First of all, LOL.
My favourite "work friend" went away for ten days, and when she got back that was the first thing she said to me.
It kind of made me excited, and at the same time sad.
Excited because in ten days it made a difference! She could SEE the inches gone that I can't.
Sad, because I don't notice it myself. People that I see regularly (friends/family) don't notice or at least don't mention it. I want people to notice. I want them to know that I'm being healthier...but I don't want to have to shove it in their faces by randomly bringing it up either.

It's sad to think that even if I lose 50lbs, I'll still be the fat girl. I'll be so proud of myself and excited to know that I made it that far...but everyone else will just see a girl who needs to lose a crapload more weight.

I should stop worrying about what other people think and focus on myself

you have gotten small! your getting all my clothes

Don't feel bad. Eventually you will notice the weight change, and so will everyone else. It helps if you take progress pictures, I think, so you can look back and see the difference. And 50 lbs can make a lot more difference than you think, not just to size but to your activities as well.

*hugs* Don't feel blue, think positive! You are on a path to improving yourself. You've already accomplished a great deal.

You should absolutely take some progress pics! It has really helped me along the way see the changes even though I have a hard time seeing it everyday in the mirror. I take pics every 5% with the same sclothes and in the same positions. I also take measurements and save them in an excel spreadsheet. I take measurements every 2 weeks or so and its a great way to track your progress without the scale too.

I completely feel ya on losing 50 lbs and still being the "fat" girl. BUT, I definitely dont feel like that everyday. I constantly hear how good I look and how great Ive done. I feel soooo much better about myself regardless of my bad days.
It did take about 10-15% of a lose for people to start commenting and stuff so keep your head high, keep working hard, and remember how much ya want it and before you know it you'll be tired of people commenting! lol

Congrats on your first 11lbs! Thats a great start!

The good news is, those pounds WILL add up. I've lost pretty consistently @ 6 lbs a month. This means it went so slow that neither I or people who saw me on a regular basis could see the change for the first 6-8 months. However, after I passed 45 lbs lost, each 6 pounds added to that was a significant number and started to show to others and to myself.

Stick with it, it WILL happen.

I always try to remember the Paper Towel Theory of weight loss. Basically, if you buy two rolls of paper towels and put them side by side, and begin taking one sheet a day off of one of them, they don't look that different at first. One sheet from a full roll goes all the way around the roll, so it's only a miniscule difference to the eye.

But as the sheets continue to be removed, the difference becomes much more obvious. Each sheet now wraps around the thinner roll a couple times, so when you remove one you can SEE the difference, even with one sheet.

People who know us seem to carry an image of us around in their heads, like a photograph in a wallet. That's how they picture us, when they think of us & we're not there, like when they are on the phone with us or online with us. If they see us all the time, it's constantly & subtly updated. When they haven't seen us for a little while, it gets outdated.

My theory is, you've been changing all along subtly, not just over the past 10 days, but your friend was gone just long enough for her image of you to be slightly blurred & effaced & for a CTRL-ALT-DEL to happen & reset it. She's the person who can actually see you. Or at least in the way a stranger would see you.

saef, I've never though about it like that. But you are completely right!

Ditto... my loss has been SLOW for the most part and my coworkers (who I see everyday) haven't noticed the change yet. Honestly, I can't really tell either... ?! I think it takes a while for people to change their mental image of themselves and others... so, no worries... it will happen eventually. In the meantime, just try to focus on the little things, like how you feel and feeling lighter and being able to move around more...

Sometimes it is hard to notice the changes when we see ourselves each day. People don't always say thing either even if they notice your weight loss. Keep doing this for you.

Definitely focus on yourself and YOU know what you have accomplished!! WTG - keep it up!

I promise you will get to a point when it will be a cool feeling to meet new people and realize they never knew you at your top weight and your are just an average person to them.

I can see people notice but they don't want to ask about it. I am not fond of the compliments because I started this journey for me. I can't wait till being average is my normal.

my mom has been really supportive and was the first person to notice any say something. But even with that, when they've gone away for a trip and she doesn't see me for a couple of weeks, she says it's always a very noticeable difference when she gets back. I think not seeing someone you regularly see does something to re-set your mental image.