Am I crazy?

Carah911
Carah911 Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone else have an issue, when they look in the mirror seeing themselves as the same size they were before they lost weight?
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Replies

  • larrys2112
    larrys2112 Posts: 35 Member
    I had to lose 45 pounds before I looked in the mirror one day and realized I looked smaller than before.
  • Psyb3r
    Psyb3r Posts: 176 Member
    I do too. If I look at pics I see a difference, but just looking in the mirror, I just see me... and I don't look any different.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Yeah, pictures work better for me, too. I'm at my healthy weight, and I still don't "see" me in the mirror the way I really am.
  • Marc713
    Marc713 Posts: 328 Member
    I just flex a little and I can tell the difference. I'm at 23.5% body fat right now...I wish I had checked when I first started for comparision. I can see the difference, and more importantly I can tell since most of my other clothes are too big for me. I have a lot of nice shirts I'm going to have tailored to fit once I'm down around 14%.
  • hooperkay
    hooperkay Posts: 463 Member
    nope I do the same thing...:)
  • janicedav55
    janicedav55 Posts: 4
    :noway: :noway: Yes! I started several months ago, have lost over 30lbs I am going to lose at least 120 more.My husband is very supportive and says he can tell Ive lost but I dont see it. even thou Ive went down a size or two.
  • hollyk57
    hollyk57 Posts: 520 Member
    I think 2/3 of Hollywood has that same issue... hence why the plastic surgery industry is so successful.

    Body dismorphic disorder.... may shed some light.

    I'm the complete opposite - I think I look thinner in the mirror than I really am... then I see a current photo of myself and all those dreams become dust in the wind....

    fat-guy-in-mirror.jpg
  • xxnellie146xx
    xxnellie146xx Posts: 996 Member
    Yes. Others see it, but I struggle. I can see the difference in pictures, but not really in the mirror.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I can see the difference in my face (I have cheekbones now instead of jowls) but I suspect it's a case of seeing ourselves everyday and the changes are very gradual.
  • evereadysmile
    evereadysmile Posts: 137
    I started taking pictures after I lost about 12lbs. I just couldn't see a difference at all. Even now at twice that I look the same in the mirror as I did before, but I can see the difference in the pictures side by side. I'm looking forward to one day liking what I see in the mirror.
  • fitpilatesqueen
    fitpilatesqueen Posts: 337
    I have lost 30 pounds and can´t see any majore changes in me in mirror or in pictures. But I can feel I have lost weight on my feet, ancles, hands. I hope that soon my stomach and waist will get smaller.
  • seashell99z
    seashell99z Posts: 113 Member
    I can see a difference when I lose weight. My problem is I can't see how heavy I am. I'm 155 pounds from goal, 135 from being in proper BMI. It's almost as if my mind doesn't register that my butt is too big to fit in that chair, but my butt tries anyway. lol

    I really don't know how to explain it. I guess that really sounds weird/stupid. I mean we all know our size, we've seen the numbers on the scale, we realize that those size of pants are needed. But when I pull off the shirts and pants that are correct in size, I can't understand how it takes that much fabric to cover me. I go back to the chair vs. butt scenario

    I've never even admitted that before and here I am doing to the world. Oh well. . .

    *crawls under desk with jug of water.
  • ejwme
    ejwme Posts: 318
    you may be crazy, but this isn't a symptom of it :wink:

    My husband is super sweet and super supportive and tells me constantly that he loves how the past 6 months of hard training (mostly running) has improved my legs and butt, but I seriously can't see it. Sad thing is, I don't even feel it, either, though the proof is in the actual miles and improved pace. The only time I actually notice anything at all is with my clothes - two pairs of jeans that were a little too snug are now too loose to stay up without a belt (luckily they're also wearing out, so it won't be wasteful to replace them).

    I had the same problem the other way around though, thinking I was in fine shape as the scale ticked unhealthily up, mystified as to why my pants were too tight "suddenly", and why my sleeves were uncomfortable at the shoulders.

    My personal self perception seems to lag behind reality by about 15 pounds, no matter which direction I'm headed.
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
    I think 2/3 of Hollywood has that same issue... hence why the plastic surgery industry is so successful.

    Body dismorphic disorder.... may shed some light.

    I'm the complete opposite - I think I look thinner in the mirror than I really am... then I see a current photo of myself and all those dreams become dust in the wind....

    fat-guy-in-mirror.jpg


    This is totally how I am! I didn't realize how bad I was until my boyfriend took some pictures of me a couple of months ago! But when I look at a picture from a month ago compared to today I can't tell at all even though I've almost lost a whole pants size and people at work noticed.
  • kfitzpa
    kfitzpa Posts: 326
    YES, I see every little bump and bulge when I look in the mirror and it discourages me from buying clothse sometimes. But when I see myself in pictures it's a totally different story.
  • FITFORT
    FITFORT Posts: 85
    I do too. If I look at pics I see a difference, but just looking in the mirror, I just see me... and I don't look any different.

