When did you stop feeling fat?

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Replies

  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
    I am actually gald it isnt only me, I have seriously started to worry about myself recently, I really wonder how little I will have to weigh before I feel alright :|

    I have recently gone down a size in to UK size 10s and whe I went to the shop to buy some I honestly thought the checkout girl was laughing at me thinking, she is deluded she is massive and will never fit into these. Eve though I know I do, its bizarre.
  • Strength training has made me stop feeling fat! I've been very thin before but never in such good shape (at least not in 20yrs or so). Being stronger and having a little muscle has gone a long way to making me feel better about my body.
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    This is something that I struggle with most days! I still sometimes see myself as the 130kg version of me. I still sometimes feel that no one cares what I have to say, cos I'm just the 'fat' girl. I feel like people look at me when I'm out eating, or look in my trolley to see what I'm buying. Its getting better, but still there in the back of my mind! The nightmares about waking up at 130 again don't help though!

    I've been trying to work on the ways in which I talk to and about myself.
    The other day I tried on some new clothes and was surprised that I could fit into a brand and a size I'd never been able to before....but my brain said "wow, they must have made these sizes larger in this brand now"...I had to stop myself and replace that thought with "wow, I look great and my efforts are showing in the sizes I can fit into".

    Its a work in progress - but so am I.
  • loristroud
    loristroud Posts: 138 Member
    This is something that I struggle with most days! I still sometimes see myself as the 130kg version of me. I still sometimes feel that no one cares what I have to say, cos I'm just the 'fat' girl. I feel like people look at me when I'm out eating, or look in my trolley to see what I'm buying. Its getting better, but still there in the back of my mind! The nightmares about waking up at 130 again don't help though!

    I've been trying to work on the ways in which I talk to and about myself.
    The other day I tried on some new clothes and was surprised that I could fit into a brand and a size I'd never been able to before....but my brain said "wow, they must have made these sizes larger in this brand now"...I had to stop myself and replace that thought with "wow, I look great and my efforts are showing in the sizes I can fit into".

    Its a work in progress - but so am I.

    ^^ This. I did the same thing when I put on a pair of size 6 American Eagle jeans, which I had only dreamed of wearing, and realized I needed a size 4. I was thinking sheesh they really changed their sizing!!
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    This is something that I struggle with most days! I still sometimes see myself as the 130kg version of me. I still sometimes feel that no one cares what I have to say, cos I'm just the 'fat' girl. I feel like people look at me when I'm out eating, or look in my trolley to see what I'm buying. Its getting better, but still there in the back of my mind! The nightmares about waking up at 130 again don't help though!

    I've been trying to work on the ways in which I talk to and about myself.
    The other day I tried on some new clothes and was surprised that I could fit into a brand and a size I'd never been able to before....but my brain said "wow, they must have made these sizes larger in this brand now"...I had to stop myself and replace that thought with "wow, I look great and my efforts are showing in the sizes I can fit into".

    Its a work in progress - but so am I.

    ^^ This. I did the same thing when I put on a pair of size 6 American Eagle jeans, which I had only dreamed of wearing, and realized I needed a size 4. I was thinking sheesh they really changed their sizing!!



    Its so weird because when I was bigger, I would blame the brands for making their sizes smaller if I couldn't fit into them!!! hehe :P
  • tiedy
    tiedy Posts: 2 Member
    I have tried as I have lost wieght to not judge my body on what it looks like (will never be good enough until I look like Beyonce) to what it can do.

    I can run 21km, I can swim 3km, I try to judge myself functionally.

    But, if I looked in the mirror, and thought, "am I fat" the answer will always be yes, you just shift your focus from the fat rolls to your thighs.
  • 1953Judith
    1953Judith Posts: 325 Member
    When I was younger, I collected buttons with sayings on them. One of them said, "I'm not fat, I'm healthy." I wore it as a joke. In point of fact I was fat. So it was a bit of laughing at myself before others laughed at me about my weight. Now as a young old person, who has lost 60 lbs and gained control over cancer, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, I have internalized that saying. I'm NOT fat, I AM healthy. And I feel GOOD. I will not forget my past and will have memories of me from less healthy times, but I am going to enjoy and savor being healthy.

