How do I fix the inside while I lose weight?

Have you taken progress pictures? I've seen a difference in my progress pics after just 10 lbs But I don't see it in the mirror, the progress is so gradual its hard to see in real time, but seeing it up against a before helps so much!!

btw 29 lbs is awesome! Keep working towards your goal, and don't compare your progess to anyone's but your own Men naturally have an easier time losing weight anyways, my boyfriend doesn't even have to try and he loses Men!

I'm a big fan of measurements and progress pictures. They tell a more complete story than just the scale .

That said, you need to recognize the small victories and celebrate the heck out of them. Eating well consistently for longer than ever before in your life? Way to go!!! Down a size? Awesome!! Can lift heavier things or run just a bit further or faster? Yay!!

I'm serious . Love yourself, give yourself permission to have this change take as long as it takes (it's worth every day, and you plan to keep it up for life anyway).

Accept the compliments from friends and your husband without question or qualification.

And congrats on your success so far, because you ARE a success!

Hi Christina. I read your post and feel for you. First of all, I think it's great that you lost 28 pounds so far! (And you look fabulous in your pic, btw.) Secondly, I wish I could tell you I've been there and what not, but truth be told, I haven't. I have never ever dieted before...and it is starting to show the older I get. I was a competitive swimmer as a kid up into my teens, so I always was able to eat whatever I wanted to. In my 20's, I was still able to maintain a good shape because I held my weight well. Now, in my 30's, I'm suddenly like, "Holy crap! What happened?!?" I look in the mirror and see that I am, in fact, chunky. I used to be able to kind of play it off with little fashion tricks, but when I broke my leg, that all went out the window. (I used to wear wedge heels and jeans to elongate myself...goodbye heels.) Oh yeah, and I gained a good 20 pounds or so. Not good.

The only thing I can tell you is that in spite of feeling like I am not looking my best, I still look at my husband and know that he loves me no matter what. I also know that if I push myself, I can do anything. I am barely starting this MFP thing, so I am telling myself that the results will not come overnight. My physically fit friends are also reminding me, "What matters is that you start exercising and feeling more energized and healthy. It's not about the jean size."

So my advice would be to not compare yourself to your hubby. My husband was getting on the elliptical after me every night and I immediately heard everyone telling him, "You're losing weight!" Uh, yeah...no one looked at me and said, "Good job!" If anything, I let it motivate me to keep going. I truly don't own a scale, but may need to buy one just to check if I'm losing anything, but I won't be standing on it every day. I've gone years without owning one and am okay with that.

My other advice would be just like I mentioned before, remind yourself that it is not about the jean size. It's about being healthy. I mean, wow! You've lost almost 30 pounds! I just want to lose 5 pounds to start with. So long as I start to feel it in my clothes, it's all good. Take it one day at a time. Fixing the inside won't happen overnight either. If anything, just know that reading your post gave me more motivation to keep going, as well. I mean, you've accomplished quite a feat in what you've done so far. Give yourself props for that!

Again...one day at a time.

Your not alone, I am the same way. But all we can do is keep on going. One day our minds will catch up to our bodies. Its so hard, you just want to feel it and see it but you dont.
Eventually thou it will happen. So just keep going day by day, just day by day. I wish you that clarity to see and feel it. I know I cant wait for that day to come myself.

All good advice above. I can agree. When I lost weight the first time, a few years ago, I was so focused on some crazy goal that I couldn't appreciate how far I'd come and the great work I'd done. I had lost 40 pounds, but because it wasn't 60 it meant nothing to me. It took me gaining back half the weight to realize that I was good enough. I was able to do it, and I could do it again. I was finally able to appreciate every step of my hard work. The fact is, we start where we start and we work our way up. It's not a race, it's not a competition. It's a journey. It might take you a few years to lose the weight. But you will lose it and you will be proud of yourself. Just keep at it!

Measurements are far better indicator (IMO) than the scale of the hard work you're doing. Stay as positive as possible and try to believe what others are telling you - soon you will truly believe. Good luck! 29 lbs is nothing to gawk at! :happy:

I so agree with what everyone has said so far. I will add if you don't learn to embrace your beauty now, you may be shocked to find yourself not feeling as fulfilled as you thought you would be from being thinner. Don''t get me wrong being thinner (the right weight) can feel good and is healthy.

Embracing your beauty starts by accepting that God made you beautiful- just as you are. From that stand point you can address or correct your physical and any other issues.

There used to be a time that even though I was losing weight, it was just never fast enough for me. The funny thing is, I weighed less than I am now and everything felt like WORK! I wasn't enjoying any of it.

Now, 3 months unto my journey I enjoy learning more about me- through food and sometimes I journal my thoughts. When I mess up foodwise, I don't beat myself up like I used too, I have learned to be my own friend. Instead, I try to understand why? and then find out if there is something I can do about it- like put in an extra workout. I am a foodie so I get get challenged now planning low calorie delicious meals that don't look or feel like diet food. I am about 50% of my weight loss goal and I am so glad I didn't quit when I wasn't experiencing much change despite all my hard work- because I am now...and you will too!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and Congratulations on losing 29 lbs- That is Awesome! . I think when you hit 30 lbs you should celebrate it with some low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake factory and scream Woo hoo and take a picture.