Losing weight but I look fatter!

jaycee76
jaycee76 Posts: 325 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

I have lost 7lb in the last 2 weeks and my clothes are fitting better but when I look at myself in the mirror I think I look fatter than I did before I started dieting! Do you think its because I tried to not focus on how bad things were before or could I really be looking fatter?

I am 5ft 4 and start weight was 10st 11lb.

Is this just me?

Any one looking for friends will you please add me? I am new

Jayne x

Replies

  • samiali
    samiali Posts: 3 Member
    Im In a smilar situation i have lost 5lbs and started at 10stn 4lbs i feel like my clothes are looser but when i look in the mirror it seems like my body is bigger, i think your right maybe we didnt concentrate on how bad it actually was...

    However it could also be that while losing the fat our skin is beggining to sagg a little, i think toning is the key to the perfect body...so i say start using light weights and some streches...Take it easy and you will soon see exactly what your feeling!!!

    Happy weight losing!!
  • teetee1281
    teetee1281 Posts: 1,076 Member
    Hello, I am not sure how heavy stones are, but we are always the hardest critics on ourselves. And I think you are right that you might not have noticed things at first, but as long as you feel difference, then your eyes could be deceiving you, but your clothes will not lie :smile: Also, people will definitely notice your weightloss before you will too.
  • megstar8686
    megstar8686 Posts: 22 Member
    I've had the EXACT same problem... I know I've lost weight, and I'm definitely getting fitter (ever so slowly), but I look in the mirror and I look SSSOOOOO much fatter than I did before :frown: it's very discouraging. I thought I was the only person who found this problem! Thanks for posting it, makes me feel a little better! I'll try to remember to ask one of the trainers at my gym tomorrow if there's any reason behind it...
  • fortiter00
    fortiter00 Posts: 47 Member
    I have kinda felt the same way. I have been doing Power 90 for about 60 days, so I have pictures from my start and at 30 days, and 60 days. I have lost a bunch, but I feel that my body still looks the same, even though the clothes are smaller. The best explanation I have been able to find is that just like our bodies gain weight all over when we are heavier on the scale, our bodies also lose it from all over, so until we get down close to a fairly healthy weight we will look similar to our heavy body image. We are just shrinking slowly.

    I have lost inches from my arms, calves, waist, hips, bust, and neck. I have lost 19 lbs. I look better to other people, and I feel better, but I still look the same to myself in the mirror, and I believe my pictures look to be the same body proportion wise.

    Chalk it up to mental frustration and keep focused on others opinions, and the numbers you can see. Get a tape measure and keep track of your numbers. It will help you feel better, even if the lbs don't change for a week.
  • TCASMEY
    TCASMEY Posts: 1,405 Member
    I think that as we get in shape the muscle we are developing may push the fat "out" a bit. I have lost 21 pounds but lately feel like my stomach is sticking out further. I think the goal is to keep going as the muscle develops and that fat continues to shrink that "fat" look will go away.!
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    Sometimes I think it takes a while for our brains to catch up. I've lost 47 pounds, 7 inches from my waist and 7 inches from my hips... yet when I look in the mirror at my body, it looks exactly the same as it did 47 pounds ago. :ohwell: At least my face looks different. :laugh:

    I know I look a lot different since not a day goes by now that I don't receive some kind of comment or compliment, it's just taking my brain a long time to figure it out.
  • robbienjill
    robbienjill Posts: 456 Member
    When I begin to question myself this way I do this: Hold a hand weight that is the same as the amount of weight you have lost (ex 5lb handweight) as they begin to add up and u realize how much u have lost...it;s such a great feeling so say "wow, I have lost this much???" LOL awesome feeling
  • slightingscale
    slightingscale Posts: 1,209 Member
    This has been my experience: I first lose weight in my ribs/chest, then my waist. That contrast makes my hips look so much bigger, since that is the last to go. With further weight loss, this is a temporary contrast.

    Also, before I lose in a certain area, the solid fat (that's been there for so long) starts to get mushy (for lack of a better word), like it's breaking down internally. Then, with more weight loss, it goes away. Yahoo!

    So when you're looking larger in certain areas, check out the neighboring zones. Have they gotten smaller?

