Still feeling Fat after success on the scale

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ScorchPA
ScorchPA Posts: 23
in Health and Weight Loss
Over the last 6 months I have lost 65 lbs, and am just 10 lbs away from my goal.

Obviously, I get lots of compliments from everyone I know... I feel great... wearing much smaller clothes.... but for some reason, when I look at the mirror, I still see the old me. I have never weighed this low in my entire adult life, but I still feel I look fat when I look into the mirror (though my BMI is almost in the range of "regular joe" now, and my fat % is right on target).

I was wondering if anyone else has the same thing happening to them? Maybe I just need to stop focusing only on weight loss, and bring in some weight training to tone my body.

Would love to hear if this has happened to anyone else.

Replies

  • madamelaporte
    madamelaporte Posts: 404 Member
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    Hi I have recently lost 9lbs - so VERY far from what you have achieved (had already lost 2 before I joined MFP) and I am toning up with exercise. My husband has noticed a difference in the way my body looks BUT like you I still feel 'fat'.

    I know I have lost weight and cm as I measure myself probably once every 3 weeks and weigh myself every monday but even though I know I have lost the weight when I look in the mirror I cant see where I have lost it and still feel like I look the same I did at the beginning of the year.

    Feels horrible doesnt it :(

    I keep wondering whether buying new clothes will help me feel a bit better as I am wearing all my 'old' clothes still as havent lost enough for them to fall off me?!?!?
  • cehrenhaus
    cehrenhaus Posts: 42
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    That is because your brain take a while to catch up with what it going on. Do not feel discouraged, it is normal. Just rationalize it as much as you can and analyze that there has been an impressive weight loss. Maybe go buy new clothes for the spring and enjoy seeing those smaller numbers in the labels!!
  • Greyhawkk
    Greyhawkk Posts: 34
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    Ive lost 79lb since March 27 , 2010......i feel this way constantly......it honestly bothers me quite a bit. my friends and family tell me i look great, women have started hitting on me here and there ...this hasnt happene in 15 years or more...but still when i look in the mirror...all i see is a big fat dude.....I do have 30-40 lb more to go to rach my goal....but still.....I feel your pain.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    While its very common, keep a close tab on your thoughts. It gets a lot of people in trouble, because you lose until you feel thin, and by the time you do, you've lost way too much.
    I always remind myself on a "fat day" That.. I fit in a size _ jeans. I can not be fat. The end. I don't think the world understands how mental weight loss is, just as much as it is physical. If you have surgery like Gastric Bypass.. you go through a fair bit of therapy. It's so so so important.
  • starboardzor
    starboardzor Posts: 312
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    I feel the same way. When I lose a couple pounds and I can notice the difference, I have a couple days of feeling awesome and loving my body. And for some reason, as the days go by, if progress has taken a break, I start to look like the same old me in the mirror, even though I haven't gained any weight back. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy. I've also noticed all of our so-called imperfections don't seem to disappear when we lose weight, they shrink. So as soon as we get used to their smaller size, we still SEE them. And they look huge in our mind's eye. Take hip fat for instance. My hip fat shrank a great deal, but what little is there, still makes the same shape that I can't stand. So after the excitement of weight loss has died down, I look fat to me again. I don't know how to fix that thinking. I guess losing weight isn't the key to loving our bodies. There's some trick to it, but I haven't figured it out yet.
  • tawny7
    tawny7 Posts: 276 Member
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    Congratulations on your weight loss!!! That's great!!

    I feel the same way. I've lost about 130lbs in the past year and a half. It's weird because when I first look in the mirror I see a smaller me but then the "old" me comes back. It's hard to believe I look the way I do now probably because I've been obese my entire life.

    Keep yourself surrounded by people who are happy for you and away from the jealous ones.

    :flowerforyou:
  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
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    wow! thats an amazing loss in 6 months.

    i think this happens to a lot of people.

    i've lost 40 pounds since high school and i still have a hard time looking in the mirror and seeing the slimmer me, in my mind i too am still the insecure fat girl and have 15 more pounds to loose.. i think, that i think i wont see the slim girl i want to see until those last 15 pounds when in reality that probably wont be true i'll probably still have a hard time seeing her.