    ^^^^^^THIS!^^^^^^^
  • mandimuscles
    mandimuscles Posts: 107 Member
    I think 2/3 of Hollywood has that same issue... hence why the plastic surgery industry is so successful.

    Body dismorphic disorder.... may shed some light.

    I'm the complete opposite - I think I look thinner in the mirror than I really am... then I see a current photo of myself and all those dreams become dust in the wind....

    fat-guy-in-mirror.jpg

    Me too!!!! Somehow I don't think the mirror shows it all like cameras seem to.... Lol :)
  • her4g63
    her4g63 Posts: 284 Member
    I seriously feel this way EVERY time I look in the mirror. I don't see any differences at all and it really gets me all sorts of grumpy, heh. I think the only reason I don't get discouraged over it is because 1.) My boyfriend is amazing. He is forever complimenting me on my progress and while I think he's biased, it does help me to know that at least someone is noticing a difference; and 2.) I have some of the BEST friends here on MFP who support me, hold me accountable and push me to work harder than ever before.

    I've lost 40lbs and still waiting to notice a big difference. Even in pictures I try to see, but the only thing I see different is my face is a *little* slimmer.
  • SugarBaby71
    SugarBaby71 Posts: 3,630 Member
    This is a big problem for me. I've lost about 45lbs... about half way to my goal -I know in my brain I look different, but still, yesterday someone called me slender and it shocked me. I still see size 18 when I look in the mirror even though my clothes are clearly marked 8 or 10. I don't know if I will ever look in the mirror and say -"Hey! How you doin'?!" (ala Joey from Friends) So maybe we're on the crazy bus together...
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    I still can't believe the mirror when I look at it. Even after losing all that weight...
  • angelinabarnes
    angelinabarnes Posts: 11
    i so do that too xx
  • MCNWifey
    MCNWifey Posts: 31
    I've lost 24.4 pounds so far and I don't really see much of a difference either. When i'm in clothes I can tell I lost some but if nude, heck no I feel like how I did the day I started. (Started at 192, Currently 167.6...and i'm only 5'1").
  • cardiokitten
    cardiokitten Posts: 401 Member
    Yup. It's not so much that I see the same person, it's that I still don't like what I see all that much sometimes.
  • NoleGirl0918
    NoleGirl0918 Posts: 213 Member
    i think it's because we see ourselves everyday & therefore the gradual change doesn't really register in our brains. i have that same issue also - people have told me i no longer look the same, but i totally don't see it. Feel free to add me as a friend for some support if you'd like :wink:
  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
    I have always had an issue with body image. I have always seen myself as larger than others see me. It took me a long time to figure that out. (Google "Body Dysmporphic Disorder", an extreme version of the issue I have always had) So, yes, sometimes I look in the mirror and see no difference (my weight loss isn't significant yet though so that is partially why) but the clothing doesn't lie! Clothes that were snug are getting too big. I try and focus on that.
  • LarryElliott
    LarryElliott Posts: 1
    I do the exact same thing, I cannot see it in the mirror, pictures I notice it more but I feel vain staring at the pictures. My wife is amazingly supportive and has helped me every step along the way in my journey to a healthy lifestyle. She is always helping me to see the progress even when my eyes do not. 78 pounds down and looking for a few more.
  • catpow2
    catpow2 Posts: 206 Member
    I just had about 10-15lbs to lose, but yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I'm wearing pants right now that I have not been able to wear for at least 3 years. They are loose everywhere except for in the waist--I still need to slim down there. I would HAVE to be smaller--I tried the pants on a few weeks ago and thought they were still too tight, but when I look in the mirror I still think I look fat.
  • meglet175
    meglet175 Posts: 98
    When I look in the mirror lately, I think, "Damn, girl, you look fine!" (As long as I'm wearing clothes, that is! In my underwear, I somehow don't look quite as good...) I'm down 15 pounds with 13 left to go, and I am noticeably trimmer all over.

    Lack of confidence has never really been an issue with me. I've always been quite tall (I'm 9 inches taller than my very petite momma!), broad-shouldered, and somewhat muscular, so I understand that I am a physical presence in a room, and I'm OK with that! I like being tall and strong.

    Focus on what you've got that works and feel good about yourself! Life is too short to beat yourself up.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    When I look at the mirror dressed I say ´yes I look smaller and thinner´... but when im showering I see myself as before, guess its a matter of time as well.
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
    I think 2/3 of Hollywood has that same issue... hence why the plastic surgery industry is so successful.

    Body dismorphic disorder.... may shed some light.

    I'm the complete opposite - I think I look thinner in the mirror than I really am... then I see a current photo of myself and all those dreams become dust in the wind....

    fat-guy-in-mirror.jpg

    I do the same thing! Hahaha. "I'm not that fat!" *looks at photo* "Holy crap, how and when did I get so fat?!" I always just look like myself in the mirror.

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