    In answer to your question, I think I got away from feeling fat when they took a big group picture of all the staff at our office this spring and weight-wise I looked like everyone else. I keep that picture in my "reminder" basket where I try to keep notes of life's lessons that I learned when I was fighting cancer.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Unfortunately, most peoples weight changes but their self esteem does. This is even more so with women as this thread conveys. My wife recently lost 40 lbs (she is 5'2") and even at 125lbs she still wants more. The funny thing is, she swore once she would hit int he 120's she would be happy but she never gives herself credit. The thing for me though, is I have always had high self esteem so I tend to be more arrogant in ways (mostly in a joking manner, especially at work). I see the muscle definiton and go damn I look hot, but I still recognize the area's I need to work. The biggest thing is, people have to improve their self esteem, otherwise, they will never be happy with their body even if everyone is jealous of it. Heck, why do you think people with ED's have a hard time stopping and it can take years to correct that issue?
  • djthom
    djthom Posts: 651 Member
    Wow! I'm so glad you posted this. I thought it was just me. When I first started loosing the weight I felt really good about myself. Now the closer I get to my goal the worse I feel about my weight. I find myself constantly looking in the mirror and picking myself apart. I'm constantly looking at other people and trying to fiqure out if I'm bigger than them. Every time someone compliments me on my weight loss I just blow it off like it was nothing, because all I can think is I still need to loose a lot more. It's like the more I loose the more I feel I need to loose. I keep moving my goal weight down and I feel like it's getting hopeless. I find myself binging more and thinking what difference does it make, I'm never going to get there.
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    We need to give ourselves more credit. If you have lost weight and inches you aren't worse off. Just stick with exercising, toning and shaping will come. I am still working at it. I have days I feel fat, but what helps me is looking at my before pictures. I was fat then, now I am not. When I start feeling fat I look at my before pictures.
  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
    I think I'll always feel fat when I look at myself naked in the mirror.

    But at 120, I looked freaking awesome in clothes and I loved it (until I took them off and got a glimpse of myself).

    Working on getting back there now.
  • CrystalFlury
    CrystalFlury Posts: 400 Member
    I hope this doesn't come across as an insensitive question. I just still find myself despairing over my reflection in the mirror, even though I know according to the numbers I am ok. I spend half my life still feeling fat, and the other half thinking I look great, then catching my reflection and thinking I look like a heifer.

    So when did you get used to your new body?

    I haven't lost all the weight I need to but I can tell you I plan on taking pictures of myself at every 10 lb. loss and keeping them to remind myself never to gain the weight again as well as reminding me how far I've come. Look at pictures of yourself from the past and compare yourself. I bet you'll see a difference.
  • I'm still fat, but I don't feel that way. I stopped feeling fat when I stopped acting fat.

    I hope that doesn't come out the wrong way. My old habits were literally weighing me down... and my whole life now is completely different. My attitude toward everything has changed, and it just feels good.


    You my dear have found the golden ticket :)
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    Never! When I lost 77lbs with ww a few years ago, I was the lowest weight I'd been and I was still taken by surprise when I saw my reflection in a shop window. This time round I am an even lower weight and I still feel fat. I think there is probably a body
    dysmorphia thing going on. Husband tells me how slim I look and I just laugh at him.