    i think its just fat kid syndrome, im not sure how to get over the barrier
  • Suedre
    Suedre Posts: 435 Member
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    I know exactly what you're saying. I still have that from time to time even though I've lost all my weight and I know that I'm where I want to be. I find that it's worse when I've been around really fit people and I start comparing notes. I'm getting better about it though by constantly reminding myself that I look great and making sure I dress for my body type. I've removed all the oversized T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans from my closet to force myself to stay out of old habits. Hang in there, you've done great!
  • KWSR16
    KWSR16 Posts: 91
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    In the last two months I have lost 21 pounds and I too still feel like I am at my starting weight. Every time I look in the mirror I just see extra...:noway: and its yucky. I started off at 175 so 20 pounds is kind of a lot for someone in my weight range. But I just feel like I still have such a long ways to go even though everyone keeps telling me how skinny I am getting. The pants that I am fitting into now were nothing but a dream a few months ago... But now that I am in them, it doesnt feel any different. :sad: I am hoping that by the time I lose another 30 or so pounds I will finally start to see what everyone else is seeing. But hang in there. We're in this together! :flowerforyou: The light at the end of the tunnel is ever approaching and maybe it wont be until you reach the other end that you (and I) will finally see what we want to see. It very well could be just a mindset of "I'm not at my goal yet, therefore I am still fat". Ya know? Just keep doing what your doing!! 64 pounds is AMAZING!
  • Janworkingitout
    Janworkingitout Posts: 434 Member
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    While its very common, keep a close tab on your thoughts. It gets a lot of people in trouble, because you lose until you feel thin, and by the time you do, you've lost way too much.
    I always remind myself on a "fat day" That.. I fit in a size _ jeans. I can not be fat. The end. I don't think the world understands how mental weight loss is, just as much as it is physical. If you have surgery like Gastric Bypass.. you go through a fair bit of therapy. It's so so so important.

    This is very good advice. I experienced (am experiencing?) the same battle with my mind. I've gone from a size 20 to a size 10, and I'm always surprised and startled when I look in the mirror :) My mind is just taking a little time to make the adjustment to the new me, but I'm getting there! Hold up an old pair of jeans next to your body, you'll see your not the same person. Good Luck!!
  • KWSR16
    KWSR16 Posts: 91
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    Take hip fat for instance. My hip fat shrank a great deal, but what little is there, still makes the same shape that I can't stand. So after the excitement of weight loss has died down, I look fat to me again.

    Exactly how I feel!!
  • blahlemon
    blahlemon Posts: 18 Member
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    I can't say I've had this experience, I've always seen myself as slimmer then I really am (it's a blessing and a curse all at once!) What I can do is give you a cautionary tale of my dad.

    My dad was 180lbs, 5'5" at his highest weight a number of years ago (maybe a decade now) when he decided to loss weight. The problem was he was never satisfied with the amount of weight that he lost; no matter how low he got he could still see himself as "fat". At one point he was below 115lbs, the lowest end of the BMI range for his height but it still wasn't enough. Worst of all his body was starting to experience all kinds of strange effects like profuse sweating at night, highly agitated, wacky blood pressure, etc. The doctor told him that he needed to put on some weight but it was a huge struggle for him because he still saw himself as fat.

    I don't know how to get out of the mental trap, at some point the goal needs to be something more then a scale value. General overall health (heart, lungs, muscles) needs to become the measure of success.
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
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    I also advise new clothes, it will help you see yourself different. The more you see yourself in the mirror, the faster you will get used to it. I lost some 6kg and I am still not used to it, I feel like same as before, even when I know I am not. But when I wear some tight clothes and try to make myself look my best for a party, I can say there is a difference - its not such a problem what to wear anymore!
    Congratulations on your loss!
    Also I added weight lifting to tone myself up a little - I want some muscles to show when the fat is gone. Plus I am so out of shape that I would never survive a zombie attack.
    EDIT: someone here also advised that you put on a scale the amount of lb that you lost - for example cartons of milk or something like that. You will see how that is actually A LOT. Also try to lift it if you can, Im sure its pretty heavy... makes you think how actually you got rid of a lot of weight!
  • Robin1117
    Robin1117 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Congrats on your weight loss!

    I am just like you, definitely....and it is so frustrating. I lost weight late 09/early 2010 and have been maintaining for the past year. I still look in the mirror and think I look big. Sometimes I can't believe my eyes when I see the smaller clothing sizes I wear because in my mind I look exactly the same as I did before....I guess the way we look is all relative to the eye.

    Lately I have been working on toning by mixing up my exercise routine, hoping to at least work on strengthening and tightening certain areas. I'm not sure how to make the bad body image feelings go away though. I did start to become more active on the social-side of MFP when I started maintaining because with super-supportive friends you can at least vocalize some of these feelings to other like-minded people. I find the people who surround me outside of the forum aren't much help because they do not really know what I am going through, they just brush it off and tell you to stop worrying. As if it is that easy.......
  • ScorchPA
    ScorchPA Posts: 23
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    Thanks Everyone...

    Glad to know that I'm not alone!

    I definitely do notice the difference in clothes. I actually bought a shirt at Banana Republic... (I was surprised that they even let me in the door, I used to feel like I had to tell them I was with the skinny guy over there!)... Amazing thing was, it was a Medium! I even bought a leather jacket that was a small! I put it on though, and I feel good in knowing I used to wear an XXL, but the mirror just shows me the same guy.

    ... anyways, I've set my goal, and I'm going to stick to that goal, despite what my mind is telling me.

    Thanks

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