[michelle95]

I'm 5'9" and weigh 160. That's down from 225. The other day at work one of my coworkers got on the scale and she was 149. I asked how tall she is, she said 5'7". I told her what I weigh and she couldn't believe it. She thought I weighed less. I said the same about her. I would have put her at about 135.

My problem? When I look in the mirror, while I don't see a fat person, I don't see myself as skinny as other people see me. I still think I'm fat. It scares me because I know a lot pf anorexics have body image problems. I'm not anorexic (I make myself eat so I can keep up my muscle) and I'm not bulimic.

You guys got any advice. The pants I wear now...when I look at them, I can see how skinny I've gotten. But, in the mirror, it's a different thing. This worries me because I don't want to be like that.

[SwimGirl]

It takes a while for your mind to catch up with your body, the same goes for people who put on a bunch of weight. You just get used to seeing one thing, and once it changes, it takes a while to get used to it. And honestly, when I was super thin, I never thought I was, it's hard for women to accept their weight and how they look. Cover those mirrors, or avoid them, focus on how you feel, because thats the most important!

[michelle95]

Thanks.

[QuilterInVA]

Try looking a photos of yourself as you look now. Sometimes we can take that in better than what we see in the mirror.

[JayEll]

I always think I am thinner than I really am, so when I look in the mirror it's a shock!

Don't let movies, TV shows, and magazines tell you how you should look. Some of us are never going to have flat stomachs--women aren't generally like that. The media always is trying to push really thin women as the ideal, but look around you. It's not normal.

Just keep going with your healthy program for weight loss and maintenance. Check your BMI and the ideal weight for height charts. They tell a better story than the mirror ever will.

SW 5/24/04: 196
CW 7/22/04: 179
GW 145

[michelle95]

I know what you're saying Quilter, I remember seeing a pic and thinking "Wow, I look darn good!"

I just had to say, YOU GO! 200 pounds lost? Wow!

I think that's the problem Jay. We're so used to seeing images on the mirror that we feel we don't cut it. But, my BMI is now healthy so I should be concentrating on that.

[praytherosary822]

Good for you on the weight loss. Remember that if you have muscle that weighs more than fat so you can't compare what you weigh to what your friend weighs and we all have different bone structure. I had a co worker, we both weight about 200 pounds, I looked like I weighed that much, I would have guessed her weight to have been 50 pounds lighter, we both carried out weight differently. Anyway good luck and God BLess.

[goeatanapple]

Well done for your weightloss! I am a member of heaps of weightloss communities, and this is a common theme amongts big-time losers! They have lost upwards of 100 pounds and still think of themselves as the fat girl/guy. It does take some time for the mind to adjust to the new "person" carrying it around! Progress photos are an excellent way, as mentioned above, of tracking "progress" and realising just how far you have come!!

P.S. your colleague probably thought you weighed less than you did because of all that lovely, dense, muscle that makes you "heavier" but not "larger"