Down 37 pounds but don't feel successful?

You should be proud of yourself! Take it in small steps, set goals and celebrate when you hit them! I do know what you mean......I have lost 35# since Sept 2013.....I have to keep reminding myself that it is faster to lose weight with unhealthy diet plans but those plans are not life long. Eating well and exercising is THE way to do it .....slow and steady wins the race :flowerforyou:

Look at old pictures.

I agree - take a new picture and look at it beside and old one.

You are doing awesome - and no, you are not alone! Women are their worst enemy - we are conditioned to not be happy with ourselves - Love who you are and be proud of what you've accomplished so far!

Don't be so down on yourself, I've only lost 18 lbs and haven't been able to fit into new clothes, but I can pull my jeans off without unbuttoning them. Lol. I consider this progress. Give your self a break, as people say you didn't gain it over night. I think your doing great.

I always like the example of picking a 10 pound bag of potatoes. If you can do it, pick up 37 pounds of potatoes. Your body and heart is thanking you!! You should be proud of yourself and keep on keeping on. Stay the course.

Absolutely not alone!!! Take pics. Lots of them. Last time I did this was about a year ago. I took a pic for every 10 lbs. and would line them up. You could see a difference in each and every one. And I bet your pants are a little easier to get on after 37lbs. So be proud of yourself

I'm right where you are too. I started at 263 and I'm down to 220 yet I feel like I look exactly the same...the same ugly blob...I just want to feel normal and pretty

On my ticker it has the goal weight of 160. Now of course that weight still sets me at the "overweight" mark. BUT....it's a small goal. And once I reach that, I will adjust and reevaluate, and possibly lose more, or not. I say, take baby steps, have 15 lb goals, once reached, make another.

You are definitely not alone! I think many of us are so used to thinking so little of ourselves, that we forget to work on our self-confidence and self-esteem when we work on our weight!

I wasn't very big to begin with, but I'm one of those people who don't carry weight well (I look flabby, not curvy - and I have big thighs and small boobs…so not fair hahah), and actually look bigger than the number on the scale should indicate. I have lost 12kg and I have gone from overweight to the mid area of healthy weight. I know I have come a long way and have achieved a lot (has taken me ages, though) but I feel that I have worked freaking hard and still don't look half as good as some of my friends who eat what they like and don't exercise.

I also work shift work (and a stressful job!), so my weight is constantly fluctuating and I bloat up from weird eating and sleeping patterns. I feel that I can't even let loose for one day, because I notice it in my clothes and face the next day due to water retention. All this moping aside, I am happier now and I would rather be where I am than where I was - but I do have days where I feel just as crappy about myself as I did when I was 12kg heavier. However, I know that if I were to throw in the towel, a year from now I would wish I had stuck with it.

Keep with it! The best thing I was ever told was "Do it because you love your body, not because you hate it". I repeat this to myself every day, and slowly I'm changing my thinking and being a bit kinder to myself mentally and physically!

As above I went to our farm feeds shop today to try lifting what I had lost, those 20kg bags are heavy! Try it.

I started at 244 and made sure I had constant small goals and once I got under 200 The losses became more noticeable. Soon you will hit onederland that really is a fantastic feeling

That's an amazing amount of progress and weight lost! Think about how you'll feel and look once you've lost ANOTHER 37 lbs. As long as you are improving every day, week, month, etc., you're progressing.

Many times I think to myself "I'll never reach my goal by X date." But then I realize that as long as I reach that goal, the time frame is really irrelevant.

it might be beneficial to look at it as a whole life experience, not a short term fix. And enjoy the journey. Learn about nutrition, try new exercises, come up with new and fabulous recipes. Make your weight loss journey an enriching experience and you'll forget all about the destination; until one day you wake up and realize that you've made it! Good luck, and have fun!

You are doing some great things. First, you're down 37 pounds which is amazing. You could be floating around that point where all of a sudden you will tell a difference in how much better you look..sometimes it happens within a few pounds. But it will happen.

You are also a realist and realize that you need to lose more. Don't you see those people on here who lose some of their weight and think they look good and you think.."keep going.. you're doing great…but you're not there yet!"

You also have great drive and are anxious to get to goal. you want to celebrate the loss..but you want to be done and at goal. That is a good sign that you will get there.

You are well on your way..that 37 pounds is a healthy loss.. your heart is beating better…and you look better than you think.. keep it up!!! You can do it.

I often struggle with the same feelings, but I remind myself of that cliche but useful saying, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

I feel just as large today as I did when I started. My mind knows I've lost weight, my clothes know I've lost weight and the scale tells me I lost weight! but I don't 'see it' maybe one day my head will catch up to my body. You are def not alone!

You are not alone. I've lost 21lbs, at 235 now. I'm still wearing the same clothes, no size change. And that has been pretty much my feelings. Not really feeling it as of yet, although the loss is what it is.
I've tried to think about 10lb mini goals, but that hasn't really brought about a satisfying feeling. Its more of an acknowledgement. I think if I fit into the next size, I might feel some accomplishment . .. but parts of me think that will be about the same as the 10lb increments.
Maybe as others have stated, the mind set takes longer to appreciate the accomplishments you've made. And maybe the trick is that we shouldn't make to much or rather expect too much with mini goals as ultimately we still have a long way to go to the ultimate goal.
Who knows maybe we shouldn't make to much of the weight loss as we go through this process. Maybe if we make so much hoopla over various mini-weight loss goals we're setting ourselves up for feeling a failure when we don't.
Maybe it is okay to not feel successful in the sense of celebrating so large. Maybe we should appreciate the weight loss as what it is . . . and its a process toward that ultimate goal.
I don't fret over it. I somewhat like the thought of not making the lifestyle change a big deal. It is what it is.
We are all so different in how we motivate and how we pursue our goal in being healthier. Just wanted you to know you are not alone.

Please go out and buy a dress,nothing expensive but flattering.trying on much smaller clothes will lift you up,no doubt.
Take care and keep going strong