Unhappy at goal weight?

Before and after pictures help!

I know I won't be thrilled with myself at my goal, but I will be healthier and much better off than before I started.

Like was already mentioned...no one looks in the mirror and loves what they see...ok narcissus did...lol...but regular people all have flaws.

My problem is that when I was heavier, I thought I looked pretty good for a fat person. Now I think I look bad for a normal person. Ugh. I'm working on it...along with everything else. You can do it too!

Hello All! Go ahead and laugh if you like....I was watching the start of the newest Biggest Loser season this week, and though I disagree with MANY things about this "reality" (HA!) show, this week really put a label (for me) on the weight loss journey, or really what I call a healthy lifestyle journey. Basically, they were talking about the first week contestants are on the ranch, they not only have to endure physical 'giants' of pushing themselves and the pain from muscle overload. They are also faced with the emotional and psychological 'giants' that have kept them making the health choices they have made all their lives. These contestants are forced to face their 'giants' in a fire and brimstone fashion (for our viewing pleasure?!) We normal people at home, walking this health journey without the benefits (and negatives) of the BL ranch - are not forced to face our 'giants'. We have to CHOOSE to do so. Not an easy choice to make. Not an easy thing to do, especially when most of feel like we are suffering physically via denial of eating, and possibly pushing ourselves to exercise.

So, I agree with the others that said self-esteem is important. Ask yourself "WHY am I doing this?" Write down your answers. Then take an honest look at your answers. Which ones might fall into the category of 'materialistic', e.g. look good to others, sexy body, look good in a bikini, etc. (I am not saying these are negative. In and of themselves, they are not.) Which ones might fall into the "spiritual" category, e.g. I want to feel good about myself, I want to improve my health so I have energy and as long a life possible to be with my spouse, children, family. Recognize which things you wrote down are the ones with the most control over your health journey decisions. How much control do these items have? Do you need outside help dealing with some of them, to reduce their control? Maybe some outside counseling is what you need to go along with your eating and exercise plan - to help you find balance in your life overall. Some may not need counseling at all, some may need it for a short time in order to learn some new tools, others may need it more long-term as a main support on their health journey. There is NO SHAME in seeking counseling for yourself. Rather it is a sign of strength, to do so - realizing something(s) may be controlling you in an unhealthy way, and taking steps to break those chains.

Lastly, for me, my health journey is a faith aspect to the spiritual side of my journey. Do you practice any religion? Try returning your focus to your religious faith as you walk your health journey. I am a Christian, and practice Catholicism. My faith practices are KEY elements in the success of my health journey.

Thank you for your courage to share what you are going through. you reached out for outside help! Way to go! Hopefully you are finding support for yourself. You have also gifted others, experiencing the same issues, with support for themselves, through your sharing here. God Bless!

Try not to set your expectations so high. The number of people in this world who are 100% completely and unequivocally happy with their body is about....zero. I've seen people with flat stomachs, perfect arms, etc all talk about their future plans and goals for improvement. Nothing wrong with it - the desire to improve oneself is generally THE defining motivation for their work. Keep it up. If you've got 130lbs total to lose, at the very least you are going to make monstrous improvements in body composition AND in your health. Yeah, loose skin sucks but dying of a heart attack when you're 45 sucks worse. There are no downsides to losing weight like that.

From here, I have about 65lbs to lose to my UGW, but Ive never been that weight so who knows if it's my true goal. I just have this mental block that if it's not exactly what I want, would it have been worth it?

I can assure you, it is worth it. Even though I have insane body issues, I know it is worth it. I will never go back to where I was. I may not feel great about myself all the time, but I certainly feel better now than then. It is COMPLETELY worth it!

Honestly, the numbers on the scale don't mean much other than having a numeric goal to reach.

Most of us are actually shooting for fitness goals and/or a particular "look". None of us really know what the exactly weight will be when we reach there. The weight loss ticker of MFP is just a point of reference for encouragement.

I want to run a 5K (relatively) comfortably (training for a 5K 3x/week), have a better sense of following choreographed moves (I do Zumba 2-3x/week) and improved muscle tone (strength/weight classes 2-3x/week). When these goals have been accomplished, I'd like to maintain them and then build on them!

I looked at your pics. Your shape is wonderfully feminine and people would give anything to have that shape. Lift weights if you want to improve firmness...

I think the media has given all of us unrealistic body expectations to live up to. For so many of us it's not a weight issue, but a self esteem issue. If you are consistently working at a lifestyle change you should pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Not that I'm anywhere near my goal yet, but I am currently almost 40lbs from my HW, and have been 25 lbs thinner than I am now, and even at that weight (175lbs-- 65lbs from HW), I didn't LIKE my body any more than I did at my HW. I have this fear that even when I hit GW, I'm going to be disappointed in the shape and proportions of my body. My hips are too wide, my calves have always been trunks, stretch marks and "pooch" from pregnancy that won't budge are all staring at me. This fear grips me and almost makes me want to say, "why bother?" If a 65 lb weight loss didn't help my perception of my body, is another 65 going to make me happy?
Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone get to (or close to) goal and still find that weight hasn't impacted their feelings about their body?

Why bother? For health, longevity, energy, do it for your kids! Most of us are never gonna be perfect but healthy and fit sure goes a long way in my book. Why bother? Because being obese is better than hitting your goal weight and oh poor me I have stretch marks? Make this a healthy lifestyle for you and your loved ones!