Often when I look in the mirror, I feel like I do not look much different than I did 100 lbs. ago. Sometimes I look at myself and feel great, but other times, I see a real fat guy. The scale,my clothes, and the outside world are not lying; I know that I have lost a huge amount of weight, but sometimes I actually question if I really have lost all this weight.

There was just a post about denying your fatness when you were really big that I related to. Is it normal to be in denial about your new body?

This whole body image thing is pretty weird, huh?

Agreed about the image thing.

Actually, I wonder if we don't deny how big we had gotten? Especially in the mirror or just by feel? I know that the ones that shocked me are the photos where I saw a fat lady. I seldom realized that I had gotten that big.

And the memory is also not reliable about how you used to look.

My answer to the body image thing is to really face it by taking an objective, not an emotional look at what you looked like before with a very telling photo. I keep my photo on the fridge and the fat shorts that were too tight in the drawer, right on top. I have not had the huge loss you have had, but when I find myself in doubt, and I do, often, I go to these things and take a look, to ground myself, to again feel that my weight loss is real when I start to feel insecure. I think this sick thinking and self doubt is related to the imposter syndrome. I think it takes awhile to acept ones self when you look in the mirror and you are not what you expect to find- either before or after weight loss, face lift, new hairstyle, etc. You are not alone in this thinking, I think it is common, at least for me!

I have a distorted self image as well. I haven't had a big a loss but close to 60 lbs. I still see the same person in the mirror as I did before, everyone asks me don't you feel better - no I feel the same! I still see me in the mirror - fat. I never did think that I was all that fat - but I was!!!
I have to put on an old pair of shorts/pants to remind myself and for a quick self esteem boost - it works!!!
I still have over 40lbs to go so I am still on a long road at a turtles pace!!!

Oh my goodness! I felt this way a few weeks ago. I was thinking, "I've lost nearly 20 pounds, why can't I see it in the mirror?" Then I pulled out the pictures. I saw a pic of me in my swimsuit right before I started Atkins and then another from just a few weeks ago. I look so different! My face, my butt, legs, stomach, almost everything. Now I look at the before and after almost everyday just cuz it's fun to see the difference and what I've accomplished and gives me the hope to go on!

I tend to do the same thing. I HATE looking at myself in the mirror. My skin is lumpy and rubbery looking.

I do have to say that I actually notice my weight loss when I am wearing clothing. I have lost more thaN 50 lbs but only notice when I am wearing a fitting t-shirt. Why is that??????

I know exactly how you feel. I look in the mirror now and I see this big fat guy looking back. Everyone keeps telling me how great I look and they can't believe how much better I look.
I think the main problem is that before I just never paid any attention to how I looked because I was so embarrassed. Now that I've lost so much weight I am paying very close attention to it.
A couple days ago I put on my biggest pair of blue jeans and my old favorite shirt that I use to wear all the time when I was over 310 lbs. Wow, I was in shock by how much smaller I am now. For the first time I see what everyone else must have seen before.
You should be very proud of what you have accomplished so far. I hope to be joining you soon in that over 100 lbs lost club.

When I was heavy I saw myself as thin. Never looked at pictures with me in them because that wasn't me. Total denial. Since I've lost most of that slowly acquired, unwanted me, my brain NOW insists that I see myself as fat.

Must be brain lag.

You know, I think that we all tend to be our own worst critics. We look at ourselved differently than others do and more times than not we find things wrong that other people do not even take notice of.

Fish, 100 lbs loss is completely AWESOME!

MKathy, you said you have not had a big loss, but close to 60 lbs. WOW! 60 Lbs!! That is a fantastic loss!!

Janetz, you also said you have not had a huge loss, but.. you are 26 lbs lighter than you were when you started, again.. can we say "Awesome"!!

Just in this post alone, (I did some figuring) everyone that has responded to this post up to the point that I am typing this, the weight loss totals up to 374.5 lbs! Throw in my own 7 lbs lost and that make 381.5 lbs of fat gone!

You are all doing fantastic.. your accomplishments are wonderful! So from an outsider looking in, you all Look Maaavelous!!!

Be Proud Of Youselves!! You've accomplished much!

Ruth Janeen

I must admit I can see my weight loss more now than I did a month ago even though I've only lost about 1lb in that time. My DH had to keep telling me how much weight I'd lost because I just couldn't see it for myself even though my clothes were falling off me! I think acceptance will come in its own time!!

I think that I never thought of myself as being as huge as I was. In order for me to fit what I looked like in my brain, not to the outside world, I will still have to lose another 25 pounds.... I don't know if that has something to do with it or not, but my hubby is so proud of me and everyone I work with compliments me all the time, and I go look in the mirror, or look at a picture of me (even recently) and think to myself, I havent lost that much... or I still have so much to lose... but I think I am competing with the denial image in my mind still even though I did at one point in time have a realization that I needed to do something about that fat woman that jumped into my spot in the mirror/reflection/photograph...

I think we're all our worst enemies. I've lost a bit of poundage, but I can't see it either. My friend took a picture of our kids yesterday and I was (by mistake) in the picture. Since the camera was digital, I saw the picture right away. OMG I was so upset! I told her she had to delete the picture. She looked at me like I was nuts. She told me I looked so great. I didn't see it.

I guess I just have to "get over myself" and trust what people tell me. I think I will always be overly critical. It's just me.

One trick to try is to block out the head/face part of the picture, put it away where you will come across it sometime without thinking about it.
You will look at the body objectively for the first time.

<<I just never paid any attention to how I looked because I was so embarrassed. Now that I've lost so much weight I am paying very close attention to it.>>

Word. I think this hits the nail on the head for me. I didn't even own a scale until this year.

I have to say, I have the occasional dark moment when I realize how far I still have to go and how long it's going to take, but mostly I'm just psyched all the time that this is finally happening at all.

Boy can I relate to this....I too have lost 85lbs...but to this day I dont feel any different. I kept some OLD clothes to put on...but I just think Im still so heavy....Im really obsessed with my looks now...more than ever. I tend to look in the mirror and still see such an obese person. I really hope someday I will start to like me...From previous posts I struggle daily with self esteme issues...Im working on that as well as weight loss.....
Being thinner is not going to be easy for me...the new attention is sometimes overwhelming....as I do not know yet how to take compliements...

Take each day as it comes.....try to believe in yourself...your accomplishments...how far you have really come Fish Fish....100lbs is an amazing feat ....you should be so proud...

Take care..
Janet