Does anyone else ever feel like i do?

Hi all i am really struggling at the moment. I have lost 2st and i can't see it. My family and friends all say how much weight i have lost but i don't believe them because i cannot see it myself, and my old jeans are baggy and they are a size 14 and they were so baggy i could take them off without unbuttoning them but have just bought a new pair of jeans which i had to get in a size 14! When i went into the changing room i looked at myself and felt like crying. Think i am just feeling very low and maybe that's why i can't see any difference?

Replies

  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
    i heard mentally, it takes quite some time for yourself to catch up with your body. people who are on maintenance say they look good in clothes, but naked, they see themselves the exact same way they did before they lost the weight. but after awhile, they started seeing the change.

    give it some time. 28lbs is absolutely amazing :)
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I agree with the previous poster - we see what we expect in the mirror, not necessarily what we actually look like. You ever looked at a photo of you and thought, "there's no way I look like that!"? I don't know why we do that, but our brains are a mystery...keep looking and really seeing yourself in the mirror - take some photos - you will adjust eventually.
  • toadqueen
    toadqueen Posts: 592 Member
    have been where you are and experienced what you are going through. I lost almost 100 lbs (I think 9 stone?) a couple of years ago and I never couldsee it. I have gained half back and still do not have a "proper" body image. I feel as fat as I once was but co-wodkers tell me I look good. I rely on the scale and the way clothes fit to help me get back on track.

    Keep with whatever you are doing. It is working.

    BTW: I was wearing a size 4 but really missed plus sized fashions. Go figure!
  • leebesstoad
    leebesstoad Posts: 1,186 Member
    We are always the last to see it. ALWAYS. I was down 20 pounds before I saw it, even though I had been getting You want to bet that Brad Pitt and George Clooney don't think that they are handsome either?

    Self-image is always tough to overcome. NEVER let that be a guide. If you need new clothes. If your family is telling you. Especially if friends and co-workers are telling you. Believe it.

    Let go of your negative self-perceptions.

    And congratulate yourself.

    Kicking yourself only leaves you black and blue. And worn out.
  • the first time I lost that much weight I felt like that...I think that we have high expectations too soon and when we don't meet them we get depressed...don't be depressed your doing good and you will see it
  • emmietoby
    emmietoby Posts: 172 Member
    hi! don't be to hard on yourself. try to take it a day at a time. we don't see the wt that we have lost. for i'm like you i just don't see it but others tell me that i lost wt. .
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Same here. I went to graduation yesterday and every one was shocked at how much slimmer I look, but like you the mirror is telling me something else. I have one in bedroom which make me look slimmer, and another one in the basement, which is not friendly tome at all. In fact I still look the same. As for the mirrors in the stores, I am trying to stay away from them, because everything I see myself, I do not see any changes. It is depressing, which leads to more eating, so my advice is to stay away for a while until you have lost a bit more weight. That's what I plan to do.
  • Nikki31104
    Nikki31104 Posts: 816 Member
    I still feel that way. I have lost 40 pounds total. Everyone tells me I look amazing. Even people at work that I rarely talk to. I just don't see it. I keep looking for little clues to tell me I am losing. Yeah my clothes are too big for me and I have a LOT of extra room in my bras but when I see myself I still see that woman that was 217 pounds. BUT when I was 217 pounds I didn't feel like I was fat. I think I was in denial.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    That's a significant loss! You need to love you no matter what you weigh. I find new clothes that fit help me feel better. No matter how much I lose, I still look pretty much the same naked, especially if I'm not building muscle. But you may notice your loss better with smaller clothes. Just a thought.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I feel exactly the same! I think our brains take a while to catch up with our weight loss!

    A tip that has really helped me is taking a photo every time I lose 7 pounds. Although I don't see the changes day-to-day (or even, month-to-month!) I can look back at the photo when I started and realise I do look different! :wink:
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    i know that in the past when i've lost a lot of weight, i still saw myself as fat. Because i had been fat for so long, i just mentally saw myself the same.

    28 LBs is AWESOME! don't worry about the sizes, sometimes different cuts/companies/stores fit differently. heck, sometimes the *same* company you need different sizes!
  • darcey9101
    darcey9101 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you everyone for your replies and advice :). I am glad im not the only one who thinks like this. I have a lot of old photos of myself that I keep looking at and going I can't believe I was that thin and I will never look like that again so I think I might put them out the way for a while so I can't keep looking at them and pulling myself down. I will start taking pics. I do have one from end of December and one from last month that I might post for you to see if you can see the difference because I feel like my family tell me I look different because they love me.
  • Alwayssohungry
    Alwayssohungry Posts: 369 Member
    You can't go by clothes sizes - they vary from company to company. The more expensive the clothes the smaller the size. Ann Taylor I'm a 6, TJ MAxx I'm a 12. Go figure the more you pay the more they flatter you to buy more - fortunately I can outsmart their marketing...

    I've discovered when I lose weight I actually look 'lumpier' since the fat that filled out the spare tire is gone the spare tire is now a bit more pronounced. Dieting takes off the pounds, but exercise is what makes what's left look better. I've been at the same weight as a couch potato one winter and doing moderate exercise another winter and the difference is amazing.

    It's easy to say, but keep doing what makes you feel good physically - your heart will catch up with your brain.