I think that this whole journey is such a personal one. And you, myself included, are all making such big changes in yourself. It's hard sometimes to adjust to all of those changes. Some days I don't even recognize myself in the mirror even though I feel the same on the inside. I think that when those days and feelings occur, that we have to be really gentle with ourselves, just like you would with a child. For me, I usually take a hot bubble bath and go to bed early if I can. I know it sounds crazy, but 99% of the time I feel better in the morning.
When I have days when I am feeling discouraged I seek out and read the posts from people who have been successful in their weight loss. I especially like the ones that I can find ladies who started at a weight near mine (270) and were victorious in losing 100lbs. It is so inspiring!
There is such a wealth of experience here with all the ladies and guys who have made it to goal. I love to read about thier ups and downs and how they handled set backs. I especially love the stories where people have struggled and have taken the long road to weight loss, not losing the typical 1 lb a week. People who have stuck with it, not giving up when the scale doesn't budge for a month, enduring the "feeling fat" days.
Also, when I am discouraged I post here. I am practicing asking for what I need instead of eating when I'm sad, happy, lonely, discouraged etc. I think many of us eat our feelings and end up big!!
This is so interesting. I am at exactly the same place--started out around 300, down to 220, wearing regular 16s, and more depressed than I've been in a long time. I'm not going to go off plan or anything--those habits are pretty ingrained--but I'm generally bummed out. These are the reasons I have come up with:
1) I've run out of goal clothes that I am anywhere close to fitting into. I'm at the end of my "closet shopping". I bought a pair of size 12 pants on clearance, and they are SO SMALL that it is just depressing. I used to go in my closet every few days and try on all the clothes that almost fit, and watching them get looser and looser was a powerful motivator that I don't have. I think I am going to go to a thrift store this weekend and buy a ton of cheap, non-stretch clothes--I don't even care if I like them, I just want them to almost fit now so that I can see the change.
2) I never looked at myself when I was at my biggest. And I mean NEVER. Never looked at pictures, never looked in the mirror--****, I haven't looked straight ahead into a plate-glass door in over a decade. I've started looking at myself again, which I think is very healthy, and I don't hate what I see, but the fact is, it's still a 200 lb woman. The other day I was getting ready to get on the exercise bike, wearing a sports bra and yoga pants (in my own home). I feel athletic in that get-up. I feel capable. I caught a glimpse in a (back) window of myself and there was this huge fat woman! Bummed me out terribly. I don't know what to do about this.
This is so interesting. I am at exactly the same place--started out around 300, down to 220, wearing regular 16s, and more depressed than I've been in a long time. I'm not going to go off plan or anything--those habits are pretty ingrained--but I'm generally bummed out. These are the reasons I have come up with:
1) I've run out of goal clothes that I am anywhere close to fitting into. I'm at the end of my "closet shopping". I bought a pair of size 12 pants on clearance, and they are SO SMALL that it is just depressing. I used to go in my closet every few days and try on all the clothes that almost fit, and watching them get looser and looser was a powerful motivator that I don't have. I think I am going to go to a thrift store this weekend and buy a ton of cheap, non-stretch clothes--I don't even care if I like them, I just want them to almost fit now so that I can see the change.
2) I never looked at myself when I was at my biggest. And I mean NEVER. Never looked at pictures, never looked in the mirror--****, I haven't looked straight ahead into a plate-glass door in over a decade. I've started looking at myself again, which I think is very healthy, and I don't hate what I see, but the fact is, it's still a 200 lb woman. The other day I was getting ready to get on the exercise bike, wearing a sports bra and yoga pants (in my own home). I feel athletic in that get-up. I feel capable. I caught a glimpse in a (back) window of myself and there was this huge fat woman! Bummed me out terribly. I don't know what to do about this.
This sounds a lot like me!
I walk around feeling tiny a lot of the time. I am so much smaller, fitter, and more active than I was when I started, that I can't seem to get it through my head that I'm still obese. Because 74 pounds makes a HUGE difference in almost every aspect of my life. I FEEL pretty thin-- unless I use a yardstick like normal sized clothes or my reflection in the gym window.
Somebody said up thread that there is a big difference between the littlest woman in the plus size department, and the biggest woman in the normal store. It's a mental shift, for sure. Depends how you think of yourself--skinny fat-lady, or fat normal-lady.
I really like having goal clothes too-- I think thrift store shopping sounds like a great idea.
I walk around feeling tiny a lot of the time. I am so much smaller, fitter, and more active than I was when I started, that I can't seem to get it through my head that I'm still obese. Because 74 pounds makes a HUGE difference in almost every aspect of my life. I FEEL pretty thin-- unless I use a yardstick like normal sized clothes or my reflection in the gym window.
Somebody said up thread that there is a big difference between the littlest woman in the plus size department, and the biggest woman in the normal store. It's a mental shift, for sure. Depends how you think of yourself--skinny fat-lady, or fat normal-lady.
I really like having goal clothes too-- I think thrift store shopping sounds like a great idea.
I could have wrote this too. It's weird it's all relative. My husband took a photo of me shoveling snow yesterday and I was like WHO is that TINY girl in that photo? Then I went to my Group workout for Ironman where I am the heaviest one in the room and I just see the shrunken fat girl.
In general I feel good about myself though because being over 100 down makes a huge impact on ones life.
I guess I don't really have a point. Just know your not alone with the struggle.
