When do you stop seeing yourself as overweight?

Dani_wants_to_be_fit

I know this will probably sound rather stupid but I'll go on anyway.

Having spent all of my teen years being in the obese category (literally all my teen years) I've always known myself as a larger girl. Now I know I am succeeding with body fat, weight and measurements but my mind is a little slow on catching up with all the loss and I still feel a little on the big side (I don't think I'm obese)

So just curious about those who have lost, when does your mind catch up to how you have changed?

Sorry if this makes no sense =/

charismanoodles

Mine hasn't, only when I catch a glimpse quickly of my reflection I think wow that person looks like me....then I realize it is me! Looking at before and after photos have helped but I'm still struggling with it

Dani_wants_to_be_fit

It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I guess it just takes a bit of time. I mean, I see the difference physically sometimes but mentally sometimes I don't feel like I'm different

AlongCame_Molly

I still feel huge and hideous. :grumble: It honestly may never go away entirely.

iceman7840

Never!

After being very obese myself, I will probably always be in that state of mind although those days are far behind me.

tremilla

I only notice that I'm smaller when I look at pictures or try on smaller-sized clothes. When I look at myself or look in the mirror I still see that bigger version of me.

DawnieB1977

I still see myself as massive and when I go shopping I always tend to reach for the clothes about 2 sizes bigger. One of my friends, who is slim, said that she thought of us as the same size. I was really surprised at that. I was thin (a little bit smaller than I am now) 10 years ago, and I thought I was fat at the time, but looking at photos I clearly wasn't fat at all. Shame we can't appreciate ourselves for what we are!

RitaSantoss

Until I'm within the healthy weight range for my stature and built.

pktruckdriver

At 505lbs, I thought never, and now at 414lbs or so, I still think I never will I get to normal and /or average , 190lbs, being normal.

If lucky and hard work pays off, then maybe 240lbs might be possible, yet , I have found "The under 400lbs", to be so very elusive for me.

Answer: A few more years of some very hard work


patrick

retiree2006

I think for me it's more a matter of how I feel physically. My body feels different when I move so it makes me aware of how much I've changed. If I eat something that makes me feel bloated (usually a food I try to avoid), then the old feelings start to come back and so I get more aware of my next meal. Even though I need to lose some underlying fat, I appreciate where I'm at already!

Dani_wants_to_be_fit

I'm seriously so happy to see it's not only me (but also sad your you lovely people) I was feeling kind of alone since I knew many people to lose and feel so happy.

carolstartingover

In my 20s I thought I was overweight when I was too thin. That be stick thin, stupid thinking. I do care how I look at 56 and I am using Science to decide. My middle average BMI is supposed to 145, I am 5 ft 8. So, I will stop at that and stay within a 4 pound rage of it. Working out will take care of the rest. And I when I look in the mirror I find acceptance.

DavidC1857

I can't say when I first realized I was losing weight, but it was when I started drilling new holes in my belt. I've only been at my goal for a few months, but I still don't "see" myself the way I am.

If I look at then and now pictures I can see it. When I look in the mirror I sort of see it. I still catch myself thinking I'd better not get down on the floor cause it'll be too hard to get back up. Etc. I have no idea when, if ever, it'll catch on that I'm not fat anymore. And I was NOT overweight as a kid. I came out of high school looking like a stick figure.

The opposite is also true. Part of what helped me get fat (a small part) was that I never mentally saw myself as fat. I still saw the stick figure. It was pictures that finally made me realize how heavy I was. I saw pictures of myself and they were not the guy I saw in my head.

But then... That thing has never really worked right.

southern_star

I only see it in my clothes. My mind doesn't allow me to see it in the mirror even with numerous compliments throughout the day, I see no change in my appearance.

iceman7840

I'm seriously so happy to see it's not only me (but also sad your you lovely people) I was feeling kind of alone since I knew many people to lose and feel so happy.

I'm very happy and can honestly say I feel amazing but I will always carry that fatboy mentality as well as the memories of just how horrible it felt to be at my worst.

I use those negative memories/thoughts as motivation to never go down that long dark road ever again.

Dani_wants_to_be_fit

Guess it's something I'll have to learn to live with T.T

zaxaz

I used to call myself heavy, because I found the term obese to be really demoralizing. But that really was just playing games with words, because I really was obese, probably verging on being morbidly obese. I read that the average north american male wears pants with a 38 inch waist and I used to wear 44s. Now that I am wearing 34s, I no longer think of myself as heavy. I do still have excess fat that I want to lose, because I have a stomach roll that I want to get rid of, so I still think of myself as overweight. When I get rid of the bulk of that, then I will consider myself at the "right" weight, and not overweight.

The average north american is overweight, which is unhealthy I don't want to be unhealthy from weight related problems in my old age, which is why I am tacking my weight now.

DavidC1857

Guess it's something I'll have to learn to live with T.T

How long have you been at your goal weight? (I'm assuming you are.)

I've been here for nearly 4 months and very slowly I can see my self perception changing. It takes time, more time, patience and some improvement on the self-talk might help also.

Take some then and now prints (if you have them) and put them side by side somewhere where you can see them. Then work on what you're telling yourself. I'd bet that over time, you'll see that self-perception change.

From your pictures, all I can say is.... Wowza!!

wnbrice

I have been fat since I was 6 or 7. I dont think I will ever feel thin.

Although I know I am not 300 pounds still I always see myself and think of myself as the really fat guy, who cant do anything right.


Hopefully once I am at a healthy weight for awhile it will go down, but I don't think it ever really goes away. However on some level I am fine with that. It forced me to become a better person, so I will then be a better person with a better body.

Francl27

I don't think it goes away. I was 'thin' (ie, within normal range) twice in my life, and I can't for the life of me remember what it felt like to be thin (not that it lasted a long time, but still, you'd think I'd remember being able to buy smaller clothes and whatnot?).

stephstg

I'll probably have that in the back of my mind forever because I've always been this way, but probably once I am a 1 digit jean size or I can shop in the regular clothing section rather than plus size, I'll feel fit... not "normal"