I'm coming to the realization that I'm getting self esteem. Something I haven't felt in a few years (since i lost 40lbs on Weight Watchers). I loev the feeling but wonder....
I've lost 9.5lbs in two weeks of doing Low Carb now. I "think" I look a bit thinner, I KNOW I feel better. But I'm wondering if I'm kinda kidding myself. It's only 9.5lbs. Could I really look THAT different? I feel like I do when I look in the mirror but maybe it's just my brain kidding me. I'm wearing a sweater to work today that I've never worn to work, mainly because it's kinda fitted and short. I do currently have it wrapped over my bent knees to stretch it out. Does anyone else here do that? Stretch their clothes for more room? I feel exposed when I have something fitted on (and bend and stretch it to make it un-fitted).
I work at Barnes and Noble. I have worked retail since I was old enough to work. Everytime I hear a customer laugh I look to see if they're pointing at me. (They never are). Then I think of myself, and who I am. How I make fun of people and *gasp* even soem overweight people. How did I become this? I am the laugher, not them. I'm ashamed to admit that here, to all you, but it feels good to get it out. Thinking; if I saw myself, would I point and laugh at me?

I'm sorry I don't understand the question. Do I make fun of people? No. Do I stretch out my sweaters? No. Do I get more confidence after I've lost some weight? Absolutely.

These are all very normal feelings. I keep asking my husband "Do I look like an obese person trying to fit into these pants?" and telling him that I wish I could see me through the eyes of someone else just once. It takes a while for a person to adjust to the thinner them...heck, it's been 8 months and I'm still not able to comprehend the reduction from size 22 to size 12. I (and my husband) keep putting my clothes in with my daughters clothes because we don't realize that I'm that size now LOL
And yes, I've found that for some reason I'm mouthier and I'm trying my darndest to hold my tongue, but as far as talking about overweight people, fortunately I haven't said or done any negative things towards obese people, my entire family through every generation is obese, mostly all I want to do is hug them hard and tell them about Atkins
Lacey

I think you do gain self-esteem when you lose weight. I know for me it's hard to see old photos 145 lbs ago and know that's me.

I find that I drop a size about every 10 lbs so maybe you do too.

I know that as I am dropping even if it slowl;y I have a very distorted self image. I think i am smaller than I really am. I think I look good in most everything I wear until I look in the morror, or I see my self naked in the mirror at the gym OMG I hate that, talk about a crash down ward so I just do not look in the mirror, and enjoy what I feel I am becoming. I am not of a size that I am thinking every one is staring at me, but if I worked in a dept store or in the public like you do maybe I would be more self concious, I can say that fat or thin I feel differently about me when I think about it but most of the time I am too busy to think so I am the same!!! I do look at some really heavy people and thank god that I did not reach that size, or wonder if I look like that size. (I deal with many people of different sizes)

Personaly I do think you are so very sensitve about your size that you are feeling like (or have been in the past) you are being made fun of. I do not think you are that heavy, but I am not in your shoes.

So here is HUGS wear your shirt with pride, the customers may not know that you have lost weight but you will and it will make your much more confident and more outgoing. My best friend is 6' and about 260 built like a brick wall and she wears it with pride. every lb, she does not understand my insecurites, I try to take lessons from her and stand tall and forget my size as they are seeing me not my fat!!!

Self Confidence doesn't come easy. Previous issues in our past always come into play as well. I think it's AWESOME that you have more self confidence!! Don't question it And yes, when I lost/lose weight I get more confident. I don't walk looking at the ground--I look at people It's amazing how often they'll smile back at you (and how knows, they might have tried smiling first while I was watching the ground)

It's not about the number on the scale. I belong to another site where I track my food and exercise, and one lady there is 5'7" and weighs 165. Yet she's gorgeous and she only has 19% body fat. She's a personal trainer and works out and is very muscular. But if you hear she's 165 without seeing her, you'd think she's overweight. And she's a size 6.

I stretch out shirts if they are tight. I hate my fat showing through clothes!

I have excess skin that hangs over my waistline now...a 'skin tube' instead of a fat tube. HAHAHAHA. My skin tube and I are real tight, I think about it constantly and do the shirt pull down thing constantly too

Wait I'm sorry, I misread that...you said since you lost 40 pounds on weight watchers and I read it that you haven't felt this good since you were 140, sorry! That's still great though!

I do have a much better self-esteem now that I have lost a lot of weight. I used to cry when I looked in the mirror. I always check out how I look now, each day when I get dressed. More inclined to fix my hair and wear make-up now. I never make fun of anyone that is over-weight. When asked, I will tell anyone about Atkins and how it has improved my life. Most over-weight people just say, "I couldn't give up the bread, potatoes and pasta" and I just say well that's what I am doing and it's not so hard when you get used to it. I take this to mean, they choose to stay big, but I don't. I have a 13 yr. old step-daughter that is 5'0 and weighs at least 175 and she eats more than anyone I know. She just says "my mom is fat, so I will always be too ,it's genetic". I have tried giving her healthy foods when she's at my house on weekends, she eats it, but then also snacks on 8 slices of bread in between meals. She is going to have a very hard time with weight. I love her dearly, but don't see how to really help her.Any suggestions would be welcome.

I love taking my measurements. That way I can SEE that my waist and boobs are shrinking, that my body is really getting smaller, even if I can't see it in the mirror. The number on the scale doesn't mean nearly as much as measurements and how things fit, IMO.