To the people that have lost over 40lbs...

LolasEpicJourney · January 2012

I think most of us still do. I've lost 105 lbs from my highest weight and I still feel huge some days. Others I feel like I've come far but I sometimes have to put on the fat pants or compare pictures to remind myself I have done a lot and I so look and feel a world better. I think I'll always struggle with the fat girl image... I don't think I'll ever feel thin enough when I look in the mirror-which is sad but I'd rather realize that now before I go too far

itgeekwoman · January 2012

I'm right at that 40lb loss right now and I constantly judge myself. I don't think I'll ever be skinny enough. That's part of the problem though. We lose the weight, but we still need to deal with the issues. In we.. i mean me. There's always something that drives me to eat. I think right now, the key is to love myself. Positive self talk is the way that I'll feel good about me.

Often when a person loses weight in large amounts and changes their life so much to lose the weight, other changes occur. This includes divorce/marriage job changes or other major changes. All because we become more self confident.

Don't make any critical decisions yet. Just be.. I found that when I printed out a picture of me before I lost the weight .. and posted it in my cubical at work. It helped me to remember that I'm still that person, just smaller. I'm stronger, but not really more beautiful, just more compact.

tangiesharp · January 2012

I've lost 36 pounds, but yes, I still see the old fatt(er) me. It's hard because everyone wants to celebrate my "success," but I can't get my head around it. I've still got at least 8 more pounds to go, but that's probably not going to make much of a difference in my attitude. I'm starting to incorporate more fitness goals now, rather than weight goals. Fitness things like running and completing a triathlon this summer. Those may become tangible goals I can celebrate better than looking in the mirror.

Scott_P · January 2012

Yes. I can really only tell that I look different when I look at my starting picture.

Amy911Gray · January 2012

Yep...was at 40, 50, 60 and I will probably be that at 70, 80, 90, etc.

It's really hard to get into the mind set that I'm not 245 pounds and a size 24 but 179 pounds and a size 14...It's just hard to get there...

spacey1968 · January 2012

This is the biggest problem that I struggle with. I can close my eyes and feel the difference in my body. I have lost 65 total pounds and look in the mirror and see the same body I had before. It is so frustrating! I stand in department stores and just want to cry because I don't know what to do. I love how my body feels and how the muscles feel under my skin, but I feel like I still look flabby and fat. It's such a head game. So to answer your question...I'm still struggling with this......

cnsmith2 · January 2012

Well, I AM still fat lol.... so yes I see myself that way. I was pondering today though, and thinking about my number and I realized I've almost lost 60 pounds... I mean I've almost lost a decent sized child in weight... my niece probably weighs less than what I've lost lol.

I''m incredibly proud of myself and starting to feel different though. I think it takes time, but it does set in.

I'm glad I have pictures of me at my heaviest so that once I lose another 40 pounds (and more) I can look back at the differences.

nsblue · January 2012

lol still have the "fat" brain syndrome... will have i imagine for a while.... still head for the "big" section in clothes... n i wont fit in them lol

IrishHarpy1 · January 2012

All. The. Time. I even convince myself sometimes that I'll wake up in the morning to find that all the pounds have come back. :ohwell:

I still automatically head for the "women's" section of the stores... gravitate towards the 2X shirts or size 22 pants... tell myself that I won't fit into anything stylish. Then common sense - usually in the form of my husband or my sister, who are my clothes shopping buddies -- will kick in, and I'll tentatively try on something. I'm always surprised when those single digit sizes actually FIT!

One thing that I've done to help keep perspective is that I've held on to a pair of my size 22 pants. Whenever I look in the mirror and start thinking that nothing has changed, I pull them out of the closet and lay them on the bed next to a pair of pants that fit me now. It gives me that visual comparison that I *don't* see in the mirror.

