I see myself as thinner than I really am!

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  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
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    I have the opposite issue. I look in the mirror and see flaws and weight that I'm told aren't even there. I'm working on this.
  • lbigham1
    lbigham1 Posts: 132
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    YES! YES! YES! - Seeing photos of myself definatley make me more mindful of my true situation. I think it's a really good idea to take periodic photos of yourself as a part of tracking your progress.
  • judsimm
    judsimm Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm the same way! I know I'm heavy, but I don't see it in the mirror. :noway: My knees are killing me and I can't really exercise, so I am trying to watch what I eat. It's hard...


    Sherry,
    I just had two knees replaced. I know how you feel. Now I am statin to work on the weight. Friend me if you want!
  • PhiliciousCurves
    PhiliciousCurves Posts: 395 Member
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    I actually was beginning to think there's something wrong with the mirrors! When I look at myself in my mirrors at home, I don't look as big as I think I am, but when I get to the gym and look at myself in the mirrors, I look much larger! I get the same affect when I check myself out in the mirrors at work! I know that scales don't lie and neither does a picture, but do mirrors?
  • Aurelia_Willow
    Aurelia_Willow Posts: 40 Member
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    Me too! I am about 5'3 and weight 169ish at the moment. I was used to being around 120-130 for the longest time. Then, I have gained over the span of 2006- to to the present. I still think of myself as skinny. But, when I see pictures of myself I just cannot believe it.
  • bcraigrncen
    bcraigrncen Posts: 36 Member
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    I run from cameras! My poor kids once I am gone will have very few pictures of me. Sad because I love looking at old pictures of my mom, dad and older sister. I had to buy a dress for an occasion recently. I knew I had gained alot, but standing there in the dressing room all "exposed" I felt horrible. I just stood there staring like it was a train wreck or something. I wanted to cry, no that is not right, I wanted to WEEP! Almost tempted to take a "reality shock" picture on my cell phone. I wish I had cause now that I am working on getting this off I could use that as an inspiration and go back every 2-3 months and take a picture to keep it clear in my mind I am losing. Change is so gradual that on a day to day basic I don't see me slipping into my fat self or gliding into the new body I want.
  • trishgrace
    trishgrace Posts: 285
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    I've done it too. It was probably denial on my part. I wouldn't admit in my head that I was as big as I was and then I would catch a reflection in a store window or see a picture on FB and think "Is that really me?" Or worse yet, I would see a woman that is really big and think, "Am I as big as her?"

    Self sabotage is the way easier then thinking positive.


    . Last night I watched a few minutes of biggest loser and there is a contestant about the smae weight as me and my only thought was "OMG do I look as big as her"

    Both of these comments apply to me completely.
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
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    When i was obese (309lbs) i would catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and be shocked at the way i looked. THat's what motivated me to get Weight loss surgery and lose 130lbs. When i see myself now, i see the person i thought i was then. lol
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I went through this somewhat. It is not that I saw myself as thinner per se, but just that because I was athletic when I was younger I was pretty solid and not that jiggly so I didn't think it was that bad. I still thought I could pull of cute clothes...in the mirror. When I saw myself in pictures I was alarmed for sure. Overall I am pretty compact because people always think I weigh less than I do. I am 5'-2" and 135 right now and no one believes I weigh that.
  • Magicgirl15
    Magicgirl15 Posts: 1
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    It's crazy what our minds can do to us, and how we just adapt to our situations in life. I have even caught myself looking at other women and thinking, "Oh my gosh, is she really wearing that? She is way too big for that." Then, I'll see a picture of myself and think, "What the heck was I thinking???" Holy cow. Literally. It's disturbing.
  • Dianak005
    Dianak005 Posts: 48 Member
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    I always feel like I look really good in the mirror and then if I see a picture I look a lot heavier then what I saw in the mirror. This is only with my face though? When I look at my body in the mirror I think I look bigger than what I look in a picture. Now if I take a picture of myself like my profile picture I feel it looks pretty close to what I see but when someone else takes a picture of me I look bigger. I dont get it! All I know is that I try to hide from getting my picture taken and feel I am slowly disapearing from my families photos. This is one reason I am determined to lose it for good this time I want to stop hiding and start living!
  • jensnewstart
    jensnewstart Posts: 97 Member
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    I've always liked mirrors, I wasn't in total denial that I'm a chunky monkey...however pictures??? OMG, I look like the amazon queen, how does that happen, must be some mad photo shopping LOL!
    Last summer, my whole family went out for ice cream, we had the usual heaps of ice cream and my dad was snapping away pics on his new iphone. I was right beside him and he snapped one of me stuffing my face with a quadruple fudge caramel sundae. My arm took up most of the screen with heavy whippage hanging under the arms (could have taken out the fam with that). I was mortified :sad: That pic is burned into my brain and was my starting motivation to get it done!
  • christou84
    christou84 Posts: 79 Member
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    I most DEFINITELY can relate to that too :-|
  • leilisemia
    leilisemia Posts: 1
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    Happens to me all the time. I hate when I go shopping and buy clothes without trying them on, they always end up too small. Then I end up shocked that it won't fit... It sucks :/
  • bcraigrncen
    bcraigrncen Posts: 36 Member
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    The lady that posted taking periodic pictures. That is great advice! That is why I like this place! You are all so much smarter than me! LOL:blushing:
  • leahalissa
    leahalissa Posts: 88 Member
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    I think this is why people stay obese for so long. The lies you tell yourself to prevent accepting the truth - you're unhealthy. I had NO idea how large I had gotten. Why having to buy size 22 pants didn't send a red flag is beyond me. But pictures and not being able to walk up stairs without feeling winded are what kick started the change, I think. And yeah, it'll start working in reverse when you've lost significant weight. Now, 70lbs later, I feel bigger. Just part of the process. Accept the photos, and LISTEN to what your body is really telling you, not what you see in a mirror. Act accordingly.
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
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    When I was fatter I did the esame thing - deep denial.

    Now I have lost some I see myself as fatter than back then - you can not seem to win on this one.

    At one time, years ago I got down to my goal weight and never SAW myself then...perhaps one reason I let it all come back.

    This body image thing is very strange
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
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    Im the opposite, I have lost weight but I feel bigger than ever before. I look in the mirror and feel nothing but disgust.
  • ewestsca
    ewestsca Posts: 63 Member
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    This topic came up in my group training class. I felt strange after everyone admitted to feeling fatter then they are, that I felt skinny until I looked in the mirror or saw a picture.

    Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks this way.
  • susanswan
    susanswan Posts: 1,194 Member
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    I wonder if it is because we only see "glimpses" of ourselves ususally from the front. If someone were to follow us around with a video camera I think that would tell the real story. As for does Does the camera add 10 pounds to us? Does it make others whom we know very well look 10 pounds heavier, too? Or is it just the freeze frame effect of catching us/them at the wrong angle for that split second?

    I got the wake up call from pictures, too. Now I have the opposite problem. Worked down to a size 4. I don't care if you want to call it a vanity size 4 or not. It is still down significantly from my 'vanity size 16' pants! I still think I am fat although everyone around me tells me how "tiny" I am. I certainly don't feel tiny and I am NOT looking for compliments, just a dose of reality. I think it would still be helpful to have someone follow me around with a video camera so I can see for myself.

    In any case, it is a mental block we have somewhere for whatever reason is my conclusion!

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