    And if you're getting mushy areas, take heart. Those may be the next to go.:flowerforyou:
  • cannon15
    cannon15 Posts: 26 Member
    My thought is that once we start losing, we're even harsher critics on ourselves. We know how hard we're working and want to see even bigger results.
  • hedkie
    hedkie Posts: 25 Member
    I agree with slighting scale that formerly 'solid fat' areas can start to look 'mushy' when you lose. Hopefully it goes away eventually. I have noticed this especially on my stomach, which used to be firm but fat and is now thin but mushy. I am hoping when it gets thinner it'll finally be firm again, and a much better kind of firm! ;)
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 508 Member
    I think that as we get in shape the muscle we are developing may push the fat "out" a bit. I have lost 21 pounds but lately feel like my stomach is sticking out further. I think the goal is to keep going as the muscle develops and that fat continues to shrink that "fat" look will go away.!
    !

    This is an old thread, but still relevant to so many of us! I definitely notice that when I lose weight, particularly in conjunction with exercise, the fat seems to be pushed up and away from the muscles, just under the skin! I seem lumpier and bumpier. This has been consistent whenever I have increased my exercise.

    I read somewhere that we have "intramuscular" fat; much like well-marbled steaks. Figured my body is working to tighten up the muscle, and as it tries to use up the fat, I notice the fat in the mirror as the muscles get more compact. In any case, getting fit -- at least for me, and apparently others -- is a bit like re-organizing a room... it generally looks worse before it gets better.

    For now, will just enjoy the process!
  • Buchy78
    Buchy78 Posts: 6 Member
    I'm kind of curious about this as well, I would love to get an expert or Doctor's view on it but I think it's because the fat used to be dense and as you lose it gets oxidated to be burned for fuel and that increases the size of the fat cell.

    Pure speculation from me and hopefully someone can correct me or share what actually causes this!

    Edit: Found this:

    http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/why-you-may-look-a-bit-fatter-when-first-losing-body-fat/
  • tessiebear40
    tessiebear40 Posts: 39 Member
    I think that as we get in shape the muscle we are developing may push the fat "out" a bit. I have lost 21 pounds but lately feel like my stomach is sticking out further. I think the goal is to keep going as the muscle develops and that fat continues to shrink that "fat" look will go away.!

    This is exactly what has happened to me. I hope you are right !!!
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    To look the way you want to, you should start some heavy lifting/resistance training. I've posted this picture a lot, but it bears repeating. All three are the same woman. On the left, a picture of her at her goal weight. On the right, a picture of her after a heavy lifting program. Note that she's heavier on the right. Which look do you prefer?

    bodycomp_zps5030830e.jpg
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    edited August 2017
    My old face looks younger with all its wrinkles puffed out with fat. My cellulite is hidden when it's coated in wads of fat. I don't have batwings when my upper arms are fat. My elastic waist pants have no problem staying up when I'm fully puffed out. My clogs don't wobble around my feet when they are nice and puffy. I've lost 20 pounds and all it's done is added wrinkles to my wattle.

    All that negativity! Ain't doin' me no good no how! It doesn't matter. What matters is that heading to a healthier weight will improve my ability to enjoy life! 20 down, six times that to go. But that doesn't matter either. All that matters is treating me well while continuing to limit calorie consumption and the resulting improved weight.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Necro post
  • timtam163
    timtam163 Posts: 500 Member
    Yes! I think it's easier to start criticizing once you're like "okay I've been good for weeks why don't I look like a VS model yet?!" Patience is a big issue for me.

    There also may be something to the redistribution of weight: eg. I lost weight in my breasts and butt before losing it around my midsection, so I look less "curvy" and more "tubby". Or at least, that's how i see myself. I think expectations were that my stomach would shrink but nothing else would ever change; we have to revise expectations as we go.

    You also might be experiencing bloating; your weight loss has been on a very short timescale so it's really hard to tell what's going on.
  • katnadreau
    katnadreau Posts: 149 Member
    Today I could have sworn my stomach looked way bigger. Tried on my jeans, they fit great, I honestly think my boobs are just getting smaller causing the optical illusion of a bigger gut

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