Rediscovering your body by losing weight

I can never remember being this weight. I mean, at some point I obviously was, but not for long enough to really have appreciated or understood it. Now I am the lightest I ever remember being, and honestly, it freaks me out a little sometimes! I guess my mind still has a long way to go to catch up with my body.

Congrats on your successes and I hope the feeling never gets old for you!

I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I lost a number of sizes and definitely gained muscle definition. I love the fact that the veins on the tops of my forearms pop out now. Weird I know. And I love the feeling of defined ab and shoulder muscles. I've gained a bit back, but for a time, my legs looked pretty strong too, and I loved that.

I struggle with a love / hate relationship with my body.
Sometimes I like pieces here and there
Often I miss those because I'm too busy picking out the flaws and things I hate - some of which I cannot change.

I am trying to reconcile what I see in the mirror with what I feel in my head, and often that is a challenge.

I cannot even imagine how people who have lost hundred(s) of pounds feel - it must be so incredibly hard to adjust to emotionally!

When I was carrying so much extra weight, there were a few things I said "I don't have"
1- collar bones, I always thought seeing collarbones on actresses, etc, meant they were underweight or something, or that I never had them prior when I was thinner. Then one day they popped out and I couldnt stop touching them for about 6 months.
2- I bump my elbows/knees/ankles/hips etc a lot more often now and can feel the difference with less padding! LOL At first my elbows would hurt just resting on my desk it was like I was always aware of less cushion after a certain weight.
3- cheekbones! I thought I would just always have a chubby face, since I kind of did even at a lower weight in high school but now as an adult at my high school weight, I do have much more defined facial features which is nice
4- muscles/definition

The list goes on and on... Right now, I am rubbing my outside shoulder bone, whatever that is called, because it just emerged last week and I am still not used to feeling it.:laugh:

Edited to add I always knew I had those things, of course, just that I always thought mine would never be visible LOL

At least you didn't lose weight only to find that you were someone else entirely. I mean you might have turned out to be Jimmy Hoffa or Elvis Presley hiding out for all these years and then where would you be?

I can totally relate to this! Weight loss is kind of a mind freak sometimes. Sometimes I look in the mirror and feel like nothing has changed, and other times I look in the mirror and feel a little freaked out because I look different.

Things I've noticed about my body 40 pounds lighter:
- Collar bones! They recently showed up, and as others have mentioned, I can't stop touching mine either.
- When I lay on my side, it sometimes gets uncomfortable to have my legs together because the bones in my knees rest against each other. I've lost a lot of padding around the knees (like 5" on each knee!), and it just ain't what it used to be.
- I can see and feel the muscles in my arms and legs now
- My face is much skinnier than it was at my heaviest weight. When I look at older pictures on facebook, I almost don't recognize myself because my face was much rounder than it is now

All in all, it's positive, and I'm happy with my progress... but it's still weird.

I haven't been this weight since Jr High. It's taking a long time to see myself the size I truly am now. I'm taking lots of pictures, forcing myself to see myself through someone else's eyes.

I learnt I have dimples - never knew I had them
I love my collarbones
I love my shoulders and the sexy definition I see in them
I love the vascularity in my lower arms. Just wish I could get a good picture of it
I love my abs, and can't wait to see what some hard work this bulk is going to do for them
I love my legs, my true powerhouse

I find myself walking past the mirror twice just to make sure that it's really me. If that makes any sense.

That makes total sense. I caught my reflection in a window from the corner of my eye the other day and I KNEW it was someone else, because my legs aren't that thin.