will i EVER see a skinny me??

tonilizzy88
tonilizzy88 Posts: 920 Member
edited December 19 in Motivation and Support
yes ok ive lost 22pounds on the scale and a dress size (im 5ft 8 and 159lbs) eveyone is telling me how good i look but i just cant see it. and tbh i think i will always see myself in the mirror as a big person.

Replies

  • ElHombre23
    ElHombre23 Posts: 126 Member
    If you've lost 22 pounds you are already seeing a skinner you...keep at it and take pictures every month it really helps in seeing the changes...
  • AbbyHoopi
    AbbyHoopi Posts: 48
    If you've lost 22 pounds you are already seeing a skinner you...keep at it and take pictures every month it really helps in seeing the changes...

    I agree... I place where I actually notice changes is photos. I don't see it in "real life"
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I'm dealing with the same problem right now. I've dropped 33 pounds and gone from a 6 to a 2, yet all I still see in the mirror is fat.

    I think you just have to learn to focus on your good parts. I try to make note of my visible collar bones, smaller wrists, and thinner neck. Someday I hope to see the flatter stomach, but all I still see there is mush.
  • ex2mom
    ex2mom Posts: 6
    I went from193 to currently125-127. (Had a baby in April 2011), I STILL feel fat. I went from a 12 to now a 4. I just see fat when I look in the mirror... it sucks.
  • gromithere
    gromithere Posts: 172 Member
    First off, great work! :-) From my experience, it makes it easier to see on a daily basis if you look at some before and after pictures every once in a while. Keep it up!!!
  • rachellem86
    rachellem86 Posts: 62 Member
    It's hard to notice when you see yourself every day. Photos are helpful. I also find that when I fit into something that I didn't previously, it makes me realize that I've made progress!
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    I've felt that way before. Even after losing a lot of weight... I'm at the weight when most people WERE at in their before pictures. There are times when I still feel like a before picture, but I have to go back and look at where I started (see my Fat Faces pic in my profile). It helps to photograph regularly and keep old clothes that are getting too big.
  • jennifer52484
    jennifer52484 Posts: 888 Member
    Your brain just needs to catch up. You will see it. Stay positive and build your confidence!
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    I totally know what you mean. I can look at pictures and see a difference, but in the mirror I just don't see it. I think we're just so used to seeing ourselves one way, we've kinda got a "fat filter" on when we look in the mirror. I think it takes time and some self-confidence building. Taking pictures and comparing side by side REALLY helps though, I always take a look at my before and afters (well, after meaning current--I'm not done!) when I'm feeling like I haven't made progress.
  • melbot24
    melbot24 Posts: 347 Member
    I've often wondered this too.
    I've lost 80 lbs and I still feel as big as I was before.

    Sometimes I don't even realize how small I've become until I catch myself off guard in a mirror at the gym or a shop window.
    I'll look at pictures taken of me now and still be amazed at how much smaller I am.
    I still pick out size L or XL out when I go shopping for clothes even though I'm wearing size M.

    It's going to be a process and requires lots of strength.
    Just know you're not the only one going through it.
  • VoodooLuLu
    VoodooLuLu Posts: 636 Member
    i still feel fat also darling and when i see pictures they dont help either they make me gag so now i dont go on pictures anymore ...which makes me wonder ... is everyone i know lying to make me feel better or are they blind.... but it could also just be my mind playing with me ... but yes it really is down putting and it sucks and i dont know what to do bout it either xoxox
  • Xbwalker
    Xbwalker Posts: 65
    I have been dealing with the same issue. My pants are way too big, I fell energized, and everyone says I look thinner. However, when I look in the mirror, I see no difference. Trust me though, it's there. Just stick with it. Remember that you see yourself every day so noticing a transition is hard.

