I’ve lost almost 100lbs, why don’t I look any different?

You look terrific in that after pic. It’s a fact.

This post breaks my heart. It's important to realize that there are two distinctly seperate things: 1. The first is how our body objectively changed. 2. Our body image and how we feel about our body. What your experience is showing is that 1 and 2 are not always connected to each other.

You certainly look like a completely different person. If your before and after were standing next to each other on the street, I would think the after was a totally different person. Your change is incredibly noticeable.

But no amount of work we do on our body can change the way we perceive ourself. I imagine no matter how much weight you lost, you would still feel the same way about yourself. Because the issue is mental and not physical. If you are not already, I strongly recommend tryi g to see a counselor to talk about these issues with. That is not a bad thing or something anyone should be ashamed of. But it may help you with ways to perceive your body in a better light.

Rereading your post, you have a few different things going on.

If you read this board a lot, there are some common themes. One is brain lag time. It seems that even working with moderate, even modest rates of loss, our brains need more time to catch up. It’s the reason I spent years getting rid of clothes that were way too big. Huge. What was I thinking?

Another common theme is regaining. It’s a problem. Don’t take what you’ve done for granted. Don’t let your brain trick you. If you really don’t see a benefit to what you’ve done, its a short step to “Why bother?” And that’s the road to regaining.

I think the way to deal with a lot of brain negativity is to push back with facts. Our brains don’t like change and do like habits. Certain ways of thinking, certain things we believe about ourselves are rooted in brain habits. It takes some concentration to break them. Even then they pop up now and again.

On one level you say you are proud to be getting healthier. Find a way to keep reminding yourself of that. I can’t say your age for sure from a picture but I’m significantly older than you. Carrying an extra 100 lbs is a lot harder at 55 than 35. If you are going to compare yourself to others (we can’t really help it) you need to look at everybody not just women thinner than you. Go out on the street and look at older people carrying a lot of extra weight. It’s not pretty. Maybe try an exercise class. But instead of looking for everyone more fit than you, look at people 280-300 lbs. That used to be you.

Go out and get some use out of the new smaller and more fit you. Seek out some experiences to underscore the change.
Just stick to the facts. 180 is better than 275. Write it on a sticky note and stick it on your scale if you have to.

Keep looking at those pictures. Is it literally true that you don’t see any difference? And the question is about different, not about satisfaction with the end result. Those are not the same. It’s very possible to still be dissatisfied, but saying there is no difference is flat out untrue. Your brain is trying to trick you.

Keep going. It takes a lot of persistence to lose 100 lbs and keep it gone. But I tell you for a fact it is doable. Don’t let your emotions run your plan. Keep working, good days and bad. Just because you feel discouraged is not a reason to stop. You are doing the right thing. It’s a fact.