    You do look slim! I have the same problem I feel good in my clothes and I front of a mirror and people say I look great, but when I see myself in a picture I say I'm still fat. It is sad, because 20 years from now when looking back at the pictures I'll probable say I looked great. To bad I can't enjoy it know. Need to be less critical of myself and be proud of what I have done for me.
  • Circa1964
    Circa1964 Posts: 225 Member
    Once I lost the 20 pounds(5'4" now weigh 132) and went from size 12/14 to 6/8 I didn't feel large any longer. In clothes when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I feel pretty good. I still don't like the look naked as there are areas that could look better. My biggest issue s that we have a boat and spend a lot of time with friends at the lake in the summer time. Here is where everyone gets to see me practically naked. That is where I feel thereis more work to do. In reality if I compared myself to others I look pretty good. I suppose you have to be able to see the world "comparitively".
  • happynmontana
    happynmontana Posts: 42 Member
    Love this - SO True!

    My new word is "Sluggish." When I feel Sluggish, that's how I know I've gotten off my plan, or need to step things back up. When my schedule is right, and I'm eating healthy, and working out HARD - I feel supercharged, even at 180+ pounds!
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
    Regardless of how all of you feel about yourselves, remember that you all have something to be proud of. Everyone on these boards is taking steps to improve their own health and that's not something to disregard. I hope in time those of you still feeling fat will be able to see yourselves as others see you!

    For myself I've just recently stopped seeing myself as "fat". When I was 150 I knew I was fat. When I was 140 I looked at my waistline and wanted to cry. At 130 I found myself still making jokes about my chubby stomach and shaking thighs. At 120 I grimaced at the little belly bulge I could see in my reflection, and then I realized I was putting myself down more than anyone else ever had. There are still parts of myself I can objectively see need work, but I'm not fat. I'm not "skinny" either (actually I'm just a touch above the exact mid-range normal of my BMI) but I'm lovely. It took until I stopped calling myself fat, even in jest, before I could stop feeling fat, even though I was a good ways from the overweight range already.
  • MARI1010
    MARI1010 Posts: 76 Member
    Thank you for asking this. I thought i was the only one that felt this way in the world. I know ive lost weight because im fitting into clothes i haent fit into in years but at the same time i feel swollen almost. I caught my reflection in a stores mirror just the other day and i was in horror. Im more critical of myself now than when i was heavier and i tried to not pay any attention to all my problem areas. Sometimes i wonder IF ill ever feel like i look good or if ill ever live up to my own expectations.
  • hastnt happed for me yet - but, funny thing is - I look back to when I was a size 12 ( oh how i miss that number now ) and I remember thinking back then that I was "fat" - funny to think about it now.........
  • cdpm
    cdpm Posts: 297 Member
    When I met my mini goals I felt great, - when I fitted into the dress that was 2 sizes too small at the start of my weight loss journey and it was slightly big on me. I felt much better then and not like a blob!
    I still have my fat feelings, when I have a bad day,eaten something I know I shouldn't have or when I wash my jeans (they shrink again!) then I feel fat again.
    I think I'm not fat in some body places anymore now, but I dont think I'll stop feeling fat completely until my thighs reduce in size and I can wear a skirt without tights for more than 5 mins without getting rubbing and painful rashes. Its my goal for next summer!
  • damcool
    damcool Posts: 97 Member
    I'm at my goal weight and it's still a daily battle whether or not I feel good about myself. I heard from someone that we spend too much time talking to ourselves (aka speaking bad feelings, thoughts, etc) and not enough time preaching ourselves the truth. I spend too much time telling myself how horrible I am and not enough time telling myself what a blessing a can be to others and myself. Now, when I feel fat or even icky about myself, I try to combat that with knowing where I stand. The things you may feel about yourself isn't exactly what others think of you. Spend some time letting yourself be "okay" with you. I think once we let go of our insecurities, we'll start to heal and get healthy! Good luck to you!
  • shannonkk
    shannonkk Posts: 192 Member
    I stopped feeling fat a 165lbs. 15 lbs from my goal. I loved looking at myself in the mirror according to my hubby, he said he would catch me admiring myself every time I passed a window or a mirror. I think that is when I lost the muffin top. My husband makes me feel beautiful and sexy at every size, so losing weight is more about my health and feeling energetic. This may sound bad, but I kinda miss myself being a little thicker, but my cholesterol says I need to lose.
  • Ashonym
    Ashonym Posts: 172 Member
    I'll let you know when it happens.

