I see myself as thinner than I really am!

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  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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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.
  • nwlve1962
    nwlve1962 Posts: 6 Member
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    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.:wink:
  • KathleenC12
    KathleenC12 Posts: 64 Member
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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 :))

    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.
  • GetHotIn2014
    GetHotIn2014 Posts: 201 Member
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    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!
  • courtneysmummy
    courtneysmummy Posts: 40 Member
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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!
  • Ascalzo13
    Ascalzo13 Posts: 40
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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.
  • tracylouise42
    tracylouise42 Posts: 4
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    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.
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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    your comment made me giggle! I actually vowed to myself earlier today to stop lying to myself! :D
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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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!
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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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 :D
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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    ahhh when I was young and a size 4, I thought the same... thought I was much bigger lol maybe there's hope that when I'm old and senile I won't remember who I'm looking at in the mirror or in photos! If I find a magical way to make it go away, i'll be sure to let you know :D
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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    congrats on your weight loss... you're so inspirational!
  • shoecake
    shoecake Posts: 12 Member
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    I think everyone is shocked when they see pics of their 'big self' but I know what you mean about not seeing it in the mirror, I think it has something to do with the angle you look at yourself in the mirror can be much more flattering than say changing room mirrors! I think it's also the fact that when you lose some weight you feel so good on the inside you can't possibly see what's bad!

    The important thing to remember is if you're losing you're going in the right direction! Good Luck! :-)
  • losingitandfindingme
    losingitandfindingme Posts: 14
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    you've described me... thinking I can still run,etc. I use to assume that this was because I was a fit & healthy person, but let myself go... no more lying to myself, because really? what is my fat doing FOR me? nothing. Just like me, I was doing nothing for me too. Now I am... not so much worrying about size but about fitness and healthy eating. thanks! :D
  • pswyd61
    pswyd61 Posts: 6 Member
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    Yeah, I not only think I look more slim than I am, but also younger and way more beautiful! Pictures are always a shocker to me! One night, DH and I went to the movies and the young girl behind the counter asked if we wanted adult tickets. I looked at her in confusion and said, I know I look young, but I'm sure I don't look 12! She laughed, but DH told me later that she was probably asking if we wanted "Senior" rates! LOL
  • russellalr
    russellalr Posts: 11 Member
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    I sure do too. I always have a shock coming when i see a pic of myself.
  • helyg
    helyg Posts: 675 Member
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    I had this problem before I lost weight, faborexia I called it! Thought I looked fab even at a uk size 18 but now I'm the opposite, I'm a uk size 12 now and feel bigger than I did 46lbs ago! Mind tricks or what?!

    Snap!

    I started at a UK size 20 and thought I looked good - I took pride in my appearance and spent a lot of money on nice clothes. Now I am a UK size 14 (or a 12 if I'm lucky) and I am far more critical of my appearance.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Yup. Used to so that. I remember after going through Facebook for some old photos and asking friends 'was I really that big?' Met with a resounding YES! One photo in particular (which is now my before photo) asked my mother if I was really that big (home from across the country and went to a friends wedding) and she said after I left that day she cried as she was scared to death.

    After losing the weight I went the other way and thought I was heavier than I looked. (I once got the shock of my life looking in the mirror. I actually didn't recognize myself!) Now I've maintained current weight for a couple if months back to think I'm smaller than I am.

    Minds are funny things!
  • findgod2findlife
    findgod2findlife Posts: 27 Member
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    Well i've lost over 80 # and i still see myself as the old me... the only time i see a difference is when i compare pictures, but other than that i sometimes have a really hard time with the mental aspects of weight loss.
  • tabbyavalon
    tabbyavalon Posts: 58
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    same, i always get shocked walking past windows

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