I was very well proportioned at 240 pounds. As I've been loosing weight, that has not held true, so there are some obvious "problem areas" that were not as noticable before when I was packed solid with fat. I went through a bout of feeling depressed when I looked in the mirror. If I recall it was around the 30 pound mark as well. Lately, I've been able to feel better about my progress, I've noticed some contors in places that indicate to me that eventually, I will reap the rewards of loosing this excess weight, not just by feeling better but looking better too. It is just that I am in a transistional period.

Think about the mess that must be made in the process of remodeling a building, for a while it may look worse, but in the end all the improvements can be seen.

Hang in there.

Potatofree, I am hypoglycemic so hunger takes on a different meaning. I could eat a meal and within 1 1/2 hours I would be abolutely starved. It was what a perceived as hunger which was actually a spike in insulin. No, I was hungry. I sometimes ate extra food because I wanted to feel full for a longer period of time. The surprising part is, it did not work.

After reducing my carbs and increasing my protein, hunger took on a whole different meaning.

Black57

RishaMoon, thank you for the wise words. I have never looked at it in that way before but yes, you are right - like a building undergoing renovation or plastic surgery on your face, things can get real ugly before they become really great! I will keep that in mind every time I get to feeling down.
Thank you all for your words of wisdom - I'm so glad I found this forum. It is amazing to know how many of us have gone through similar feelings. Good luck and continued success to everyone. Ignore the name callers and the old BFs - they truly are little people.

Happy Monday!
Ana

Ana-- in this case, the old bf really IS little...<giggle> Have you MET him?...(Sorry, it just HAD to be said!)

Hi AJ, I often feel as you do. I will be feeling really good about my weight loss accomplishment thus far, and then I stand in front of the mirror and wonder how the h*ll did I let myself get like this in the first place?? It depresses me to see pics of me when I was 140. I was cleaning out the garage this past weekend and found clothes from when I was 140 lbs. They are going into the garage sale. That weight is too far away for me to visualize right now. My boyfriend says I let my weight determine my self worth. If I'm thinner, I'll be more worthy. I know he is partly right. I'm taking it one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time, and I know I will start to feel better about myself one of these days. Risha, I love your analogy. I will keep that in mind as well.

Kudos to you. I didn't really loath myself. After going from a size 18/20 to a size 8. I looked in the mirror and still saw a fat woman. It took me some time to realize the results. You hang in there you are doing great.

Oh my gosh. You sound like me this weekend. I said to my husband "Can you believe I've lost 73 pounds and I'm still fat? How bad does that suck?" But we laughed about it. I want you to know that the thoughts you are having are not to be ignored. Don't take this way of thinking lightly. If you pay attention to the list of safe foods in the atkins book then you also need to pay attention to a few lists of safe thinking. This is probably the biggest sabotage out there for any diet no matter what kind. I still have 100 pounds to lose so I can relate but do you know that I've been trying to lose this weight for 8 years??? The number one reason I have never lost it is b/c I always think to myself that if I can't lose it by tomorrow then who cares. I get this idea in my head that I will never get "THERE". That is a total sabotage to me. You can't think like that. YOU CAN"T. That is what they call stinkin' thinkin'. The first thing you must do is become completely 100 % ok with the idea of losing weight at whatever pace your body will let you lose it. Now that doesn't mean that you cheat and then say "Oh well my body wants to stay fat"....but it means that if you follow this diet to the letter and only lose 1 pound a week then you must be FINE with it. I lose about 2 pounds a week average but it adds up. If I could have understood how important it was to be ok with this I would have lost this weight a long time ago. Do not get trapped into thinking that you can't do it. That is the devil talking!!! This is a game and it's half mental. You have to change your way of thinking. I highly recommend reading lots and lots of positive thinking books. Norman Vincent Peale is a great one and any book that will inspire and uplift you. But don't ever give in to those thoughts. This is war!!

Armywife, way to go! I know I'll be very happy if I can lose two pounds a week once I'm getting off induction. I think you're doing excellently! At 2 pounds a week, you'll be at your goal weight by this time next year!! I know that probably seems like a really long time, but when you consider how quickly a year flies by, it won't be long at all.

May I say that the suggestion to perhaps seek counseling is probably a good one. I lost 120 lbs and kept it off for ten years. I LOOKED SO GOOD! I LOVED looking in the mirror, clothes shopping and just getting out and being SEEN! Unfortunately, having been that large, and then that thin, I put ALL of my sense of self-esteem in my thin beautiful self! Over a few years I've gained thirty-some pounds, and I have to say I have felt so rotten about how I look that I have avoided social gatherings, and even dread just going to work or the grocery store. I'm working on these issues with a counselor now, but still feel my feelings of success as a person are too closely tied to my weight.
Face it-weight loss is great. Looking good is great. We all get old and things change. It is crucial to figure out things about yourself that you can love and value that are not skin deep, and subject to change.

You should be extremely proud of yourself! You are 30 pounds closer to your goal. When i weighed at my highest (256) i thought that i would never go below 200, it seemed like such a long road. It was, but it was a journey i had to take. Think about how much better you feel and how much you have improved your health. Keep it up and remember- take one day at a time.


May ketosis be with you