Mental Image vs. Reality

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ImNotThatBob
ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
in Motivation and Support
How do you cure mental relapse where one day you look and feel great and are excited about the new skinny jeans and the next day you look in the mirror and all you see is the fat person?

I know that sometimes for me even going back and looking at old vs. new photos can help but some days even the new photos still look fat. HELP!

Replies

  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    I once read it takes about 6 months for your image of yourself in your head to catch up with what your eyes are really seeing. So I keep that in mind, and check out those before pics anytime I'm feeling bad.

    I also only take pictures specifically for weight loss every 10 or 15lbs so it's enough to really shine in pics.
  • espinozAgal
    espinozAgal Posts: 160 Member
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    I truly understand this! I can go from feeling great in the morning, to almost in tears when I catch a reflection of myself in a store window! How do we get out of this "fat" mind set???
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    You just stick with your goals no matter what you feel or think. Just keep at it. If you look in the mirror and don't see results, then don't look in the mirror for awhile. Just stay focused on doing what needs to be done no matter how you feel/think.

    Not easy, but that's what I try to do. It's too easy to get disappointed and turn to food, or not get out there and work out.
  • FirewifeCarrie
    FirewifeCarrie Posts: 118
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    Have this SAME problem! Went on vacation with my husband a few weeks ago and he took pictures of me going out to dinner, hikes and other adventures and I couldn't believe what I saw. I look down at myself and see those imperfections..but looking at the pictures I looked like someone I'd like to look like (makes sense?). I think this is when I really started the process of changing my mental image. Keep looking at old pictures and take some new pic of yourself!!
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
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    I was just thinking the same thing today. :ohwell: Thought I felt skinny (or at least not fat), and then took a picture and compared to the old and thought... man, I'm still fat and I was even fatter then. :sad: But, I try not to look so much, and just be glad all my clothes are baggy, take it for what it is, and enjoy how much better I feel!!! :bigsmile:
  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
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    Thanks. Great ideas everyone.

    It's nice to know I'm not the only one going through this.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I wish I had an answer to this question. I still feel this way quite often. For some reason, I can't ditch the "fat girl" image I see in the mirror - even though *I* know she's long gone and never coming back. I just commented last night that I've been feeling like I gained weight the last week or so (even though I haven't). I don't know. I wish it would all catch up so I could stop.
  • ACEgirl1
    ACEgirl1 Posts: 133 Member
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    I have the opposite problem. I still think I'm the "skinny me", and I'm not! I truly had no idea how big I was until my husband took my "before" pics. I must have been in denial. Congratulations on losing your weight!
  • triciaweg77
    triciaweg77 Posts: 1
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    I face that every day...I still think people see me as the person I once was. yes, I still have a long way to go...but sometimes I forget how far I have come. I try to hold on to that in my head...no matter how much further I have to go....I am always miles away from where I was. Amazingly, it seems just when I am beating myself up because *I* can't notice little differences anymore, someone comes along who hasn't seen me in a while and can't get over how well I am doing... Just remember....it is the little goals that mean the most in the end!
  • greenhydrangea
    greenhydrangea Posts: 39 Member
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    Do you think it has something to do with the prolonged nature of negative self talk, battling it out with our new reality? I sometimes can "catch" the moment I shift from one to the other. Sometimes I'm so willing to believe the worst in all this mental conversation, that I have to remind my own mind to keep an open mind! Does that make any sense at all?
  • TaneeisFitforLife
    TaneeisFitforLife Posts: 433
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    It really varies with my mood & anxiety level....like tonight I was in a belly dance class at a studio I work at & while watching myself I saw myself getting fatter & fatter. For the most part I do love what I see in pictures & the mirror but sometimes the insecurities of the morbidly obese chick rears her big behind.
  • Koalaboo
    Koalaboo Posts: 64 Member
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    Yeah, I think before/during/after pics are a lifesaver. I personally don't have any that show any weightloss, but I do think that they can help pick up your mood when you are having a hard time. Hang in there!
  • squishyjenn
    squishyjenn Posts: 239 Member
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    My brain has recently caught up to my 42 pounds lost. I look a lot skinnier than my before (take several pics every month!) but I'm still fat. When I get down I just say, at least I'm not THAT fat anymore! And I look at my progress ticker...it really shows how far I've come so far!
  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
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    If memory were only as easy to wipe or reprogram as with computers we might be able to re-boot and "fix" the problem.

    What I need at the moment is probably more like a boot in the *kitten*!

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