Body Dysmorphia?

Just going to say that one side effect of being in a calorie deficit for an extended period of time is depression. I would honestly try your hardest to eat enough or maybe a little more for 2-4 weeks and see how your feeling then.

Otherwise a good book to look into reading:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Overcoming-Problems-including-Dysmorphic-Disorder/dp/1845292790

It helped my friend alot.

How long have you been at maintenance? To be blunt, for most people getting to the point of eating at or above maintenance after dieting is not a long term struggle. Statistics bear out that *most* people gain back some (or all) of the weight lost and over time it's hard to stay at goal. I'm sure there are some people who really do struggle to get out of deficit mode after a few weeks or months, but if that's the case you may need to consider whether you've crossed into eating disorder zone.

If you are brand new to maintenance, give yourself some time to adjust to your 'new' body and calorie goals. If you are still losing weight a month from now and feeling like you're dipping into unhealthy zone, don't be afraid to talk to a counselor. This body image stuff can really mess with your head.

Same here, I've lost 65lb's now, and still don't feel like I look "good enough." Not quite at goal yet, still have 15lb's to go. Hoping that last 15lb's will come off where I need it to! So tired of this belly! On the other hand, I've had 2 kids, and I got huge with both of them, especially my last one. Gained a lot of weight in my belly, and my LO was 10lb's to boot, so yeah....my belly was HUGENORMOUS! Lol. Anyway, don't know if it will ever look even remotely normal again. Oh well, I'll just keep truckin' n see what the end product looks like. :happy:

I tend to have this issue as well. Last week I started eating at maintenance (up from deficit) and doing strength training because I realized I really am not seeing myself clearly. I am 5' 3", small bones, and fluctuate around 103 lbs (my highest weight a few years ago was 149). This is the first time I've ever really been "thin" since childhood, so my mind does play some tricks.

I'm not sure if this will help you or not, but last week I took a picture of myself and looked at it - I looked much thinner to myself there than I did looking in the mirror 5 minutes earlier....just goes to show how much the mind can deceive the eyes.....

I still struggle with this every day, but it's important to remind yourself that it's in your head!

I think it's something we all have to deal with to a greater or lesser degree. I was fat for a long time. I've only been thin for a year. I have to accept that it will take a while to see myself the way I really am. I also have the issues with loose skin and knowing that I'll never have the flat, firm body I want. I think that exacerbates the BD issue.

I rely on pictures more than the mirror when I'm feeling particularly down. For some reason I'm able to be more objective looking at photographs. I can see myself how others see me, and it really does help.

I still do things like turn sideways to get through a turnstile, but I don't have to any more ..

Haha! I did stuff like that for awhile myself - I'd find myself sitting way back from the table (because my boobs and stomach used to be in the way).

I wanted to chime in and say that I also struggled with this for awhile after reaching my goal. It took me about 3-4 months before my eyes and my brain and my body all sync'd up. I FINALLY saw myself properly. I likened it to the "phantom limb" phenomenon - y'know, when people lose a leg and still feel it? I think it's similar.

The thing I really worked hard on protecting myself from was feeling *bad* about myself. It was hard at first. Initially I had discouraging thoughts like, "well at least when I was overweight, I had soft, full cheeks - now I have sunken cheeks with "old lady" lines in them" or "see? you did all this hard work and you STILL don't look good". I had to stop myself and say, "NO. Stop. You are beautiful. You are healthy. Are you going to have some cosmetic consequences due to your poor eating choices all those years (like a little saggy skin in the butt)? Yes. But that's life. That's the choice you made. Let the saggy butt be a reminder to NEVER let yourself go like that again. But look at you NOW! You DID it. You lost that weight! You reached your goal! You look AMAZING in this dress. You rock those size 4 jeans!!"

A lot of self-talk really helps.

Also, get a full-length mirror and put on your favorite outfit. Then stare at yourself. Take deep breaths. Turn this way, and that. Look at yourself from different angles. Breathe deeply and say to yourself, "This is Me. This is Me." Find some pants or a skirt from when you started. Take off everything but your bra and put on the skirt. Hold it out from yourself and turn sideways. Stare at it. Look at the difference. Breathe and say, "This is me. I am healthy. Even if I don't particularly like how I look right now, I WILL eventually. This is temporary. It's just a trick of the brain." I would maybe do this once a week, for 5-10 mins at a time. Do it more if you think you need to.

Lastly, find a photo of yourself from the beginning of your journey. Put on your favorite outfit and take a full-body "selfie" in the mirror and put the two pics side by side. Stare at them. Breathe and absorb it. Look at how far you've come and let the positive feelings of victory and success wash over you.

Eventually - one day you'll wake up and everything is synchronized. It's exhilarating. It WILL happen. Be patient. And do NOT talk badly to yourself, EVER. Speak positively, meditate, and absorb the beautiful person you've become! Good luck!

I completely understand. I am 5'0 and more than a year ago I lost about 15 lbs to get to my goal weight of 105. I felt so skinny and awesome for a few months, then it kind of wore off and in my head I was still "the chubby girl." Then, due to stress and finals and lack of appetite in May 2013 I unintentionally lost 7 pounds and went down to 98. I felt skinnny and awesome again, and I have more or less maintained this weight yet I've begun to feel so self conscious again and I still worry that I am "the chubby girl." You're not alone in feeling this, the best advice I can give is to just remind yourself you're awesome and dont be too hard on yourself.

Thanks for posting this. It is kind of a difficult topic to discuss because you have reached your goal weight but are still not at 100% acceptance of where you are.

I am 5'4" and between 123-127 depending on the day. I am very proud of the weight that I have lost, but feel like I could still do better. I have no desire to lose any more weight. But I think I my body-comp could be better.

To achieve what I would like, I need to weight train. However, I do not have the $$ to put into a gym membership with a lifting heaving program, even though that is what I need to do to achieve what I want.

My best advice for the moment: Celebrate what you have accomplished. Try on old clothes, look at old pics... you will be amazed with yourself

Keep up the awesome work!

I'm about half way into my weight loss journey - have about 30 lbs to go. I've gone down almost 2 sizes in clothes but I still can't bring myself to buy anything fitted. I just keep buying the old loose styles just a smaller size. Common sense tells me that being 30 lbs overweight doesn't make me enormous but somewhere in my brain I'm obviously still convinced that I can't wear anything fitted. I look at clothing in shops and just reject the tight clothing as unsuitable for me. I've been wondering how long it will take me to finally let go of the "fat image" I have of myself.