How do you make yourself realize how much you've changed?

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Replies

  • GnochhiGnomes
    GnochhiGnomes Posts: 348 Member
    It's a flaw in womens' DNA that we can't see what is really there.

    I'm pretty sure its not just woman. I struggle to see any change even though everyone tells me I look so much slimmer.
  • BlueRattie
    BlueRattie Posts: 3
    I still see the person I was 150lbs ago. That is who I am, who I always was, who I always will be. I may be a lot smaller now, but when I look in the mirror, she is who I see.

    It's still difficult for me to get rid of clothes that I know I will never fit into again...and I think about getting a size larger when I buy new clothes on the off chance I'll need them. It's habit. It's how I lived my life for 30+ years.

    I hope eventually I'll see myself as a thinner person, but it hasn't happened in the two years I've been losing weight (I had RNY surgery April 2010).

    I do know that I FEEL better, and that I can play with my kids and run after them in the backyard. And that's what matters to me.

    All the best to you!!
    Karen
  • OhKelsey1
    OhKelsey1 Posts: 139
    Well, first, you look EXCELLENT! I would even say I don't think you need to lose anymore. I think it's less about what you actually see and more about how you feel about yourself. I don't think you should work on forcing yourself to see your body differently so much as building up your self-esteem. Go shopping and buy clothes you never tried before. Go out, have a good time. Wear a dress and heels--look hot and take in people's compliments. Let yourself THINK you're beautiful, and maybe you'll start seeing it.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    !
  • ziggy5621
    ziggy5621 Posts: 44
    I have had the same problem.....but I did hang up a picture of myself....and it did help me realize how much I have changed and all my hard work has paid off.
  • gaylynn35
    gaylynn35 Posts: 854 Member
    I can see a huge difference. You look amazing!! Keep up the good work! :drinker:
  • Helen_Luvnlife
    Helen_Luvnlife Posts: 230 Member
    It is easy for me to see the difference in you, but I have the same problem seeing the difference in me.. Its good to know I'm not alone. I try to pay attention to how much better I feel. My knee doesn't hurt all the time and I am alot more active. I keep a starting photo of me on the fridge. It helps me remember where i was before I eat. Maybe I should post a current picture next to it to train myself to see the difference.
  • gmoneycole
    gmoneycole Posts: 813 Member
    Here's the thing. You didn't get overweight overnight, so don't expect to get looking "perfect, just right, etc...." overnight either. I'm glad you posted this, because I was sitting there this weekend still looking at all of the fat I still need to lose from around my waist. BUT, look how far we've both come! You look much different in the second photo and I look much better after losing 40 lbs. So let's be happy and keep doing what we've been doing and let the process slowly get us to a place we want to maintain.

    Best of luck to you!!
  • macsgirl526
    macsgirl526 Posts: 80
    I was having the same problem last week. Self esteem was horrible.Work starts back for me this week(I work at a school) so I decided to get a cut and color. Wow.I did a diff cut from what I have had before...I could see the beginnings of a new me. I could see the change. I was shocked and happy.It was the boost I needed. Not sure if that could work for you but thats what helped me. :)
  • trinitylyons01
    trinitylyons01 Posts: 126 Member
    I have the exact same problem. Everyone can see the difference but I still see the old me. For me, I think it's a comfort thing. I've seen the old fat me for far too many years and that's what I know and have gotten used to. To actually see the new you can be scary. I often wonder if I'll go back to my old habits and then gain all the weight back (as I've done SO many times before); even though this time I made lifestyle changes instead of fad diets or get-small-quick schemes. (That's what I call them). Anyway, it's even hard to get rid of my clothes that are way too big because I've done that before and then had to buy new, bigger clothes later. It is definitely something that many people who have been overweight for a long time - in my case most of my life - can relate to.

    What helps me is looking at recent pictures and comparing them to old pictures. Also, I'm working on the mental part of things. I try to tell myself daily that I've lost weight and I'm much smaller (and healthier) now. It's kind of like an affirmation - you say things enough you begin to believe it. Try these things as well as embracing what others tell you about how much you've lost. Trying on your old clothes and seeing how baggy they are now helps too. Ultimately, as someone else said, it will come down to getting the mental you to catch up to the new physical you.

    Congratulations on your weight loss! You look awesome and that's something you should be so proud of!

    Good luck on the rest of your journey!
  • stephyj528
    stephyj528 Posts: 93 Member
    you truly look astounding! very happy too! honestly idk bc i look back at pics when i was at my lowest weight and i felt so fat then and regret thinking that way but then again we do feel bloated no matter how much we ate or didnt. theres one of those ecards that said "i wish i was as thin as i actually was back when i thought i was fat" made me laugh so hard very true haha. were always here on this site its a process <3
  • hg5159
    hg5159 Posts: 76 Member
    Thank you so much everyone! There are some great ideas here. Congrats to all of you on your success as well!
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Not only did I hang up a picture of myself 100 lbs ago, I went so far as to keep an old "fat" outfit hanging on a peg by my mirror. So now when I look in the mirror and see Ms. Fatty staring back at me, I just glance up at the size 18 pants hanging there and remind myself that I'm a 9 now.

    But seriously, it's not just a woman thing. It's a people thing. When we're fat, we see the skinny version of ourself. When we're thin, all we see is our old fat selves.

    It sucks.
  • SharonReitsma
    SharonReitsma Posts: 27 Member
    great job on your journey! I had the exact same conversation with my therapist today. I walk in and immediately she was "well hellooo skinny! you look fantastic"... then I tried to explain that I don't feel fantastic and other than when I'm looking at side by side photos, I don't even think I'm any different.

    her advice? be kinder to yourself. reaffirm every day with those pictures, with your increased fitness level, with old clothes.... that you have changed your outside. the inside and your self esteem needs time to catch up. so help it along by addressing it and affirming to yourself the good changes.

    good luck hon. you'll get there.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Time, baby girl. It takes longer for your brain to lose weight than your body. The important thing is to continue to do things that you love to do, with the people you love being around, to counteract the negative still-overweight girl in your head that keeps saying you still arent good enough.

    You are.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I have a progress photo album on facebook. I take pics once a month and it helps me see the change for myself. Also my clothes getting looser on me is a good indicator too. I still have days where I still feel big but I can say that at least I'm smaller than I used to me. :)

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