I've lost 50 or 60 pounds and although I still have a long way to go, I am definitely smaller than I used to be. The problem is, I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what size I am. I was out shopping with my daughter yesterday afternoon and we stopped in a deli to get something to drink. The waitress led us to a booth and I looked at it and was convinced that there was no way I would fit in. I tried it and easily fit with room to spare. I had a similar experience recently with a turnstile. I watched a large guy ahead of me go through with a great deal of trouble and I thought, this is going to be embarrassing, I am going to have to squeeze through this also. Well, I breezed through the turnstile. I've had the same experience with chairs with arms -- thinking I would not fit and then easily sliding into the chair.

While all these experiences ended up being positive, the feeling of panic I had before realizing I fit in the booth/turnstile/armchair was definitely not positive. If I could develop a better sense of what size I am, I think I could avoid some unpleasant and unnecessary heart pounding and panicking.

Do any of you other triple digit club members who have lost a significant amount of weight have any suggestions for readjusting my mental image of myself so that I can be a little more comfortable in these types of situations?

I think it is just going to take time. the more your in the situations and the more times that there are no problems it will eventually sink in.

i go through the same thoughts as you. We were seated at a booth and I was stressing, finally sat down after looking at both side and seeing if one side was wider and surprise - no problem. I also have anxiety when we go in my DH truck - I find the seat belt constrictive. Even though I know last time I was in there it fit, I dread putting it on like it isn't going to fit - well it fit and slid up and down my stomach now.

so I think it will take time - but at least all the outcomes are positive so far.

Happy Lo Carbing!!!!

It's true, Liz...

...time is your friend on this issue. I have many of the same feelings and experiences. I still have moments of panic about booths in restaraunts and chairs etc. Of course we do...we trained ourselves to feel this way when we were our heaviest. And for good reason--we did not fit and did not want to be embarassed or uncomfortable.

But I am always pleasantly surprised now. In fact, I slip in and out of all of them with ease these days. But I still approach booths with some trepidation, though less and less each time.

It will take time for your self-image to adjust to reality. And the changes and adjustments will be ongoing for many months as you continue to lose weight, so you might as well become friends with the process.

But things could be way worse! We could still be to big to fit in!

Good luck and god health to all in the TDC.

Donald

Liz, I'm not quite a TDer yet (but I supsect that I will be by the end of all this) but I do have some advice.

I've found myself in a similar spot the last few months. I walk into a store and I automatically head for the "plus size" side of it. I pull clothing off the rack and the first size I grab is an 18 or a 16. I forget.

This year for New Years I made a resolution to be less critical and hard on myself, as this is where I think a lot of my confusion lays. I have made an effor the past few weeks to acknoweldge what I've managed to achieve and to take pride in those changes.

It has made a huge difference in my self confidence, in my perception of how I think others see me. I know I'm not 'There' yet, but lately I have been able to accept that the finishing line is very close.

It took me making an active descision to spend time going over what I had accomplished to make it real to me. Positive reinforcement. Remind yourself that you're 50 lbs smaller. Try on old clothing. Look at yourself in the mirror and really see what has changed. Can you see your collar bones? Do your rings fit better? Are they too loose?

Take a look inside s well. How do you cope with stress now? Did you used to be a closet / emotional eater? Big changes happen on the inside, too.

HTH
Nat

Hi Liz-

It's been a while since I lost that amount of weight but I do still have major self confidence issues and almost freak out when i'm trying on new clothes. My poor DH gets weirded out that i'm that afraid to try new styles because "i'm sure they won't look good on me".

The advice that I have found work for me is like Nat said. Look in the mirror. I found that I had only looked at my face for about a decade and you really need to get in touch with your body.

Second and you may not be ready for this one.... no more stretchy clothes. This will really show you how your body changes. Lycra is an amazing fabric but it works against us - making us completely unaware of losses and gains.

All the best to you and I know you can do it!!!

Thanks everyone, for your advice. I guess I just need to hang in there and the panic attacks about not fitting will eventually go away.

Lisa, I'm not quite ready to give up the elastic waists yet. I've been buying skirts and pants with elastic inset into the side, but not elastic all the way around. That way, I can wear them longer as I lose weight; I can't afford to replace my entire wardrobe every two months. I'm not wearing stretchy pants, however, just corduroy or denim (in dark colors!). I have saved a few things I wore when I was over 350 pounds and they are huge on me now!

Hey about the old clothes being huge on you. Doesn't that feel AWESOME!!!

As I said you may not be ready yet - and really the constant size changing and cost of clothes was what I meant.


Believe in yourself!

Yes, it does feel great that the old clothes are huge; I'm down from a size 30 to a size 24. It seems like I should be bigger than a 24 at 300 pounds, but I'm tall (5' 9'1/2"), big-boned, and active (swim laps or walk 50 to 60 minutes most days) so perhaps more of my weight than average is bones and muscles. At least I'd like to think that -- I may be deluding myself!

Thanks for your support and encouragement.