Yah, I found it interesting to 're-look' at what I was and what I am. I'm actually in a size 12 and have a pair of 32 jeans. At 305 I was in a size 22. I find it interesting to see what people are at what weight...I bounce all over the site, LOL

The website was especially helpful when someone said to me, "you look sick and should stop losing weight." Yeah with two weeks at 0 loss, was not something I needed to hear.

I know I don't look sick...and the website helped me with that cause her comment put doubts in my head. At a size 12 and 183 I most definately do NOT look sick. Course, this vent should probably be in a different thread :D

Purple Sky, great subject!! I have always had a bad body image problem. I am 5'4" and at my highest weight I was just over 350. I was 299 when I had gastro-bypass. My lowest after that was 220, but I STILL saw 300 in the mirror. I felt so discouraged that I ended up not caring about how much I ate, or what I ate and was back up to having a couple of donuts a week, and grill cheese sandwiches, until I went back up to 270. Now I'm working on losing again. First mini-goal, back below 250 FOREVER... and slowly down from then on. OK, so, how does one change the body image problem? I know my clothes are smaller, but I'm still looking HUGE in my eyes.

I'm the same. I know I'm a much a bigger person than I used to be (the plus-sized clothes in ever larger sizes make that pretty hard to ignore) but I'm still always shocked when I see myself in a mirror. And pictures? Forget it! I see a picture of myself and I think 'who is that woman'. For years, I've avoided full-length mirrors and looking too closely at my body below the neck.

As excited as I am to continue with the program and to continue losing the weight, and as curious as I am to see what's under all these extra pounds, I'm also a little worried. What if I lose the weight and I still don't like what I see?

I too wonder what will be revealed when the weight is gone. A few decades have gone by since I was a "normal" weight. I have aged. Really no idea what the older me looks like without all the pounds. When I started the diet, I was concerned with my health and the fact that I was no longer in good enough shape to do the things I love. But, as I lose, the "looks" of it does begin to intrigue me.

YES. My main reasons for doing this program are to get down to a weight where I feel comfortable doing all the things I really want to do and to stop feeling so dang tired all the time. (Carrying around this weight is making me feel old before my time!) But there is definitely a part of me that wants to look better, too. I'm just not sure what that will look like! My goal weight is somewhere around 140lbs and it's been almost 20 years since I've been there - half of my life, more or less.

One thing I know will be an issue is excess skin, especially since I carry so much of my weight around my belly. My coach wants me to think about taking some kind of collagen supplement to help my skin 'bounce back' -- does anyone know anything about this sort of thing?

Agree agree agree with what everybody is saying...my brain is slowly coming to the realisation that my body is now a size smaller...still a long way to go,,,but we've been on this journey before.

I am interested in this too. I can not find any science regarding any supplements for improving elasticity of skin.

Since I carry much of my weight around the tummy, I anticipate some extra skin hanging around! I laugh and say I will just stuff it in my pocket! Hopefully things will be in reasonable shape when I have lost a lot of the pounds.

I was just talking to my sister today about "stuffing that extra skin". She is taller and small busted and wants to pull it all up into her bra, while I am shorter and apple-shaped. I want to move it from my tummy to my bottom! Is anyone ever satisfied with what they've got??? :D

I hope that I am satisfied with a normal weight! Anything else will just have to be dealt with.

It is hard to be satisfied. Even as I lose, and know I look better, I am very critical of what is left to go.

I have come to realize that many people who are not really overweight and who I thought looked totally fine do not have perfect shapes either. We are just far more critical of our own bodies. I would like to get rid of the extra skin but I guess that's what clothes are for, they cover up a lot of problems.

Went into the tractor store dressed in pink Nike top w/ white Nike jacket and black jeans looking much better than the one and only time I went there a year ago. I recognized the salesman but he didnt recognize me. Last time he treated me very stand-offish and mentioned having a wife. I could care less but figured he was putting up defenses in case I was flirting. This time there was no wife mentioned and as he handed me his card he spoke to me or rather to my breasts. When I was younger this reversal of attention focused on my body image would've messed with my head, insecurities abounding. But, I just thought oh well, another example of how people judge based on looks. It's not his fault, he's a man, need I say more?
It's true that many people interacted differently when I was 70 lbs heavier. I know that people will be more "welcoming" as I lose more. Have to be prepared for relating to people more as we lose sizes we also lose layers of unnecessary walls against people. It's an adjustment, especially since Ive carried the excess for 20 years. It's also one factor in choosing a higher goal weight rather than what I ought to weigh, around 125-130. I may get there later but I want to adjust for awhile at the higher weight when I get there. At least that's what I think 35 lbs from goal.

That made me smile! I am an apple shape too and older so I have lots of extra skin.

I was doing a lot of paper work yesterday so spent a long time sitting. I was wondering how people who are lean can stand it. The butt is aching with the extra padding gone!
So I vote for your idea. Well the top part of me is disappearing too but the butt padding is more missed. But the belly bulge will not go away.

Pat

What a great subject! I've been on maintenance for about six months -- and I still feel like the short and stocky person that I was.

I remember when I was just about at goal, I went into Kohl's and just grabbed a bunch of shirts and pants and tried them on. I was amazed. The woman in the mirror that was looking back at me didn't seem like the real thing. I put the clothes that I purchased in the closet and didn't wear then for some time.

I've just started to pull the larger sizes out of my closet and get them folded and ready for Goodwill. It is time -- but, it feels weird to look at those big, old clothes and fold them up and stick them in a bag to give away. It's like -- well, there is no going back now.

Oh my gosh we could be twins. I can so relate to this!! We even started around the same weight and have close to the same goal, I also wear a size 12 pant now, and guess what?? My name is PAT!!

Best of luck on the rest of your journey and congratulations on your loss so far. :)