I on the other hand gained my weight back and now I'm getting healthy again. What a lot of work, congrats on your success and do what you know is right for YOU!!

steadyloser

Hi Susan,
Got rid of some FAT clothes this week in my closet !!!!!!!!!!! YEAH.
Burn those bridges.
I will like it better when my body is about 30 more pounds thinner !
I have some days feeling thinner & somedays weighed down & feeling like I'm starting over again.
Have a great weekend.

Trapwolf

yeah its so strange...I can look at myself and not see much difference in a mirror...but im in pants I havent worn in years, my tight pants are loose, when I look at the scale I always double check because i think it might be messed up..i can now walk over 45 minutes straight...when i started it was around 5 or 10...and a girl at the gas station said ...omg you have lost so much, I said i have baggy sweats on, how can you tell...she said ...your face is so thin! .I still dont really see it, but its a fact I have really lost almost all my weight...9 more to go...and Im now at healthy bmi...whoa...

lin7604

yes it is strange. i agree, i still don't thin of myself as being thin again... i went shopping an i love the sizes i but and how they look on me now, but i still think of myself as the " chubbier" person i was for the last 7 years...

atxdee

congrats!!

samntha14

I feel I still have work to do but I went from a size 14 pant to a size 8 in 8 months. Nothing fits and I spend half my life hiking up my pants, but when I dug out the pants that have been sitting in the bottom of my drawer for 9 years, I felt like a million bucks. I said, "Holy crap! is that MY butt?" Then when I do stuff around the house using my new found strength I think, "Being stronger kicks butt."

PS: Hubby says I'm still disproportionate. That's never going to change. It's my body type, however, he loves my butt again like back in the day when we first met lol

suaku

I know the feelings you're experiencing -- I'm down nearly 130 pounds since the beginning of February.

The other day, I was trying on a new sportscoat and when I felt the front, it seemed like it had a hard plastic insert in it. I couldn't figure out why someone would put such a thing in the material of a sportscoat -- then I realized, I was just feeling my own rib cage. LOL! And when I look at the pants I wear now (I'm down about 16" in waist size), they look so little that I can't believe that they would fit me, yet they do.

Congratulations on your progress!

jynxxxed

I've only lost about half of what I want to so far, but yes I've felt this way! I was wearing a size 18 (barely buttoning, I seriously should've been up a size) and exactly 1 week ago I bought a pair of 14s. I didn't even try on a smaller size because I was so shocked that those fit me.. and now one week later here I am with them getting loose already. lol. It shocks me every time I see how loose the pants fit me in the thighs!

Amazing job on your weight loss by the way, I went through your pictures and you look amazing! I'm sure your husband will get used to the 'new' you

fumanskew

Yeah I'm not totally used to it. I feel vain staring at myself all the time. LOL!

But your SO will come around. My husband isn't happy that I'm losing chest and butt, and it's only because to the SO, they're just not used to it.

plymouth2119

I went to target the other day tried on a size 6 fit 4 is curvy I am very curvy, thighs and butt, I tried on the pants and well got teary eyed because they fit, and I don't seem to sound vain, but I looked good in them, it takes time for our minds to realize we are no longer that bigger size! I am also 5'3 & 149, sw 228.

aimeealee

Ditto,Ditto,Ditto! Looking in the mirror during aerobics, I can't stop looking at my thighs. It's like a photo chop. I do get comments from my hubby and others about how thin I am; like you they are just not used to seeing me like this. I am about average now in the body mass index for my height, so I am not going to let their comments scare me into gaining it back. I feel great and less restricted with movements. I felt good before but feel great now. Do what makes you feel good and healthy!

nikkinoonarr

I am the same, I've gone down 2 bra sizes and suddenly have no butt! I can see my collar bones, hip bones and ribs. My husband is sad I've lost my bust and amazed that he can actually pick me up easily now.

I have never in my adult life been so light. I feel amazing and can't stop looking at my new slimmer legs. I'm off out to buy new jeans today and am scared and excited.

It is going to take me ages to get used to my slimmer body but I am enjoying every minute of it. I'm sure my friends are gonna get bored of me flaunting my tiny waist around pretty soon though. I'm gonna have to learn to shut up.

Ha ha! Congratulations on your new body.

jeffreyjording

Yeah its weird. Someone asked a friend of mine who that skinny guy was. It was me.

chocl8girl

I definitely have more to lose, but I've gone from a size 22/24 (26/28/XXL in tops to cover my belly) to a size 10/12 and L tops, and I literally cannot fathom it. Several people have called me "tiny" recently, and I'm like "are you KIDDING me? I am HUGE!" I still am technically in the obese category for my height (I am 5'1") and my belly is still of gigantic proportions in relation to the rest of me, so it's like my brain is preventing me from seeing what's really going on. LoL.

