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.

I had body image problems at my highest weight, and I'm realizing that I have it now too in a very different way.

I'm not to my goal weight yet, but after losing almost 50 lbs and being in a size 12/14 pants, I still end up over in the plus sizes trying on clothes sometimes. I still can't believe I'm not a 18W or 20W anymore, because all I see is "fat fat fat" still. It's getting better with time, but I suspect I'll be dealing with this for a long time.

I think what you're feeling is very common among people who have lost a significant amount of weight. Give it time and try to focus on being as positive as you can. If you find that you're overwhelmed by this, then please don't hesitate to talk to someone.

My original goal was 140, then 130, then 120, now it is 115. I am 5'4" and at around 125 I still have a saggy tummy and rear. My daughter told me she didn't like how my new clothes fit ( I needed them because I lost the weight) because my stomach protrudes, and that she liked me better before I lost the weight. I still have a high body fat % but am slowly working on it: running as I can and working with a personal trainer. Part of the problem is lack of exercise so long. While it looked like I had muscle, under the fat was more fat.

I will get there, it will take time.

You may also consider the unrealistic expectation we have of the normal/ideal female body due to the media, that more than anything is likely contributing to your expectations of yourself.

I went from wearing a size 20wp to a 4/6p and I still see the fat girl in the mirror. Not duress this will ever change

Totally in the same situation. From going from 160 to 129 and realizing that the weight doesnt sit on me the same way it did before I had my son its a little confusing and frustrating. It gets difficult to keep going especially when dietary and fitness needs keep changing. I just keep telling myself: when I think I can't, push harder; and when I can, push for more.

We'll get there eventually.

As of right now, I've lost 120ish pounds. I started out at 300 pounds, and I still find myself thinking that I'm morbidly obese. I turn to squeeze through spaces that have plenty of room. Whenever I go shopping, I automatically reach for the 'plus size' because I think it looks my size. My ring size has gone from an 11 to a 5.5, and I still see chubby, sausage fingers. When I went to group therapy at my local eating disorder clinic, we played a trust game where you had to walk across a wooden plank/board, and I refused to step on because I was convinced my weight would snap it right in half. (And that was at my lowest weight, I've gained back a ton since then)

Even then... I'm not entirely convinced that I've got body dysmorphia, because it seems so real. It's an endless mind game; most of the time I think other people are just straight up lying to me about how I'm not fat.