    This.
  • Liquid741
    Liquid741 Posts: 292 Member
    When my 42" jeans were too big - I felt happy I was loosing weight

    When my 38" jeans were too big - I felt excited and PUMPED

    When my 36" jeans were loose - People at work were calling me "The incredibally shrinking man"

    When I put on 34"s AND THEY FIT!!! (This is where I am now) - I feel like I am not fat now :smile:


    damn..i want to be you! in a weight loss sense...in 38's now. cant imagine ever wearing 34's. hopefully one day...so ill keep running my 4miles 6days a week and hope it comes..
  • brocantrs
    brocantrs Posts: 273 Member
    Haven't
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    This morning, LOL. When I stepped on the scale and it said 128.6 I thought, "Surely I can't still be fat and weigh 128 lbs". I think my biggest thing is (as weird as it sounds) I find the naked body unappealing. The female naked body anyway. My husbands naked body is very appealing!!! But if I am in a swimsuit, underwear, clothes, etc, I am happy with my appearance. The clothes come off and it all looks strange to me. I know, I know.. I'm weird!!

    Perhaps this is my problem. I really only like the look of really thin Keira Knightley type figures.
  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
    I hope this doesn't come across as an insensitive question. I just still find myself despairing over my reflection in the mirror, even though I know according to the numbers I am ok. I spend half my life still feeling fat, and the other half thinking I look great, then catching my reflection and thinking I look like a heifer.

    So when did you get used to your new body?

    Just this morning a girl in work said how "skinny" I was, that I'm looking great. A fantastic compliment of course. When she left I had a good look in the mirror and I honestly couldn't see that I am now slim. I'm 5'5 like you and 135lbs. BMI is around 22 and I've dropped a couple of dress sizes, so I KNOW I have a perfectly healthy weight.
    But I still can't see that I'm actually slim now. How weird.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    People keep saying how thin I look. My husband this morning said my legs are too thin, but I don't see it at all. I can see see the fat on my thighs, I can still see my wobbly tummy, and flabby arms. I can't see what other people see. I am wearing a pair of US size 2 skinny jeans right now, and I still feel fat in them.

    Why do we do this to ourselves?
  • ladyjoie
    ladyjoie Posts: 165 Member
    I think there's been some very great and very telling replies to this thread. So I'll try to share my tips for loving yourself.

    If you want to feel good about yourself, the change happens from the inside. No matter that we're all on our own personal journeys to health and fitness - people here are obsessing about not being THIN. So it's worth asking yourself why do you want to be thin?

    By eating healthily and becoming active, you're improving your body's health, whether you lose twenty or gain twenty pounds by keeping up your habits. Health is about how you feel, things like cholesterol and blood sugars and blood pressure. Fitness is about what you can do - run a marathon, bike for an hour, complete the 30 Day Shred without feeling like you've killed yourself. ;)

    When you look in the mirror or catch sight of yourself, don't think about your flaws. Find one thing, just one thing you like and focus on that. It could be "today, I like how I've done my eye makeup" or "today, I'm rocking great cleavage!" - ANYTHING, just one thing about how you look or what your body is doing that you can enjoy - and then move on. Be body-positive, not body-negative.

    Remember this is all an ongoing process. I don't have it all figured out, not by a long shot. But when I can think "today, I ran for three minutes - longer than I've run in a long time!" I LET myself be proud of myself. We're doing fantastic things here - let's celebrate them!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I don't think I have an especially negative body image. I don't hate myself, far from it, my self esteem isn't determined by my body image. I don't even especially want to be thin. I am not a thin person by nature. I am a curvy person. I just still feel fat.
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