For Successful Losers: Do You Still See Yourself as Fat?

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Definitely still see myself as fat even though I'm only 10 pounds from goal.

My history is that when I was in my early 20's, I weighed 230 at my highest. I made friends with a runner who got me started by showing me that if I went slowly enough (like 14 minute miles-- barely a shuffle) I could go much further than I would have ever dreamed. Within a year I was down to 180. I've gone back up as high as 200 and been as low as 160, but for the most part I've stayed between 180 and 190 for the last 30 years.

The funny thing is that in my early 30's I had a couple of years when I was running half marathons and cross-country skiing. I weighed about 160 pounds, and I remember being on a ski trip and getting dressed one morning in the hotel. I got out of the shower, got dressed, looked in the mirror and to my great surprise, I did not look fat to myself. That is the ONLY DAY OF MY LIFE I felt that way. Fifty two years, and for exactly one morning I saw myself as thin. I have a picture taken that day, and I treasure it because I remember that for that one single day, I saw myself differently.

I truly don't spend time beating myself up about it, but I think that in some way I see myself the way an alcoholic does. In my mind, I'm a fat man no matter what I weigh, someone who struggles with eating well that has managed to live a decent life because I found some exercise I enjoy and because I keep trying. Even when I'm fit I never feel any affinity with the skinny runners or the size 6 hipster chicks. I envy them, and sometimes even resent them, but they're not my people. I love reading the success stories and seeing the people who have fought the same battle I have, the gals holding up their fat jeans from 100 pounds ago, who went from round and dowdy to downright hot. Or the guys flexing confidently in the mirror and smiling far more in the "after" picture than the "before." The people who have lost weight, fallen off the wagon, brushed the dust off, and tried again for the umpteenth time. Those are my people.

I think even though I have lost weight, I also see myself without clothes on. When I look I see where I need go lose more pounds. I think it will take a little while to get over that.

easy question yes!

i really keep wishing for the day that i actually think i look skinny in something! because i cant tell anymore and it is actually quite depressing

I'm not fat anymore. But I still have too much fat, and until I don't (ie until my definition isn't being covered by a layer of it), I'll still see myself as too fat.

Ive lost nearly 20 kilos now and I am so close to my goal weight and I still feel fat. Everyone else says how much weight Ive lost but I dont see it at all.

I'm 22kg down, now 12 stone 4 [172lbs] which is about two thirds the way through a healthy weight, but I'm not fit at all [which is where my priority now is.

Yep, I still see myself as fat. I see that I've changed and I'm better, and people notice it, but I still see myself as what I have been most of my life.

I'm 22kg down, now 12 stone 4 [172lbs]

You win the prize for most different weight measurements used in the first half of a first sentence.

Yes, although a more accurate answer might be "sometimes". I feel like I'm not tiny enough even though I fit into mediums in the Junior's section, and the smalls in the Misses section are sometimes too big. Because I'm 5'1'', I feel like I should fit into the smallest size ever, but I have to remind myself that I'm still an adult and while I'm short, I'm still shaped like a fully grown woman, not a stick thin teenager.

I don't see myself as fat like I used to, but the "wow I'm getting skinny!" excitement has worn off -- now it's a new normal, I just see myself as normal. Funny thing is, I thought I was only on the higher end of normal but if I suddenly put my weight back on I'd probably be totally horrified. It's just odd how our perceptions are and what's reality.

When I see my (fully dressed) reflection in the mirror I see a smaller/slimmer person looking back at me, and I am pretty happy with that person, although I am still about 40lb away from my intended goal, but when I see myself undressed I still hate it, I still see rolls of fat and lose skin, I feel like I look old and baggy....

321lb me still exists (she always will do) but she is generally just a memory, until I see myself in any state of undress; 194lb me is confident, loves her new found energy & zest for life and fully dressed appearance....

I still have two idendetities at the moment, but lets face it, I still have a way to go, I keep saying 40lb, but I may not need to lose that much, or I may need to lose more, I don't know yet.... xXx

For the most part yes, I still see myself as fat, and am having a hard time with the mindset of being a "normal" sized person. For me, I do not think it will ever really go away totally. Just the way it is for me.

I still see myself as fat... I'm 5'5'' and 145-147 pounds. My body has a comfortable weight it typically falls into which is somewhere in the 150s and with family stress and post baby chunk I shot up to 165. Now about 20 pounds lighter and I still see look at that yucky belly, look at that sagging chunk above your thighs, look at the rolls on your back when you twist and turn.... I still feel and think I look extremely heavy and unattractive. I have a few key good points (arms, mid thigh down to feet, minus the knees), but they do not overshadow, not by a long shot, the bad fat yucky parts

No matter how hard I try I still see the fat girl, and I want to see so badly what everyone else sees! I agree with a lot of the other posts on here that the only way I do see the difference is when I take a before and after picture and put them together. I am still working on getting to my ideal weight but wonder if we as woman are ever really happy with our bodies? Hoping that someday I might be but for now I will keep working on it.

I have actually never felt fat. If it weren't for the fibromyalgia I'd probably still be where I was last year. I'm certainly enjoy the slimmer me but I liked myself either way...:)