:D I am guilty of being vain.

I check myself out in everything that gives a reflection. I FEEL SO BAD SOMETIMES because it's involuntary! Car windows, shop windows, car mirrors, bathrooms in restaurants, at home.. etc. It's a compulsion.

example: My boyfriend and I were seated at a restaurant and he was sitting infront of a mirror. THE WHOLE DINNER, I would be glancing at myself and my bf would notice lol! I do it to check to make sure everything is still okay.

I have to admit though, at my highest weight I avoided mirrors or I focused on a nice feature (my eyes) and ignored the blob that stood before me.

i think its great! you're looking at yourself and relishing that sense of accomplishment and the changes in your body, the changes that YOU made. its an awesome feeling :)
i haven't lost too much weight myself yet, but with the little chunk i've lost, i notice a difference and have been checking myself out in the mirror a little longer than usual...lol
you look great and keep lookin' in that mirror :)

Originally Posted by saef:
I think this is pretty common, actually. You're readjusting your mental image of yourself. This takes time, as we all know from people posting here.

For me, there are three thoughts behind all the mirror-gazing:

1) "Yep, still thin."

2) "That is me, right? Right? It's me? Okay. Just checking."

3) "If I saw this person walking toward me, as a complete stranger, would I say that she's pretty? Or has an acceptably shaped body?"

Oh my gosh, this is sooo my internal dialogue too! Glad I am not the only one LOL. I am desperate to see myself through someone else's eyes because I still have a clouded view of myself. I am starting to have more good moments but still a lot of days where I feel huge.
I don't think its vain to look at yourself at all. We have all worked hard and deserve to look at, and be proud of, our own bodies ;) I do it a lot when I walk by a store front window when I see my reflection. I pretend I am looking into the store but I am usually trying to catch a glimpse of myself to see what my shape looks like :dizzy: I also like the full length mirrors at wal-mart. I used to avoid them at all costs :^:

My husband calls it peeking, and he laughs at me when he catches me doing it. I dont think I look good yet, but I do look so much better, and when I get a chance to catch a glimpse of myself, I take it. It does seem a bit odd to find yourself checking out your reflection in the windows of stores you pass, but wth..we have worked hard and have the right to admire the results.

You all are hilarious. My husband tells me he doesn't think I'm ready for the slender body because I don't know how to act with each size smaller I get. I said yea so get used to me parading around until I do get used to the new body. He just shakes his head. Lately, I like looking at myself naked because it's cool seeing the fat rolls going away. They've been around so long it seemed impossible that they would leave. I also look for signs of excess skin...none so far but I guess I have a ways to go before signs of that start showing up.

Nope not vain, just self confidence and getting to know and like your new body, and it is a WONDERFUL thing!

I actually do call myself vain but I'm ok with that :D because yes....I love looking at myself and seeing my progress!!!!! I love seeing my muscles develop and my butt take shape and my gut less sticky-outy and everything else. I feel strong and powerful and feminine and sexy and proud and yes...vain but that's so much better than the alternative :) so I'll take vanity over wanting to hide away any old day.

Vanity is motivating.


I've been spending time admiring my upperback and my butt lately. They look really good. My back is going to rock the swimsuit this summer. Assuming summer ever comes to Oregon.

I could be vain and focus on those or I could be critical and focus on some other areas of my body that may not quite be swimsuit ready. I think the former is more productive.

Thats great and no its not vain its showing your self confidence and self esteam is working as it should be ..................and also noticing your losing weight :)

I love spending time looking at myself in the mirror - So if it's really vain, I really don't care. :)

I don't even think there's any "real" difference in my appearance yet, as I've only lost about 16 pounds, but I look in the mirror and I feel like I can see changes... Or it could just be wishful thinking. But who cares if it is? That just means I get to feel better about myself, which is great for making me want to continue on this journey.

It's all about what makes YOU feel good at this point... So who cares if you're practicing a little bit of vanity? You deserve it for all of the hard work you've done!

Originally Posted by ennay:
Vanity is motivating.

I'm going to have to post this at my desk and my bathroom mirror.


"So if it's really vain, I really don't care."

This one too. I felt a charge reading this one!!

I am proud member of the vain group.... I look at myself all the time,,,especially now that I can fit into jeans that I couldn't a month ago. I'm always checking... me out;) Soon, I know the rest will notice... :)

I love looking at me trying on new clothes in one of those all around mirrors so I can see if my butt REALLY looks fat in them jeans:lol:

Sometimes I go into stores, just to look at the mirrors. I do it because I want to see what other people see. I know that's really vain, and I pretend that I'm just looking at the clothes. However, some sharp workers know it. Also I compare across different mirrors, just to see what I REALLY look like. Some make you look thinner; the changing rooms ones are the bane of my existence, because they make your thighs look so huge.

Originally Posted by AllisonR:
Sometimes I go into stores, just to look at the mirrors. I do it because I want to see what other people see. I know that's really vain, and I pretend that I'm just looking at the clothes. However, some sharp workers know it. Also I compare across different mirrors, just to see what I REALLY look like. Some make you look thinner; the changing rooms ones are the bane of my existence, because they make your thighs look so huge.

Oh God, I do this too. Sometimes I go to town just to see myself in a full length mirror and to see what I look like.

I am really fascinated by what others see when they see me. I have no idea what I look like. I'm not photogenic at all, but sometimes I quite like my face in the mirror (and I've never been one to get told 'you have a pretty face' - I know some of you girls hate that, but DAMN I wish someone would be able to tell me that without lying...) but photos of me are universally awful. So I guess I'm trying to perceive myself in a whole new way each time. Sometimes I like what I see, sometimes I don't, but I always have to look.

(This is really embarrassing, but sometimes when I'm working out at night, I open my curtains to the back French doors so I can see my reflection while I'm doing exercises, to see if I look wobbly or not... Luckily there's no way anyone can see me because no one looks over our garden, but I still find it weird when I do that, and I never do it when I have company! Hah)