How long did it take you to make the mental shift from fat to not fat

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  • srcurran
    srcurran Posts: 208 Member
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    I am 54. I have been wearing "Large" and size 14 or 16 since I was 19. To put on a top that is Medium and have it fit, or to have on a pair of size 12 pants and have them be loose (after 32 pounds) still amazes me. I've only been at goal for 6 weeks. I have been "big" for decades - I'm sure it will take a long long time to undo all that conditioning.
  • cherisseb96
    cherisseb96 Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm currently 18 ...but I've been 145 pounds since I was 12.... I was pretty chubby 6 years ago ....back then I didn't understand that being small was the goal so I was ecstatic when my dress size moved from 12 to 14 until I watched an infomercial with a woman over 40 rejoicing that she was a size 6.....from then on I've been getting smaller and smaller....I'm currently 142, which means I lost virtually no pounds as my weight fluctuates from 139-145 depending on the time of the month.....even through all of this I have gone from a size 14 to a size 6/M...my boobs are what never fit in any size smaller lol
  • cherisseb96
    cherisseb96 Posts: 13 Member
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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    It took my head about a year to figure out I was actually now a slim person! but I still get the odd fat day :neutral:
  • wbandel
    wbandel Posts: 530 Member
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    I think my brain was always lagging behind a good 20-40lbs. It caught up for a while when I was at goal for a couple of months. After sloppily "maintaining" for two years, I've slowly gained back 10-15lbs. I'm just barely within the healthy range for my height. For me gaining back weight has skewed things again. Rather than feeling like I'm now on the heavier end of healthy, I feel like I'm on the heavier end of overweight. I guess it's just a daily battle of trying to eat right. Try to drink water, exercise so you feel great, eat healthy, try to limit the sodium, etc. I think when you feel proud of your choices you'll feel more at "goal".
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,548 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I've only lost 37 lbs, but I'm still not quite there in my head. I bought some new trousers this week: one in size S at H&M, and two office pants in UK size 8 :o I used to wear northern European size 42 and cannot quite imagine that those trousers really fitted. But after trying the M and UK 10 and finding both too large I guess those sizes are what I can wear now (unless it's skinny, but I don't like that anyway).
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
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    kansasgrl1500 wrote: »
    So I've lost 60lbs using MFP. I'm now at a healthy BMI (although at the very high end), and I'd like to lose another 15lbs or so. However, despite everyone telling me I'm "tiny" I still feel like the fat girl in the room. So for those of you have been maintaining how long did it take you to make the mental shift?

    I don't have any problems going into a store and buying the size of clothing that fits, but I still have some paranoia that the check out clerk is wondering why I'm buy such a small size. And there are still stores I go into that I think I don't belong in (even though I know I can fit into the clothes). I still assume I'm one of the largest girls in the room. I still stress out that I'm too fat for certain activities. So I was wondering how long it may take for me change my mindset? I know everyone is different, but I'm getting concerned I will never be able to shift my thinking.

    It took me about 6 months after I transitioned into maintenance to realize that I was in fact almost 60lbs lighter and this was really who I was now. However, it's something I still deal with occasionally, even two years into maintenance. Yesterday my husband made a very flattering comment about how I looked and my knee jerk response was 'no I'm not!' My brain still hasn't fully caught up with my body yet, but it's slowly getting there :)
  • mtelt55
    mtelt55 Posts: 6 Member
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    I've been losing weight for a couple years, 70 lbs lost. I'm a juniors size 3 jeans and x-sm/sm shirts. I still feel fat. I can't say so though because people get visibly mad if I do. I told someone I had loose skin (I've had six kids) and they got mad at me. I told my husband about it and he agreed with her. He told me that as skinny as I was for me to be complaining would probably piss anyone off. Wtf? People keep telling me I'm wasting away to nothing. No I'm not. I fit small clothes but I don't feel as small as other people who fit them. I'm at the bottom of my healthy weight range but no manner of being in healthy ranges and fitting small clothes takes the 'fat thoughts' away. I'm working on it though. I've been enjoying buying new clothes and looking hot. Still, I'd like to feel thin and not like I still have a ways to go.
  • Katieusa68
    Katieusa68 Posts: 27 Member
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    I am also glad to know that it is not just me that cannot make the mental adjustment. I lost 70 lbs and have been maintaining at 65 lb loss for 8 months. I wear size 6 jeans. And when I look in the mirror, I still see 205 lbs!
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
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    Katieusa68 wrote: »
    I am also glad to know that it is not just me that cannot make the mental adjustment. I lost 70 lbs and have been maintaining at 65 lb loss for 8 months. I wear size 6 jeans. And when I look in the mirror, I still see 205 lbs!

    I still have a hard time recognizing myself in pictures-it just doesn't compute that who I'm seeing is actually me (my profile picture, taken a few weeks ago, really messes with my head lol). Such a weird thing to go through, but it sounds like it's a pretty normal part of this whole process :)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,548 Member
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    I certainly don't see myself as 165lbs in the mirror (slightly overweight only) and to be honest: even then I didn't think I was particularly big. Just more curvy. It's mainly the clothes that leave me confused.
  • PokeyBug
    PokeyBug Posts: 482 Member
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    TheLegendaryBrandonHarris wrote: »
    So glad I'm a male and don't have to worry about this stuff! That's a great accomplishment on losing 60 pounds! Nice!

    As far as your fears:

    lol, Chill out. You think too much. People aren't paying that much attention to you. Seriously, you're so worried about what other people are thinking that you cannot enjoy your weight loss. Stop it!

    What's happening is YOU are worried about all these things and then you are projecting those thoughts onto other people. 1. They more than likely are NOT thinking those things. 2. Even if they are, So? That's their problem.

    Once YOU stop concerning yourself with who and what---who is the largest in the room, who belongs in what store, who should be buying what size, who should be doing what activity---you'll discover that all of those fears you feel have evaporated into space.

    Best of luck!
    Brandon

    Best advice ever. Many of us (myself included) get this weird mindset that we're being judged by others, somehow. We're not in high school anymore; no one cares what we're wearing or how fat we look or don't look. If someone is really sitting in judgement of us for being too fat or too ugly, they need to go out and get a life of their own.
  • EmmaFitzwilliam
    EmmaFitzwilliam Posts: 482 Member
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    I'm not there yet - I'm 70 pounds down but 25 to go. I am still surprised by things like how differently a wrap fits now that my bust and shoulders are a few inches smaller. Or that a pareo fits. Or that a swimsuit fit on the first try. Or that I wore an outfit I haven't been able to wear in a decade.

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