Remember, we look at ourselves every day -- those changes that happen when we lose weight/tone up/get healthier aren't nearly as evident to us as they are to others.

haleycreations · January 2012

Well For me I find at times I still have the bloated feeling and look bigger in the mirror. But then I go out and see a friend that I have not seen in years and they say what have you been doing with yourself you look amazing. I know that I have went from a size 42+ waist to a 34" waist at present day. I also know that muscle weighs more than fat so if you do not see it on the scale you will probably see it around your waist.
I will say that when I was working out for the first 30 days I did not see any results on the scale, as my body was transforming the fat in my body from bad fat to healthy muscle. I so far have lost 55 lbs in the past year and a half, and have managed to keep it off and maintain my waist line. One of my friends told me to throw your scale away for the first three or four months, as you will get discouraged and you don't need anymore stress when you are trying to loose weight. Stress will only add more bad fat to your waist line.
Well when you lose the weight as I did I went through my closet and got rid of all the clothes that I out grew so that I would not have the excuse as to why I slipped back into the old sizes. If the clothes are not there then you will try harder not to slip back into the old routine and give in as easily. I found that I only have a few pairs pants and shirts now that really fit in the smaller size but it feels amazing to know that I am doing it and keeping it off.
I hope that something I have said may inspire someone out there and you can find your inner self. I have one last thing to ponder, Ask yourself one real question and truly answer this honestly. What is my Why? With this I mean what makes you want to lose the weight or get in better shape in the first place. For me it was making sure that I was around for my daughters when they get older. It was also being able to finally stop taking my depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and high cholesterol medication. So Look in the mirror and ask yourself What is my Why?
Talk to you all soon.

HealthyHoney30 · January 2012

I feel that way all the time. I've had a distorted view of my body for as long as I cand remember. I'm working on it.

BADGIRLstl · January 2012

Thanks all responding and puttin your true feelings out there. I have battled with weight loss for so long, now that I am showing good progress, its hard to "see" it in the mirror. I don't want this to be confused with that I'm not happy. I KNOW that changes are happening....annnnd it I convince myself and dig deep I can see it. But naturally, I don't see it. I see it with my strength in the gym....I can run longer, I'm more energized, I love the gym now, I can lift more weight.... I see it when I make a healthy decision with my food choices, and when I put on certain clothes....but....when I first look in the mirror, its tells me that I am the same ol' big girl that I was when I first started. Sad....BUT I AM GOING TO TRY AND CONDITION MY MIND...SO I CAN TRULY ENJOY MY WEIGHT LOSS AND WHAT'S TO COME!

paeli · January 2012

I'm not done my weight loss journey yet, so feeling really proud and satisfied with how I look yet still knowing I have more work to do is kind of hard to balance. I sometimes have bad days where I just think, Oh, my stomach is so huge, I just can't wait to tone it up, etc. And then I have other days where I can't stop looking in the mirror and feeling great about myself.

What has helped me adjust my mental image of myself was taking a ton of progress photos and looking at the 'before' ones fairly often. Another thing is spending a good deal more time looking in the mirror, trying to see what I really look like.

Wrigleymom · January 2012

Yes - I have lost 43 lbs before MFP and am hoping to loose the last while here. I went from a 14 to a 6 (hoping to end up a 4) and I still feel big. When I look in the mirror, all I see is rolls, I want to hide back in bigger clothes, etc. and I still don't enjoy shopping. I know it takes time for your head to adjust. I am hoping the last 12 lbs makes a difference but I also know I have to work on how I feel as well.

cdl8 · January 2012

Oh yes. I still see the fat girl in the mirror even though I know I look different after losing 45lbs! The pictures help too. Sometimes I am amazed that it's actually me in the pictures with no double chin or rolls!

normh545 · January 2012

i feel great because people tell me i look it

that will do for me

TinaVanHoecke · January 2012

I have lost over 100 lbs and I still see fat girl some of the time. It is just our minds playing tricks on us. Yes the pictures will tell you the truth. Keep taking them, it is important to believe the accomplishments you have made.

kimad · January 2012

I am not stuck in my old fat person body.... I love who I am today, and I am super excited to see me in a few more months.
I still have a ways to go, but after 61 lbs the changes are SIGNIFICANT and people can see them.

I think once you sneak up to 50lbs lost you will start to really feel different (I know I did), but be proud of what you have done so far, its awesome!

iysys · January 2012

no. but then again i didn't have any negative feeling about my body before my weight loss started.

eta - i should say i am still very overweight. i have been very over weight since i was at least 15 years old. we shall see how i feel about it when i am down another 40 pounds LOL

Cassiet · January 2012

I have been down from 226 to 139 now for 2 yrs and yes I still have the mental part that still tells me "ugh FAT!" lol I feel more comfortable in clothing, but come summer time all the downsides to weightloss show, I think my self esteem will get better with the more toning I do, so its become my mission to have a healthy view of my body, and no matter what I may LOOK like I think if Im taking all the right steps, excersizing and eating the mental part will come along, good luck to ya hun!

To the people that have lost over 40lbs...

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