I see myself as thinner than I really am!
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OMG I do this too. I dress myself up, look in the mirror and think I look pretty good (I don't think I look skinny, but I think I look fine).
Then the photos appear on facebook and I'm absolutely horrified.
I've actually looked at women before and thought THEY looked big and when the picture comes back I'm bigger than they are!
I don't pose for pictures very often any more...0 -
me too. It makes me think of those anorexic patients who tend to see themselves as fat when they are skin and bones.0
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Yup, that's me. It's especially frustrating when I don't appreciate my weight loss and only realise how much weight I'd lost when I gain weight and then see a picture from when I was thinner!0
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I thought I was the only person who sees herself skinnier in a mirror than she really is! When I see pictures of myself, I just can't believe it is really me! I don't look that way in the mirror :-)0
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Yeah I see the same thing until someone takes a picture and then I'm shocked and very unhappy!0
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me too =(0
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I can totally understand. I feel great, at my huge weight. I feel like I am much smaller, and then I look at my pictures and WHOA! SCARY!0
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i am the opposite. I think I am bigger then I actually am. I can this my 'fat girl brain'
I am now a size 5 and when I look in the mirror I still see the size 13 girl, then I see pictures and say, wow, I look pretty darn good.
It was the opposite way for me before I started losing, thought I was smaller then I was.
I wish it would all just go away!0 -
When I was 264 I didn't see myself as big as I was. My advice, quit looking in the mirror and take a real picture, like you in a bra and underwear. That scared the **** out of me and brought me to this site. Now I still look in the mirror but I take pictures to get a real view of everything.
It's great to have a good self-image and I'm not trying to take that away, but if you are just looking for that extra push try the picure idea.
I agree, the hardest part of all of this is the mental part. I can eat less, I can exercise more and I have been successful, the mental side is a hard one to conquer. But you'll do it!
This is great advice and reminds me of how I banned nighttime eating from my life for good. When I think I want to eat and I am at my calorie goal, I go in the bathroom and take off my shirt and jeans and look in the mirror...it works it makes my say WHOA! OK no more food I am at my goal and this has got to go! Try the no clothing thing it could be very revealing!0 -
This isn't a problem, that is good! Why feel bad about yourself? I don't get that. People should do what is best for them to be healthy and enjoy life. Exercise, drink lots of water, eat well, end of story. You should feel good about yourself if you are doing those things. Pictures are not accurate anyway. Everyone knows unless you are a model (and they take 100's to get a good one) we don't neccesarily hold ourselves the right way in the right light etc. We may not be built for pictures and we only think they look good because that is what we are comparing ourselves too since its the "standard" (out there in magazines etc) Very few are actually comparing themselves to themselves or other people who are built the same as themselves. (i have never liked photos, since I am not a model, it did not matter how thin I am in the photo either, this is stupid of me and it ends now).
I resolved this year to say F this, and take LOTS of photos in the hopes of getting better ones. Say F this to looking to loose weight when I AM healthy, and just had a weird obssession with numbers. And be thankful I feel good and am well and have healthy habits.
I personally have been both ways, where I will always be a certain size in my mind, and I have also thought it was much worse than it ever was. I think because I grew up thin, any extra weight seemed like a big deal. And for me, as it turned out, it never was. My "weight problem" mostly existed in my mind. And its my mind that matters, how I feel about myself that matters. And I say you should feel thin, as long as you are healthy, how you feel is what matters. Pictures are NOT accurate on most people. They do flatten out the image, and if you are critcial of yourself (as most of us are) you will think you look worse than you do in reality.0 -
Pictures suck. When you're looking in a mirror, you naturally pose yourself in the most flattering way. In pictures, you don't have that option. I once had a friend take some pictures where I had a mirror behind her so I could see myself and pose better. Great pictures!
Pictures still bother me - always have. My husband always tells me (and I think he's being honest) that I don't look like that in real life. Real life is different, you're moving constantly. Pictures are frozen in time. Think of the celebrity pictures that make them look horrible even though they're not.
We got some family pictures taken at the end of September. I really liked them. My mom said, those are nice, but you look much thinner in person. Yay mom! She doesn't had out fake compliments LOL.
I agree with this. I know that some pictures I look amazing in and the same night I can look horrible in a different picture and it is all about the way I am holding myself and the way the picture was taking.0 -
I'm the opposite--I think I still look fatter than I am. I don't believe I look like I weigh 159...I think I still look like I'm 185.
When I started losing late last summer, I thought I'd be thrilled if I could get down to 165. Now that seems heavy. I think I could get down to 140 without too much work.0 -
Yeah, I know what you mean. I believe the last photo I saw of myself with my skinnier friends took the cake for me. Literally, right then I made the decision to really get serious about my weightloss. Not for just my wedding (Sept 2012), but forever. Sometimes we need to see ourselves from far away to actually realize it's not exactly the same picture close up!0
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Definitely agree! The other thing I've found is because I'm taller than most of my friends I try to use that to justify why I stand out in a group photo.
Exactly! Being 5'11'' barefoot tends to make me standout already. I'm just bigger overall. I'm def NOT looking to be skinny. I want to have muscles and be FIT! I'd love to be able to do just ONE pull up and 20 regular push ups!!!0 -
Maybe you wake up every day in a fun house. You may have bigger problems than dress size
Your comment was rude, not helpful. Not even snarky/sarcastic, just rude!0 -
i am the opposite. I think I am bigger then I actually am. I can this my 'fat girl brain'
I am now a size 5 and when I look in the mirror I still see the size 13 girl, then I see pictures and say, wow, I look pretty darn good.