    You know the quote, "a watched pot never boils"? Well how about, "a watched fat person never gets skinny".
  • Newf77
    Newf77 Posts: 802 Member
    Stop this train now, you are a young beautiful woman. Just because when you look forward in the mirror you do not see your spine. Too many people place physical appearance over physical health. Look at your own exercise diary and realize you are amazing and you are a healthy skinny. :flowerforyou:
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    It can definitely take some time to get the mind to catch up with the scale and measurements. Up until recently I had still been struggling to find clothes that fit my new body...more than likely b/c I was trying to buy stuff on clearance at Walmart and Target which never seem to be sized properly for me. So, over the weekend I was at the outlets and there were amazing sales going on. I finally found some adorable clothes that fit that I could afford and I am really starting to see the truth about how far I have come. It also helped that yesterday I found a pair of my old pants from when I first started MFP and put them on. There was absolutely no way to hold them up :) You'll have moments like this, just be patient!!!
  • dirtchick97
    dirtchick97 Posts: 58
    I think once you have been overweight its hard to see yourself as anything else when you look in the mirror. I have the same problem, when I look in the mirror I feel huge. Guess that's just something we have to overcome mentally.....
  • serenetranquility
    serenetranquility Posts: 125 Member
    Do you have a pic you can post of when you started then one of now? Sometimes it really helps to see a side by side. For what it's worth, I am the same stats as you, and pear shaped, and feel the same most of the time. I think it just takes time.
  • carebear9703
    carebear9703 Posts: 6 Member
    In the same boat. I'm trying to find some before pics but i think i destroyed them all at some point. I believe I will always just see fat.
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
    Toni,

    You need to take monthly pictures so that you can't stop this thinking. First of all, you are beautiful. Second, it's all in your head. If you want to be slimmer, then you will be. If it's your goal, then you will achieve it.

    If it's important to you, you will make it happen, if not, you will make excuses. In the end, what matters is how you feel. The problem is that despite you looking good on the outside and making some huge progress, you are still not seeing the good in you. That's what you display to people. I guarantee you. You need to boost your confidence and eliminate this kind of thinking.

    A healthy life is not just about changing on the outside. You also need to change on the inside. And also remember, our bodies will get older, we may or may not be at 6% body fat forever. So concentrate on making a difference in this world. On making sure you help others daily. Change your life by changing mind and body.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I've been the same way after losing about 40lbs. It's hard to see yourself for what you really look like. I think most people who have struggled with weight have some degree of body dysmorphic disorder (which is what you're experiencing when you look in the mirror and see your heavier self). It may go away with time... If not I think you should consider talking to a therapist (it's helped me a lot).

    A huge part of it is convincing yourself that you DESERVE to feel thin.
  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
    Losing that much weight, you are a skinny-er you. But if you're asking if you'll ever look the way you did when you were as a teenager, the answer is no.
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
    Losing that much weight, you are a skinny-er you. But if you're asking if you'll ever look the way you did when you were as a teenager, the answer is no.

    LOL. That's not true unless you mean face or you mean BETTER.
  • WhittRak
    WhittRak Posts: 567 Member
    Yes, I feel the same way often time. I have a ton more weight to lose, but the weight I have lost..I can't see it.
  • PhillyTD
    PhillyTD Posts: 375 Member
    Yes, I feel the same way often time. I have a ton more weight to lose, but the weight I have lost..I can't see it.

    But do you notice that your belt is on the last loop? That your pants are starting to sag? I remember the first time I lost 75lbs. It seemed I saw myself in the mirror one day and went "DAMN!"

    :)
  • hanahlai
    hanahlai Posts: 281 Member
    I take pictures ALL the time to help remind me! They are mostly just for me because sometimes a mirror seems to distort my thought but for whatever reason I believe pictures more. LOL I went from 166 to around 136 now. You will start to feel skinny very soon! I kept a goal of basically getting into each new 10's bracket. Like I can't wait to get out of 160's, then 150's, then 140's, then 130's etc. It helped to motivate me whenever I was feeling unaccomplished! You can do this just stick with it, and don't believe the lies your eyes want to tell you when you look in the mirror! Take pics and measurements!~
  • miniberger
    miniberger Posts: 70 Member
    We ARE our own worst critics. I think for me, I had an image of myself frozen in time when I was skinny and even though I'm much larger, I've fooled myself into thinking I'm not that big, so I imagine that I'm not going to see the difference either... although my damned pants keep falling down. :P
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