[df180]

Yesterday I went shopping, I picked out a couple clothing items, went to go try them on in the changing room, and when I saw myself in the mirror I looked really heavy...heavier than I normally do. I obviously am still over weight but I swear different mirrors do different things to my body. Sometimes I see myself and think "Wow, Look how much smaller I am! I'm almost average size!!". other times I think I look........ gigantic.

It can be very

I suppose it's the way our brains work. Another example, which is a little different, would be when I sit down in a chair some chairs make me look extremely big because the way my stomach is positioned by it, other chairs don't push my stomach up, so I don't look as big. It's a very strange feeling to see yourself in all these different sizes.

And it's a reminder that I've still got weight to lose.

Anyone have stories like this? Where their mind seems to play tricks on them?

[Edit] Thank you for reading.

[Dottington]

Oh yes! My experience with this might be a little bit different though, although I still think its very interesting. I've come to expect and accept it since I've been diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Its actually really strange bc my mind learns where the mirrors are that I use regularly(around my house, school, even doors or windows I'm used to walking past) and immediately transforms my body into being gigantic with large, exaggerated imperfections. But whenever I go somewhere new, like on a vacation, I get excited bc it takes me a little bit to learn where the mirrors are and so for a day or two I'm always surprised whenever I look in the mirror that I'm not hideous and grotesque looking But as I look longer in a mirror or get used to it the distortion comes back.
Our minds are so fascinating!

[IanG]

I am the opposite. I look amazing in mirrors.

A lot less so in photographs.

And unfortunately the camera does not lie.

It's definitely the brain.

[1Bluerose68]

Then you must have a great sense of high self esteem?

[Palestrina]

I'm beginning to think that it's all in our minds anyway so why not just condition ourselves to like what's in the mirror? Imagine a person in your life who says something negative to you every time he/she sees you. It could be your aunt, your mom, a colleague or whatever. If you came to expect that he/she would make a nasty comment every time you saw them wouldn't you learn to brace yourself and begin to feel self conscious thoughts in the day leading up to seein them? I know I do. Well, that's what we do to ourselves. We are that negative voice we have come to fear. But we hold the power to change it so do it!

This doesn't apply to men. Men in general are much more secure with who they are physically. Probably because they don't have the same amount of pressure to look a certain way that women do.

[Eydawn]

Ian- ain't that the truth... I like how I look in the mirror most days. It was the photos from my friend's wedding that made me go oh holy ****, I look like a heifer... time to lose the weight, for real...

[IanG]

There have actually been studies on how the brain perceives a mirror image different to a photograph. Don't want to bore you all, but just sayin'.

This doesn't apply to men. Men in general are much more secure with who they are physically. Probably because they don't have the same amount of pressure to look a certain way that women do.

This is only partially true. All the insecurities are there but without the pressure, I agree that it is often easier for us not to give a sh!t.

[Claygirl1518]

This is so true! And I agree with IanG there is definitely a difference between the mirror and pictures. I don't like pictures right now, still working on that. Mirrors are all over the place though, the most unflattering ones are usually in dressing rooms when shopping! I can't help but think that maybe they should design those so it's the best light/mirror combo so you'll buy their clothes, not leave feeling awful. Also, Body Dysmorphic Disorder is pretty common in women, there was a post a while ago that was interesting I think it was a website in the UK that showed different bodies/weights, you picked the one you thought you were, then entered your measurments and it told you which one you actually were and how off you were. I thought I was about 30% fatter (image wise) than I actually am. Kind of helps with perspective!

[alaskanlaughter]

i had an experience one time probably 5 years ago by now....i felt like i was overweight, which i was, and I spent most of the summer doing weight watchers at home and I felt like I was losing weight, I could tell in my clothes etc although I'm not sure I ever was near a scale to find out....i was freaking HUNGRY(!!) all summer long but i was losing weight

and then one day i went to a birthday party and then saw photos of myself that someone had posted to facebook and tagged me in (which i promptly untagged) and i looked SOOOOOO FAT(!!!!).....all that work and hunger and i just looked horrible in the photos i promptly said "screw that" to being hungry and started eating what i wanted and gained the weight back