It was the opposite way for me before I started losing, thought I was smaller then I was.
I wish it would all just go away!
I did this for so long and looking back now on pics when I thought I was so fat it was disgusting, I realized that I was very wrong. The pictures that I am referring to, when I look at them now, I see someone so sickly thin it was nasty. I never ate back then because I thought I was so fat and come to find out at 120 lbs I was far from fat0 -
Amen to this.
I call it being too comfortable in my own skin. The confidence is awesome, and you (mentally) feel good about yourself. But the hard reality is that there is still a lot of work to be done. Every so often, I'd wear an ill-fitted shirt or pair of pants and not think I looked too bad. And sure, I was embarrassed by my rolls and my boobs, and I wore some looser clothing...just to be comfortable. And I thought I looked OK with the loose clothing. Boy, was I wrong.
In pictures, I looked like a slob. I looked sloppy. And then I thought, wow, do people see me and think badly about me? Do people even take me seriously? The real dealbreaker was when my supervisor ordered me uniform shirts for work. I was SO SURE I fit in one size, but NOOOOOO...They ordered me a 22W! Granted, they were big on me...but my lord! 22W!
Needless to say, I had a lot of work to do. I still have a lot of work to do.
Basically, my point is that sometimes people slough being healthy and exercise and eating right off because they're too comfortable. That comfort and confidence is a double-edged sword though.0 -
I do too.... I see my arms as thinner, my face thinner....then I see a photo and I almost don't recognize myself.
I guess it is better than being one of those people who see themselves fatter than they are and then become anorexic because of it.0 -
Denial is a powerful thing. I thought the same thing when I was at my largest. I knew I was "a little out of shape" and I only needed to lose a few pounds. I thought I could still get out there and run if I wanted to. I thought I could still lift and swim like I used to, if I wanted to. I looked pretty good in the mirror, I just needed to tone up a little.
Now, 59 lbs later I look back and wonder how I could have lied to myself like that. How could I let myself get so fat and out of shape? We do it to justify our bad habits and behaviors. Deep down, we know it but our brain can't accept it. That's why it's so surprising when we catch an unexpected glimpse of ourselves or see a candid picture. Looking back now, I can plainly see I was a serious fat *kitten*. Once you overcome your denial is when you can make the necessary changes to live a healthy lifestyle and stay that way.0 -
I have the same problem! Pictures tend to be a rude awakening. Though I've also had it happen where I feel like a tank when I see myself in pictures and then a year or so later think I actually looked pretty good then.0
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Do you also notice as you lose weight..people you used to think were not fat..all of a sudden you realize they are? I do that. It is so weird how the mind adjusts. Also..i used to hang out with a woman i considered anorexic looking. As i lost weight..she looked like a normal weight to me.
This is why i do like the scale.. i just got on a week ago..and i know i can't hide from that number even though I don't think i look bad..but the numbers don't lie. Think i'll go take a picture of myself after reading all of this and face the visual music as well.0 -
I've been there and yes it's denial but now that you know it's an issue it's time to address the issue. On the flip side though it's not any better to get close to goal and still see the tank you used to be when you look in the mirror. I went from a 26W to a 12 but when I look in a mirror I still see the 26W. Picture never fail me though they tell it like it is.
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I would rather use facts than my own impressions, dreams or ideal images. So I apply accurate, unbiased measures to the ongoing project of maintaining a healthy weight: the scale, the tape measure or a photo taken every month or so in the same clothes, same mirror. (Though I can see that for a more significant weight loss you would change the clothes eventually
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Never mind blame-laden labels like "denial"; I'm either going to approach my weight honestly or factually, or not. Since I have decided to face it, the weight has come off, and is not going back on.0 -
Like everyone else has said, this must be a pretty common thing. Maybe it is a form of denial or something else, but I have the same issue. I definitely look worse in pics than what I think I do when I look in the mirror. Then again, I also don't honestly think I look horribly huge for the weight that I am (258.5 currently), but I am 5'7 1/2. I decided to have an honest, not sucking in picture on my profile at all times and that serves as my reality check every time I log in! I do not want to be really skinny at the end or even muscular looking. I definitely want to keep the soft, feminine, curvy look, but I do want my body to be a lot smaller and healthier and stronger!0
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I know exactly how you feel too, I think its just psychological because we want to belive we are skinny and good looking when in realily I know I'm obese and not that good looking. Wish there was a way to overcome it easily but the only way is by losing the weight!0
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Does anyone else struggle with this?
I am 5'4" and 280lbs so I know I am obese. I look in the mirror and in my mind I think I'm 4 or 5 dress sizes smaller than I actually am! Then I see photos of myself and am shocked at how big I look. Especially next to my skinnier friends! Or if I see myself in a shop window... objects in the mirror are larger than they appear (in my mind.)
Why is this? Am I in denial? Is this some sort of mental block?
I am guilty of this too! Every time I tend to do this, I look on my phone at my pictures or recent family photos just to put myself in check...It's like my mind is working against me. Hang in there you're not the only one.0 -
i am the same way! i feel i am not looking that badthen photo time ....ugh it is at the point i am petrified of what the photos will look like ... but
i find taking the measure tape a big holy crap aid. then you know! the scale is n`t as good as the measure tap. it hurts.0 -
your comment made me giggle! I actually vowed to myself earlier today to stop lying to myself!
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yes, i agree! I have a rule in my house for me, no eating after 7pm because I was such a late night muncher. I took the bra & undies photo to remind me ... no more fantasy-land in my brain!0
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yes, i use the tape too, the scale isn't always a good guide, it doesn't always tell the whole story... like muscle that may have been gained 0
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