Weirder the smaller I get....
 

Maybe it is just me.....And my Grandma confirmed that it is BUT.....

I think I look weirder (odd) the smaller I get. I took some "during" pictures today and got a little depressed. I think I was more attractive with a fuller face. Maybe I was just used to that face. In the mirror, I think I look great -healthy- but those photos...Geez. Maybe it was the lighting but it sure doesn’t encourage me to lose more...not if I am going to look emancipated and gaunt. Never thought I would say that!! When I get some courage, I will post the "during" pics. My Grandmother and a whole lot of other people confirm that I look better BUT I feel like I don't look like myself....

Anyone else experience something like this???

Is there anything else that you didn’t expect to feel when (or as you) lost weight???

Thanks!

Anne

I think you should post those pictures and let others decide. I know what you mean though as lately I catch my reflection in the mirror and see someone else looking back. I don't think she looks bad but I think a little severe a less friendly than the old me.

Kitty

I've felt that way too. Not that I looked better exactly b/c my face was REALLY fat and looked terrible but I definitely feel like I look older now. It's almost like without all the extra fat under there, all the wrinkles/creases etc are showing.

wow Congrats on loosing all the weight!!!! That is great news. I think that we , those who have been very overweight for a long time have a very bad self image, I don't know what it will take to make us feel better, but do post the pics and we can tell you how good you look.
My Husband walks around saying how skinny I look, and I look at a pic, and I still see the same Fat person from 60 lbs ago, to me I still look the same. Self image is something I really need to work on.
cheryl

I say give it time. Have you ever gotten a haircut you hated but everyone else said they loved, and after some time you grew to love it? Sometimes it just takes time to get used to a new you.

Another thing is that some people look younger when they're chubbier. I know I do, and I actually hate it. So is it possible that you look older than you used to? If so, treat yourself to some of those fancy new products that fight the signs of aging and all that. You deserve it.

Maybe go for a makeover at a department store makeup counter. Perhaps your coloring has changed and it's time for a new makeup palette. That could make all the difference!

It's funny that you posted this, because this is a HUGE fear of mine. People always say that I look much younger than I am. I am very afraid that when the fat is gone, the wrinkles will show!

In my mind, when I think of myself losing weight, I think of myself as I looked 20 years ago when I was thinner. But I know that even when I get back down to previous weights, 20 years has gone by and I will not look like that.

Keep up the great work! When I had my oldest son,and lost some weight afterwards,everyone looking at pics of me said I looked anorexic(my face was really thin).Funny thing was,I wasn't even at my lowest weight,and I think that because I lose up top first(face,chest,shoulders),everyone just assumed that I was much thinner then I was(pics were of me sitting,so you couldn't see me from the waist down).

Just keep at it....because you're still a work in progress.Look at it like when you get a drastic haircut.You need to get used to looking at the cut in the mirror,because you're just not used to it.

Well of course you don't look like "yourself". "Yourself" weighed 330 pounds and was courting medical disaster.

You, on the other hand, are getting your act together and you've lost a ton of weight. What you're calling gaunt is really just your head not recognizing your new look in the mirror. Realistically, you are still overweight. There is no way you could have really moved into gaunt yet.

Give yourself some time. I know a lot of people in the maintainers forum talk about how it's a year or more before they really see the true picture in the mirror.

Congratulations on doing so well. Post the picture so we can ooh and aah over you. :)

Two quotes that really stood out for me...

Yes, and yes. You are so used to your face looking one way that your new, thinner face looks downright odd! Not to mention the (completely normal) tendency for what we see in the mirror to not match reality for the first year or so after a major loss, and you can see where we start to feel pretty darn bad about what is looking back at us. Luckily, you adjust...my face seemed SO severe to me after weight loss, but now its starting to feel close to normal. Its still different, just not bad-different.

Don't let it discourage you. Your brain is going to take some time to catch up with your eyes and really SEE how great you look.

Like everyone said, give yourself sometime to adjust ... and also let others be the judge of how you look

I don´t know about you guys, but for me many times during my weight loss, I had times that I felt uglier than when I was at my heaviest, but it was something of the moment, the things that I chose to look at. Another thing I also noticed is that I´m a lot more aware of how I look now, before I was in such denial that I didn´t see me... now I do, and sometimes is a hard task... without a doubt we are our worst critics, and that´s a good thing, it keeps us alert, but we also have to learn to be our biggest fans and praise all of our qualities and uniqueness...

You´ve done a great job so far, and I´m sure you do look better, but more importantly you´re healthier, and there´s nothing that tops that !!:) Keep it up !!!

Exactly. When I got to 235 I thought I looked great! Once I hit 225 I thought I looked fatter! :lol:

I think our body's are in a process of losing and it takes time for things to even out. Faces included.

I was flipping out the other nite before bed, it seemed like I had a HUGE line by my left cheek when I smiled. Like crazy line! It is not there now. *crosses fingers*

I was thinking this very same thing. Give it a little time. Maybe u just need some time to adjust. :hug:

I remember getting my braces off when I was 15.. I HATED the way my teeth looked without them.. I thought they looked huge and strange. I was so used to my braces that I couldn't get used to it. Of course now, I love my straight teeth!

You'll get used to it and come to adore the face in the mirror,