When Did You Finally Believe?

I think it's pretty common. I'm 20 lbs down, and now am actually the size I THOUGHT I was for the last few years. I can tell because I'm no longer horrified when I look in the mirror. But I also know that 20 lbs from now, I'll still see myself at this size for a while.

Last time I lost a lot of weight, I tried on a pair of pants that looked impossibly small but said they were the right size. They went on easily, they buttoned, and they looked great. I actually burst into tears in the fitting room.

Sadly, that was my lowest weight in the last 10 years. The next week I started a new desk job, my weight went up again, and all my new skinny clothes slowly stopped fitting me. I believe that not seeing myself as having lost the weight was one factor in my regaining.

The good news is, that will never happen again, because I actually have a maintenance plan now (even though I'm pretty far from both my Current Goal Weight and Ultimate Goal Weight). I know my actual weight (ignoring variance and water fluctuations), and I know how to tell within a week or two if I'm gaining, losing, or maintaining. I know my caloric intake and my TDEE with and without exercise. And I know how to lose 5 lbs before they turn into 10, then 20, then 30. I am so much better prepared for maintenance than I was before.

When I walked into Target and bought underwear, right off the shelf (instead of ordering them online via Amazon because my size was too big).

My husband introduced me to a new client of his, knowing that we had some job related similarities. We had a great time talking. After she left I thought - she sees me as a normal size person, never imagining I was 32 lbs heavier. I still have 12 lbs. to go, but I feel more confident. And I can't stop looking at myself in the patio door reflection when I go outside with the dogs

I still don't. I get comments about how thin I am but I don't think I'm that thin at all (I'm still very curvy plus I have a noticeable amount of loose skin on my belly). I fit in size Small clothes but I still can't quite believe it either.

I got my husband to take a picture of me and the kids two weeks ago though and for the first time I realized I really don't look fat anymore when I saw it, but that's about it. My brain still hasn't caught up.

I hit my goal this month, lost 62 pounds! I was thin not that long ago so I still had my old clothes to wear. Those clothes got to big so I needed to buy new ones...Size 2!! I was shocked that all of my clothes are labeled size small, x small, size 2 or 3, but it really didn't hit until I saw a picture someone took of me last weekend. I had to show my husband and kids asking "do I really look like that?!?!?" Of course, they looked at me like I was nuts, and said, "umm...Yeah!" Even though, I knew what size I was, I didn't really SEE the size I was. I think it will be a while to see my size in the mirror.

I hit my original GW back in April, but I've since lost about 11 more lbs. I am the thinnest I've been in my entire adult life. It took a little over 2 years to lose 76 lbs, so you would think losing so slowly would make accepting the thinner me easier. Honestly it hasn't! I still have that feeling of disconnect when I see myself in a full mirror or look at new pictures. I'm amazed when I hold up clothes that fit me now and they seem so incredibly small! I think they're never going to fit, but they do. I don't know when this feeling will go away entirely, but I do think it's getting a little better with time. I do feel more confidant and more the "me" I've always been inside. Part of that is my age too. I'm beginning to accept who I really am and appreciate myself more.

I guess it depends on how fast the change occurs. For me, the changes usually happen so gradually that I go about my day without noticing anything until someone asks if I'm losing weight or did your arms and chest just get bigger. Then I look at myself and say, yeah I guess so. I think a lot of guys take it in stride and are oblivious to most of it until someone else points it out. We generally are oblivious about a lot of things. blush:

Yeah, it's just a normal part of the journey. One of my favourite things at the gym is watching new people come in and just melt away. (Take a look on MFP at how many calories Brazilian Jiu Jitsu burns in an hour, if you don't believe me )

For the first 6 months I hit goal weight, all I talked about was food, macros, clean eating, blah blah blah. After a while, I learned how to be a normal person and enjoy life, and I now recognize I was just proud of myself for my achievements.

I have to remind myself of this often with certain new people at the gym who are losing weight, or have hit their goal weight, as they keep showing people pictures of their old body, and talking non-stop about food, etc. They'll grow past it, as we all do.

I never have liked looking at the mirror or seeing myself in a store window, so when it does happen now that I'm on maintenance, it's still a nice surprise. And sometimes my DH will say, boy, you sure are tiny. I have to think about that. Being overweight most of my adult life left a mark, that's for sure. For the longest time I would continue to start off trying on new clothes in the plus section. But now I go to the smaller sizes but still take 3 sizes in with me cause every designer/manufacturer seems to have a different idea of what each size should measure.

Congratulations on your loss. And you know, maybe never letting it become a oh-hum moment when we chance to see our transformed selves might be a key to keeping the weight off. Who knows, but I'll take whatever NSV I can to stay here and not go back there.

[quote="rand486;30205317"

I have to remind myself of this often with certain new people at the gym who are losing weight, or have hit their goal weight, as they keep showing people pictures of their old body, and talking non-stop about food, etc. They'll grow past it, as we all do.[/quote]

Eh... do we really all grow past talking non stop about food? I can't imagine that happening for me..