How You See Yourself.

plaingirly

I have been wondering how accurate my view of how I look actually is! I have been looking at the success threads and (without looking at the weights) comparing myself to the pictures. The ones I think look most like me and my shape are all around the 200 - 220 mark. So I either carry my weight badly or am hyper critical of myself. I always see myself as the biggest in the room!

When you lose a significant amount of weight (say 50 pounds plus) do you look in the mirror and see your new body or your old one?

Do you think you see your body realistically?

plaingirly

Guess it is just me with a messed up view of myself!

NCchar130

I always imagine I look better than I do. Pictures shock me. LOL

lvtruu1

Guess it is just me with a messed up view of myself!

200-220 isn't a healthy weight unless you are a man with a lot of muscles.

stines72

i have a bad view of my body.. i weigh 102 lb but still think i look the same as when i was 115 or more when i look in the mirror but when i see old pictures i do see a difference. i guess my brain hasnt caught up yet

lisapr123

For the most part I think I see myself the way I really am. I used to think I looked better than I actually did.... Pictures were always horribly shocking back then.

But now, when I look at pictures, I like what I see. I'm still overweight (around 190) but am very athletic and muscular so I feel good about myself, and I think shows in pics. My doctor actually pegged me to be about 25 lbs lighter than I actually am.

The more I work out and the stronger I get, the less I actually care about my weight or jeans size.

xsmilexforxmex

Pictures are not my friends. I feel like I should look closer to 125lbs and I'm at 163... but when I compare and try to match pictures of girls who I think are my weight they're usually bigger than I am in my pictures so IDK.. I think it's normal.

orangelobster

Interesting concept. I don't like my body when I look down (at my tummy), but when I look in the mirror I do like it. Maybe because I'm "sucking it in". Not sure. I think I look basdass when lifting but then when I'm lounging on the couch with bad posture then I"m bulging in all the wrong places.

I'd like to look good in every position....that's my goal

jono2970

I think you 'know' if you are in the right place...photos can often be demoralising...is it any wonder celeb pictures are so heavily photo shopped, and yet we are supposed to use these women as the 'model'. Keep strong and working towards a version of yourself that you are happy with.

jennalee1312

For me it depends on the day...some days I see myself horribly and other days I think WOW I do see a difference (only down 23lbs though) I think it all has to do with my mentality that day....we may eventually become "healthy" but it will take longer to think healthy...our brains are just so programmed I think....I think it also depends if u started off bigger...u tend to always see urself bigger but some people who started small and gained weight tend to see themselves smaller...this ISNT how it works for 100% of people but its a trend I notice

lin7604

for me it's still a challenge. I didn't have 50 lbs to lose or anything only 20 but when i was gaining the weight i never seen myself as plump, or gaining weight.. now that i have lost it, i still have a hard time wrapping my head around that i am small once again. I see myself as bigger. strange how that works..

erinsueburns

I don't think I see myself clearly at all. I just got my first passport, and when I saw the picture I was just really surprised my face was no where near as chubby as it used to be, or as chubby as the picture in my head.

lik_11

Never have I seen myself the way I "actually" look. When I was a higher weight- I was always shocked at how fat I looked in pictures. Never noticed in the mirror all the fat on me! Now- I see pictures of myself and am surprised at how thin I look. When I look in the mirror, now- I see all the fat I still want to take off.... It's a vicious cycle.

SafioraLinnea

I've had a large goal to accomplish: when I started I needed to lose a minimum of 63 pounds. I'm now at about 38 pounds down (I lost some before finding MFP) and still have about 25-30 to go to reach my goal.

I really do like my results so far. Everyone comments on how much thinner my face is/that I have cheekbones now. I notice that I feel more physically fit, and that I don't tire as easily. I always felt like I was one of, if not the, biggest young adult in the room. Now I am closer to average or the smaller average and that appeals to me. Most people I am around never knew me at my bigger size and I really like that too.

I definitely still have days where I forget that I am smaller than I once was. I still worry that I will gain all the weight back and that I will revert back to my really bad choices. I still strongly dislike how I look in pictures, but I like how I look in the mirror.

AsaraFuriosa

Whoa heavy topic! (Pardon the pun) I totally struggled with this for a while. In some ways I'm sure I still do. I know I didn't realize how big Id gotten. I look at old pictures when I've temporarily lost focus. Growing up Id never had a good image of myself. In fact I use to commit a lot of self abuse ( therapeutic to mention, still to soon for details) I stopped when I was 23yrs 2003. Meet the most amazing man 2004 who'd become my husband at 28yrs married 2008 (and tells me multiple times a day that I'm beautiful and he loves me) I didnt start getting healthy until 2010. So far I've lost 93.2lbs, went from a tight 24 to a almost baggy 12. Certain clothes make me feel really good. In general I'm much healthier mentally and physically but of course there's those 'chunky monkey' days. The point is not to compare yourself to others as we are all put together a little differently. As you get stronger you'll see your mental image change with time. Although I will say milestones are extremely helpful. Set some realistic ones for yourself! The day I could drop it like its hot on the dance floor and pick it back up slow and sexy like,without blowing out a knee, was a glorious day indeed!! :-)

cappri

I don't know how accurately I see myself. I do know that I take a lot of pictures of myself in the full length mirror in the bathroom at work to try to see what I really look like. I still feel fat, but when I catch a glimpse of myself in a window or a mirror I don't think I look fat and I'm shocked when I see how small my shadow is. Not to mention when I hold up my size 8 jeans, I can't believe my butt fits into pants that small, but they are getting to big. I think body image is a very tricky thing.

lbesaw

Same here----glad to be in denial---LOL no pictures please.

keem88

i am there with you, i see fat on myself every day and it is gross.

strangewebby

I still have a ways to go but even with 50lbs down I still see myself at my heaviest. The only thing that helps is when I try on my old jeans and can see how big they are on me.

afatwomanonamission

I have no concept of my own body - fat or thin(ner), I've never been able to really see a difference. When I'm on the lighter side of things, that's not so bad, but since the past few years have been on the highside, I was pretty much convinced I was the same weight as before (but gained 54) Talk about delusional! For years, I was convinced I still was overweight, but not severely so, and then one day I stepped on the scale and realised just how much I'd gained!

Since I've begun to lose weight, I haven't 'seen' a difference, but other people say they have. I don't know that I will see one until I lose the bits I hate most (the tummy roll, the massive thighs, etc) but now that I have acknowledged that I have a problem, I feel like when I look at myself I look larger than I remember (from just a few months ago, when this all began)

I really don't understand the psychology of what we see and why, but what I will say is that for me, my perception of my appearance and lifestyle literally changed in a matter of minutes... (once I stepped off the scale, and stopped crying)

collectingblues

I'm very hypercritical of myself. I used to have an eating disorder, and even at my lowest weight, always thought I was fat. It's taken 10 years for me -- and especially now that I've started eating *more* calories, and seeing the weight come off as I tone up -- to see that my body is actually pretty amazing.

I'm not thin, by any means. But I'm getting awesomely long and lean thighs and arms, and my biceps rock. My torso is always going to be my biggest problem area, but I'm even starting to see inches come off there. I look at pictures of me now, and think, "Wow. I actually look cute."