Yesterday was really strange, I was walking down the sidewalk and there was a crowd coming my way so I went to the side to walk between a pole and a bicycle, and I literally paused for a second and thought "oh, I need to wait until these people pass because I can't fit through that gap," and I had to force myself to keep going because I KNEW I could actually fit...and I did!

The brain is a strange thing...

mogletdeluxe

Firstly, congratulations on your loss!

Secondly, I completely hear you. I still reach for the wrong-sized clothes (a pain when I buy them and have to take them back!) and sometimes see group photos and nearly miss myself. I find that whilst theoretically it should be a pleasant experience, I find it quite disarming - as if I've not fit into my own skin yet. I'm sure we'll get there

amyjanetx

This sounds like a great problem to have! Congrats on your loss! ...I think its sad that your SO said that to you. It sounds like you are at a healthy weight. He might be feeling threatened. My mom's husband tries to sabotage her weight loss when she is losing weight. He buys the treats she loves even though she asks him not too. In honest moments he says he's afraid she'll levae him if she loses weight and feels confident.

nxd10

I hear you. I also weighed my suitcase to get on a plane to realized that it weighed just about as much as I had lost. I didn't think of myself as fat - I had only been in the overweight range for a few months when I started MFP - but I was shocked. THAT's what 22 pounds feels like????? Unbelievable.

I keep being surprised, and I haven't done anything near as impressive as so many folks have here.

arrawyn79

yes it is strange. i agree, i still don't thin of myself as being thin again... i went shopping an i love the sizes i but and how they look on me now, but i still think of myself as the " chubbier" person i was for the last 7 years...

I'm EXACTLY the same! i've been overweight for the last 5 years (and even before that i was 168 so still overweight for my height but i was comfortable at that weight) and i'm amazed when I put on size 8 pants now and they fit - and size M tops, because I still feel i should be reaching for the XLs or L tops and at least a 16 pants! lol

and yesterday i grabs a size 8 pant from the rack and said to the sales lady 'i might need another size' thinking the 10, but the 8's were almost too loose! and i actually tried on a SIX, but they JUST didn't fit (i could do them up, but it wasn't comfy)...but I'm not wanting to be a size 6!! lol i'm having enough trouble finding size 8's in stores now! (its either way too big (like 10s or 16s or 18s) or size 0 or 4 and stuff haha

arrawyn79

Yeah I'm not totally used to it. I feel vain staring at myself all the time. LOL!

But your SO will come around. My husband isn't happy that I'm losing chest and butt, and it's only because to the SO, they're just not used to it.

@furmanskew - yeah, hubby is also not happy at chest loss! lol (neither am i TBH, they're kinda small and saggy now and all kind of stretch-marky, but whatever, i still have them! i think i might be a B - which is what i was before anyway). and i'm LOVING my smaller butt!! haha. i've always had a big butt (and unlike J-Lo, i'm not proud of it! haha)

and yeah, i feel vain staring at myself all the time too! :blushing:

arrawyn79

I hear you. I also weighed my suitcase to get on a plane to realized that it weighed just about as much as I had lost. I didn't think of myself as fat - I had only been in the overweight range for a few months when I started MFP - but I was shocked. THAT's what 22 pounds feels like????? Unbelievable.

I keep being surprised, and I haven't done anything near as impressive as so many folks have here.

@nxd10 - i did a similar thing a few months ago. I got a new big bag of dog food (33lbs) and at that point i'd lost about 45lbs, so even MORE than the giant bag of kibble and i was like OMG, I actually carried that weight ON ME?!?!? (and it was quite heavy really to lift the bag!). it was a total shock!

arrawyn79

I went to target the other day tried on a size 6 fit 4 is curvy I am very curvy, thighs and butt, I tried on the pants and well got teary eyed because they fit, and I don't seem to sound vain, but I looked good in them, it takes time for our minds to realize we are no longer that bigger size! I am also 5'3 & 149, sw 228.

@plymouth - wow!!! congrats at fitting into a size 6! that is awesome. i too have big thighs and butt as well (and smaller waist). pear shape i guess. I can totally understand why you got teary eyed when you tried those on and they fit!!! wow!!

and you and I are the exact same weight right now!

-and yeah, it does take awhile for our minds to realize we aren't that bigger size anymore... it's a weird but nice feeling! i just hope my SO gets used to it! LOL

bemott

You guys all make me want to cry. So inspiring and fun to read these testimonies. I feel the same and also feel vain because I am always looking at myself now, but it's more out of sheer surprise: Is that me?
Down from a very tight 18 to an 8 right now. I love best my collar bones. They make me so happy.
And I am really noticing my shoulders, less like a football player more like a woman.
I feel more feminine and alive and energetic and it's really wonderful.
Trying on clothes is fun for the first time ever.
Someone described me as SLENDER the other day and it rocked my world.

Yes, people think I'm too skinny, boney, now too but it's only because they are used to me all puffed out.
It takes time for everyone to get used to it.