Just me?

When I was 45 pounds heavier, I never saw myself as fat? But now I feel fatter than ever. I hate the way I look and feel... Does anyone else struggle with self-perception? I know it sounds crazy to feel fatter now than ever but I really do. Maybe part of it was just denial 45 pounds ago....
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Replies

  • jenlarz
    jenlarz Posts: 813 Member
    30 lbs ago I didn't think I looked too bad. Now I know better, I looked big and lumpy :) I don't think I look bad now, but I do see my problem areas more clearly.
  • Not only do I see things more clearly now, I also feel like I look worse now than I did then... maybe it is just me???
  • Ruthe8
    Ruthe8 Posts: 423 Member
    Could it be that your fat looks different now? I have heard many people say that when they started, their fat was more "solid", but once they started losing it sort of broke up and became more jiggly and lumpy before going away.
  • Ruthe8 you could be one to something... it is just so much squishier....
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Could it be that your fat looks different now? I have heard many people say that when they started, their fat was more "solid", but once they started losing it sort of broke up and became more jiggly and lumpy before going away.

    I think its more that the skin was stretched out so it seemed firmer, once the fat is gone it is more deflated. That is the excuse some of the women in my family use for not losing weight, anyways. They say the fat fills in their wrinkles - I guess like the Original Botox... excuses!
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Your expectations are much higher now.
  • Ruthe8
    Ruthe8 Posts: 423 Member
    Also possible that you are losing in certain places and not others, in a way that makes you have a shape you don't like. It will all work out in the end, but it may look awkward during the process. You're probably the only one who thinks you look bad, though!
  • I hate my body whether at my biggest or my smallest, the joys of being a woman in this modern world obsessed with image!! :sad: :sad: :sad:
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
    I pay a lot more attention now to my body which us where I critique myself a lot more than before I lost the weight! But as I buy a few new pieces of clothes that fit, I feel awesome!
  • I use to be 180lbs and I was very comfortable with myself, it never crossed my mind that I 'was fat' until some guys started making fun of me , jerks. Now I am at 165 and I feel like I am the fattest grossest person I ever saw in the mirror!
  • Yana150
    Yana150 Posts: 226
    Ruthe8 you could be one to something... it is just so much squishier....

    If this is the case, could strength training help, or are you already strength training?
  • Part of being a woman. We never seem to be good enough. We always see the worse in ourselves.

    I get so much good feedback on my progress I try really had to see through other peoples eyes.

    I have to try not to laugh though when I am running on the treadmill. When I was all fat my butt didn't seem to bounce that much. Now I have muscle and my butt is getting perkier so the fat that is still there bounces on top of the muscle and I can totally feel it. The faster I go the more it bounces. Cracks me up!
  • berryjk
    berryjk Posts: 120
    i completely understand...it's not just you. As we work to lose weight and get to that ideal "perfect weight and size" the public standards seem to change. Once voluptuous was beautiful and now anorexic is. It's all about finding what "Your perfect weight and size" is and feeling good about your accomplishments. A 30lb weight loss is HUGE and you should be so proud of yourself! Just keep setting realistic goals to reach and conquer them. In time you will except the body you have worked so hard to create! If it's more of a flabby skin issue versus self image the best, non surgical, way to fix that is keep hydrated, inside and out and exfoliate daily. The loose skin won't disappear over night, but you will start to notice improvements
  • berryjk
    berryjk Posts: 120
    sorry...45lb loss! that's even more awesome!
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    Could it be that your fat looks different now? I have heard many people say that when they started, their fat was more "solid", but once they started losing it sort of broke up and became more jiggly and lumpy before going away.

    ^^ this. At about 15 lbs down I was feeling pretty good but now I'm at 20lbs down and bunch of inches and my stomach is saggy and it flops around more and my breasts hang lower, even though they haven't gotten smaller. I feel worse now than I did before...except that I SEE my clothes are getting more loose and every day my size 10 jeans that I bought last year when I was 5 lbs lighter and didn't fit, they get more loose on me and are quite comfortable now. It definitely takes a toll on you, but take pictures in whatever way you are most comfortable (naked, bathing suit, workout gear, favorite outfit...whatevs) and do so every few weeks and watch how they fit you differently.
  • berryjk
    berryjk Posts: 120
    Part of being a woman. We never seem to be good enough. We always see the worse in ourselves.

    I get so much good feedback on my progress I try really had to see through other peoples eyes.

