I have often seen the phrase "morbidly obese" in these forums, and I guess my weight (310+) is morbid, but I really really don't look morbidly obese. Actually nobody would guess my weight at anywhere near 310 lbs. My driver's license says 240 and everyone in my family thinks that is the actual truth. So I just wondered if the rest of you look smaller than you weigh.

When I became overweight (just a little and then later a whole lot), no one could guess my weight being as high as it was. When I weighed around 300 lbs, I told one of my friends how much I weighed and she could not believe it because I was so mobile and just did not look that big. Another funny thing ... one time when I was being treated by my chiropractor, I asked him how much he thought I weighed and he guessed 40 lbs. too light. Now here is an oddball twist, my wonderful guy guessed my weight right on. I don't how he did it, but he did.

I don't know if it's because I am tall, big-boned, or that I carry my weight over my whole body that I can disquise my weight a bit. Also it takes me about a 25 lb. loss before I can go down in a clothing size ... go figure. That totally frustrates me.

I think that most people have no idea what 250 or 300 pounds looks like and therefore they think we weigh less than we do. I had a conversation recently with a friend who is not very big about another friend who is well over six feet tall and large. The first person, who is not very big, said in reference to the second person, "He must weigh almost 200 pounds." Well, from my perspective, I knew that this person must weigh much more than 200 pounds.

While on some level I think that it is nice that people think we weigh less than we do, I don't think we should assume that means we look like we weigh less than we do. I think it just means that those people don't have a reference point from which to guess our weight. I suspect that if most of us in the Triple Digits Club met each other in person, we could make a pretty good guess about what each of us weighs because we have a much better sense of what it looks like to weigh that much.

I'll pose another question -- does anyone posting here think that he or she looks like s/he weighs MORE than s/he does? My guess is that the answer to that is no. We can't all look like we weigh less than we do. I think it is people's perception of what it looks like to weigh what we weigh that is the issue here. We don't look like we weigh less than we do; it is just that most people don't know what it looks like to weigh what we weigh.

I don't intend this post to be discouraging, it is just an issue I am fighting within myself. I find myself thinking, "I don't look like I weigh 275 pounds, maybe I don't really need to lose another 100 pounds." Yes, I do look like I weigh 275 pounds (even though most people would never guess that I weigh that much because they don't know what 275 pounds looks like) and I do need to lose another 100 pounds -- for my health as much or more as for my looks.

I just recently had a discussion with a close friend about my need to lose an additional 140lbs. She was actually speechless. This is a very close friend of about 15yrs and she has always been very honest with me. But, I know the weight of man that she also knows who weighs what I weighed at my highest and I think that put it into perspective for her. When I tell those that are closest to me how much weight I've lost, they have just as hard of a time fathoming that. The truth is that most people of more "normal" size can't even grasp the concept of losing 20-30lbs. Maybe that is where a lot of the perception of the young teens comes from when they try to compare themselves to shrinky-dink models. At such small sizes, 10lbs seems like a huge amount. For me, 10lbs can come on from one bad day of eating.

Stardust, it has taken me much more than 25lbs to go down one size. I think as we get small, proportionally our sizes will fall off at a little small break b/c the overall weight loss is a bigger proportion. Did that make sense?

Anyway, I do find that with LC, I am one size smaller in clothing than I was on the way up at the same size. The extra bit of muscle makes that difference, I'm sure.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Shari

Yea people always guess me at about 180-190 or less, even when I was heavier. I have a lot of muscle and am just about 6' tall... so that helps.

People never believe how much I actually weigh. My mother has lost a lot of weight in the past couple months and I still believed her to be 2 sizes smaller than she actually is. I'm not sure why.

It does seem to be taking a lot for me to drop a size. I have my mini goal pants that I keep trying on to see how much I need to go. Slowly but surely they are starting to fit. I can't wait until they fit but I expect that it won't be for another couple months.

It's weird, even in high school my friends never believed that I weigh as much as I do. I have that "compacted fat" as I call it, not that fluffy fat that some people get. I'm 5 foot 10 too so that makes a big difference.

Someone asked about "morbidly obese" the technical definition is 100 pounds or more overweight, so it's different for everyone.

Nicole

My dr. said I have a pear shape. Most of my weight is in my waist, stomach, hips, thighs.

From my shoulders up I don't look morbidly obese. No double chins, long neck. Once while parking at a store, there was a handsome guy flirting with me. I was too embarrased to get out of my car, so left and went to another store.

From upper chest on down, yes I look my weight.

Just for kicks, since being on Atkins, I have the skinniest ankles I have ever had. LOL Not retaining water anymore.

Ok ...so I must be really strange. I'm one of those people that feel like I look like I weigh much more than I do. I have friends who weigh about thirty poinds less than I do (and are the same height) and I'm hopeing, hopeing, hopeing that my shape will look similar to theirs when I reach that weight. I think all of my weight is in my belly..and since I'm on the short side...doesn't help!

Hope this is all in my mind..and not in everyone else's eyes!

Keep going everyone....we will all get there!

I am 5 ft 11in tall and have a large frame. When I told my close friends what I weighed when I started on this (298#) they didn't believe me. Me and my best friend started together and when I got on the scale she almost fell over. But she is much smaller too, she only needs to loose about 30 pounds. So maybe the perspective is the difference I don't know. The look of disbeliefe on peoples faces is funny when I say "29# down and 94# more to go". But even tho I don't look what I weigh (269# at present) I'm keeping focused on my goal of 175#.

I have a twist - I didn't think I weighed that much - I looked in the mirror and saw me or I avoided looking in the mirror as much as possible. I thought buying new clothes in a larger size was the clothing companies changing the sizes - I know warped but it kept me sane!

Now yes I have to say that people can tell what I weigh - I have been doing this for so long now that everyone is aware and finally after 50 + lbs gone people are starting to really say wow you are doing great!

It is a good feeling and it takes me 25lbs to lose a size as well.

Good luck everyone!!! - I think it is how you feel inside as well and right now I don't feel over 200lbs I am but in certain clothes I feel much thinner!

I was told by a clerk at the DMV when I renewed my license that I "carried my weight" well. This even thought the weight on my license was at least 20 pounds low. I do think that up to a certain point when we gain weight a lot of it is packed around our organs and maybe not so visible....not a pretty thought, is it?

On the other hand, sometimes people are just trying to give what they think is a compliment.

I did post but I just deleted it all! I didn't realize you had to lose 100+ and since I only have 80 to lose I don't quite make the criteria to post in here. Sorry to you all

Jenny

You can still join us!

I don't think I do, and most people don't think I weigh as much as I do.

Nah for me I'm the one U probably could guess the weight of. My frustration are women I know who weigh about what I do or more but wear like 2-6 sizes less than I do. That's a wonderous thing to me. I know they have more muscle mass...just makes me feel even more fat. *sigh*