When do you see it?

Hey!

I went shopping today. It was a bust! I've lost 71 lbs and can not see it on myself. Why is it that I can wear a size 18 pant now from a 30 and can't see it when I'm putting on new clothes?

So my question is: When do you have the click from Obesity to overweight? I still have a way to go but I can't make the connection of what I am looking like? Even hearing it from my husband, friends and family does nothing for my brain to connect to it!
Total melt down in the fitting room today!

Any thoughts?
Rosie

Replies

  • Try googling a BMI calculator. Most have you put in your weight and height and then they give you your BMI number based on that info. They will also tell you based on your BMI if you are obese, over weight or in the right range. Regardless, losing 71 pounds is an amazing accomplishment!!
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  • p_s1984
    p_s1984 Posts: 30 Member
    I struggle with seeing the difference in myself also. The profile picture I have now helped me see my progress :) Focus on the positive changes you have made and not on how '"far" you think you have to go :) Good Luck!!
  • nancytyc
    nancytyc Posts: 119 Member
    I know what you are saying, and I agree with you. I have gone from a 24W-26W to a normal size 16-18 in just 4 months. It has been hard work. I have seen the scale drop 52 pounds in exactly 4 months. My husband can feel my ribs when I lay down (for the first time since our marriage). I can move better. I look at my legs and simply am convinced that they are not mine.

    It is very hard to transition to "seeing" ourselves as skinny. I wish I could tell you when that will happen, but it has not happened for me yet, either. Just know that no matter what games your mind plays on you, others can see you for what you are. Rely on them to clue you in, until you are convinced of it.

    BTW...great work.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    use one of those what X size looks like sites. sorry, I can't think of one now... but one of those sites where you see what 5'6" (for example) looks like at 300 and 225.... When it's not YOU,perhaps it's more obvious?
  • duichaser
    duichaser Posts: 174 Member
    Put the size 30s back on and you will see the difference. It is easiest if you can find an old pic of yourself and then take a new pic of yourself in those same clothes if you still have them around.
  • jennrambles
    jennrambles Posts: 34 Member
    Put the size 30s back on and you will see the difference. It is easiest if you can find an old pic of yourself and then take a new pic of yourself in those same clothes if you still have them around.

    THIS!

    Look at a picture of yourself from when you started, and compare it to a picture recently taken. That may help you get a better idea of how big of a change has actually happened, too.

    For other people who are just starting who may be reading this, like myself, I think taking regular photos of yourself in a full length mirror helps a lot for side by side comparisons.

    Just since June 5th I see, when looking at the photos, a huge change.
  • xoeva
    xoeva Posts: 209 Member
    I've found that sometimes the mind takes longer to catch up to the body....we've thought of ourselves as fat for a long time and still think that even though we've lost a lot of weight. Congratulations, by the way on your loss! Also, try on your old clothes and you'll see! Also remember...you are way healthier now!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    My stomach no longer flops over itself. My face looks better. That all I saw for like 60 pounds.

    Other than that, I did not see the differences others saw until recently. I started size 24/26 and am now 14/16. I'm just now starting to really say, "Yup, my arms are getting thinner. Legs, too. Waist, developing. Boobs - looking better (but not really less saggy, sadly.) I'm just starting to see what I'll look like when I get skinny.

    It takes some of us longer than others. Hang in there! You'll see it eventually!!! :)
  • llf_fpk
    llf_fpk Posts: 13 Member
    Sometimes we can't get past seeing ourselves. If you take an old and a new picture of yourself and trace your outline, you can compare just the outlines. That means you will be looking at just the shape and not thinking crazy thoughts such as how you don't like your flabby arms or whatever bugs you.
  • Roogura
    Roogura Posts: 11
    I've lost 42 lbs in the past 4 months and I don't really notice either! I guess it's because I see myself every day. But my friends tell me I look like a completely different person and my clothes are baggy and falling off, and the before picture definitely puts it into perspective for me.
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    71 pounds is noticeable, so no worries. Just try and put on a pair of your size 30 pants and you'll see it. However technically speaking anyone that is 30 pounds overweight is considered obese.
  • The reverse also happens. I use to be very athletic and very fit. However, I managed to develop a lot of hip problems from the obsessive running and long distance. I had to adjust my fitness level but my eating remained the same. So the pounds crept up slowly but surely. I gained over 30 pounds. I kept seeing myself, my OLD self; thinking I was thinner and healthier than I was. Until I took a photo of myself and a friend took one of the back view. HOLLY guacamole! I never thought I got this big, even though when I purchased clothing that was bigger. So the reverse can also happen.

    Take the photos. You will get a clearer and more realistic picture of your current self. Congratulations on your weight loss!!!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Photos do it best, though even with these I still see myself as fat, well, I don't see or feel myself like I'm the 300+ pound person I used to be, but my loss feels like barely half of what I actually lost. I keep trying to remind myself how everything is much easier now and how just a year and a half ago I had to perform contortionist maneuvers just to tie my shoes.