    I have to try not to laugh though when I am running on the treadmill. When I was all fat my butt didn't seem to bounce that much. Now I have muscle and my butt is getting perkier so the fat that is still there bounces on top of the muscle and I can totally feel it. The faster I go the more it bounces. Cracks me up!

    too freaking funny! same thing here! I am so much more aware of my butt now! :)
  • recee96
    recee96 Posts: 224 Member
    Ruthe8 you could be one to something... it is just so much squishier....

    If this is the case, could strength training help, or are you already strength training?

    I was going to ask the same. What type of exercising are you doing? If you're just doing cardio, you need to incorporate some weight lifting so you won't be as "squishy" and have firmer skin.
  • I do cardio 2x a week and resistance 4x a week...
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Yes. It is partly I've upped my standards.
  • Thanks for all the replies! I really appreciate it.
  • Feisty_Red
    Feisty_Red Posts: 982 Member
    we will always be our worst critics.. try not to let it get the best of you..and look to what you have done..and take your next goal in mini goals..I don't know how much more you have..but that has helped me!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I was just discussing this with my husband. I think this is distinctly a girl problem. We have something wrong in our heads that make us do this. When I was in my 20's I was size 8 and fit and looked pretty good. I got married and gradually gained weight ever since. When I was up to size 11 and 12 for so long I kept saying I would give anything to be back to size 8. Well now I exceed that and I'm sizes 2-3 and under 12% BF, yet some days I say "I feel fat" and I REALLY DO FEEL FAT. My jeans feel tight and I'm just thick. Well there are all kinds of things that cycle in our bodies: water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. You have to just ride it out. Sometimes I just hold up the clothes I wear and say look these fit, I AM NOT FAT! Or I should pull out an old pair of big jeans (I kept a few pairs and wear with a belt for dirty work or painting or whatever). So silly!
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
    Honestly not trying to be Debbie Downer, but I've never ever thought of myself as skinny, let alone healthy. I pretty much thought I was born overweight. :S
  • elprincipito
    elprincipito Posts: 1,200 Member
    if i'm over 9% BF i'm fat. -_-
    I am probably around 12% right now so i feel like total crap ....
  • bwcrouch
    bwcrouch Posts: 105 Member
    When I was 45 pounds heavier, I never saw myself as fat? But now I feel fatter than ever. I hate the way I look and feel... Does anyone else struggle with self-perception? I know it sounds crazy to feel fatter now than ever but I really do. Maybe part of it was just denial 45 pounds ago....

    I've lost 32 lbs since June and 40 lb total and I was thinking the exact same thing. So no, its not just you. It seems the more I lose the greedier I get.
  • When I was 43kg or 95lbs I felt like a complete whale but now that im 51kg or 112lbs i actually feel sort of thin.. (i'm 5'4 by the way)
    Its really quite strange how that happens
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
    I think it's part of the Journey, I never use to look at myself twice before. But now it's part of the progress, like it's the only way to really measure what you are doing. So looking, weighing, feeling are all ways that are making you a lot more self aware of your body, so you are becoming more critical. At least that is the case for me, I catch myself examining muscles and checking myself in the mirror a lot more than I ever did before.
  • agriffiths73
    agriffiths73 Posts: 108 Member
    It's not just you - I know I've lost weight, I can even see it in my face, and my clothes are falling off, but I sit in the bath and look at my gut, and it repels me....I stand up and look in the mirror at it too, and it's just there...you know.
  • Zombriana
    Zombriana Posts: 764 Member
    I was the same way. I was fine with how I looked, or at least never dwelled on it.
    Now that I get closer and closer to my goal, I go through highs and lows of "yuuuuck!!" & "meh."
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    Could it be that your fat looks different now? I have heard many people say that when they started, their fat was more "solid", but once they started losing it sort of broke up and became more jiggly and lumpy before going away.

    ^^ this. At about 15 lbs down I was feeling pretty good but now I'm at 20lbs down and bunch of inches and my stomach is saggy and it flops around more and my breasts hang lower, even though they haven't gotten smaller. I feel worse now than I did before...except that I SEE my clothes are getting more loose and every day my size 10 jeans that I bought last year when I was 5 lbs lighter and didn't fit, they get more loose on me and are quite comfortable now. It definitely takes a toll on you, but take pictures in whatever way you are most comfortable (naked, bathing suit, workout gear, favorite outfit...whatevs) and do so every few weeks and watch how they fit you differently.

    I think this best describes it for me! ^^^