YES!!! I have this same problem! I just got back from vacation and when I look at pictures of myself, I'm like OMG that can't be me! But it is

The weird this is that even when I was in my 20's and not overweight at all, I thought I was. I swear in my head, I am always mentally about 15 lbs overweight. So when I was a perfectly acceptable size, I felt bigger than I was. And now that I'm about 35lbs over ideal, I feel smaller than I am. I hope when I get the weight off, I can readjust my mental picture so I can just enjoy being healthy.

Catching my reflection in glass doors and windows is the worst. I literally don't recognize myself and then when I realize it's me, I feel like I've been punched in my (rather substantial) gut. Hate.

Yea, I have that going on too. I spent most of my teens and early 20s overweight, and then in my mid 20s I lost about 30 pounds, and I've gained about half of it back and trying to lose it now. Back when I lost the weight, I had the opposite happen- I'd see pictures of myself and not recognize myself looking so thin. I carry most of my weight in my bootie and thighs, so when I lose weight I have pretty bony looking chest and shoulders. I'd also pick out clothes that were too big and I'd brace myself for small spaces like I wouldn't fit in, like on the bus, and it would be fine. I think by the time I got used to my new size, I started packing the pounds on again! Here we go again...

My mom has a really messed up relationship with food and it was not pretty to grow up with. She was pretty disordered as a teen and adult, although when she became a mother she pulled out of the restricting and binging cycles, she continued to be obsessed with food and had a constant running commentary about how fat she was, how many calories, I can't believe I ate that, blah blah blah. There was always some new diet and some new expectation for herself, and she STILL does it and she's in her 60s! It's like, let up and just do what you want at some point! It really messed me up to be around that and as a result I've had some of my own issues and so has my brother. But I've done a lot of my own internal work on it and that's been helpful, but it is ongoing work. I also work a lot with people with EDs and disordered eating and that's been a very wonderful way to work through things too, plus to help others because I really get it. Every once in a while, I'll catch myself in front of the mirror just ripping myself apart with all of the commentary I always heard from my mom. It's so disturbing how we just absorb that as kids. So I really respect what you're doing, threatsofpizza, and really working hard so your daughter has a good relationship with food.

I"m the same way! I caught a reflection on myself in a full length mirror at work a few weeks ago, and I looked like a different person. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I always thought I was overweight at 140-150. Looking back now, I looked pretty good compared to what I see now. Other people say I don't look "that big", so maybe I have one of those disorders that make me see myself bigger than what I am, lol.