Yes. I FEEL much more fit and thin than I am. And oddly, at home, that is how I see myself in the mirror. But when I see a photograph of myself, or see myself in a mirror somewhere else (such as the gym) I look HUGE. And I know the reality is that I am big. I am not fit. I weigh 200 lbs. That's not little. I don't have body dysmorphia...unless it goes the other way and you can see yourself as being fit when you're not. LOL. For now, I'm relying on pictures every 30 days so I can see if I'm making any progress.

definitely! Have worn a 18/20 since 9th Grade.... and always figured I was still built the same.. because I wear the same size, feel the same (sorta), and don't really "See" Myself in the mirror... Until I saw a picture of myself with my family sitting at a picknick table at a 4th of July gathering...

I bawled for 2 days.

I saw an obese, squat "toady" looking woman with my family--- it COULDN'T be ME!?

That was last Sunday.... I started getting serious about my health and weight THAT DAY- even though we were on vacation.

Now I see me... and I do not like it.

I also have this problem and I'm so glad I found this thread. I was thinking of posting something similar last night actually. I have NO idea in the physical world what size I am. What I mean is...I constantly compare myself to people I see around me. Am I bigger than that person? Am I smaller than him/her? It sounds utterly and completely ridiculous but I have absolutely no idea how much physical space my body occupies. I cannot for the life of me get my head around it. I see a chubby girl in the mirror, but I see a fat girl in photos. I know I wear a size 16 jeans, but couldn't for the life of me tell you if the person next to me is bigger or smaller than I am.

Guac, you pose interesting questions! I put on 30 pounds in the last three years, going from slim to (for me) dumpy. Part of me thinks I still look okay. But when I see a photo, especially from the side, my heart sinks.

I also "know it" when I try to get dressed up. (Haven't bought any new "fat" clothes, so still squeezing into Spanx and playing tricks with loose clothing.)

Also when I clomp around the house, sounding heavier on the wood floors than my husband.

And I REALLY know when I try to climb up or down a few feet. I am HEAVY!

Hi Guacamole, I wish I knew the answer also. That is exactly how I put on the weight being focused on my job,family, ignoring exercise for years. The only way that I have lost weight is to focus on me..getting in a diet program, exercising, and not giving that up for my job or other demands. I often look at other thin people and wonder if life is easy for them.
My body image is distorted also. When I am gaining I ignore how heavy I am and think my clothes are hiding it. However, looks in a mirror at the hairdresser's or in a motel room always made me feel fat. Just once I would like to take a trip, go into a motel room and not feel fat!
I feel for the person who said she does not know how much space she occupies. Even,if I have lost weight, I still feel I look fat at times.

YES.

I was in some major denial about my weight and kept telling myself I carried it well. Now it's hard not to notice my flaws and the extra remaining weight even more. For me it's helped to take pictures, measurements etc to see that I AM changing and really get a good perspective.

Hello everybody, my daughter and I have both lost about 50 lbs total. I still have about 35 to go and she has about 15ish!

At any rate, we talk about this all the time although I think it's worse for me than her. I started losing weight Jan 09' and was wearing a size 20. I'm now a mostly loose size 10 (8's are still too tight though) but I don't see a difference when I look in the mirror or see a picture. I always feel like I'm huge! It's kinda driving me crazy, but not really sure what you can do to make your mind see what is now rather than the old you!

I just saw your note to me...from June!! Obviously, I'm not as diligent about this blog thing as everyone else. In fact, most of the time I just come out and read...for inspiration. I very rarely ever post and didn't even think to look to see if someone had replied/commented on what I said!

I could really use the encouragement and support from someone like you! I would be more than happy to support you in any way as well!! Aside from being much taller that me...we do have almost identical goals! Nice to know you're not alone...of course just joining a site like 3FC confirms that!

Guacamole,

I, like you, thought I was thinner than I really was... until that ONE photo was taken that finally slapped me in the face. Family wedding. Me, standing next to the FAT aunt. And I'm her same size... exactly. I was so embarrassed... that couldn't be me! But it was...

And so, here I am. One day, I'll thank that photographer...

I have been obese all my life. I wish I could see myself as thin...lol There was one time I lost 25 lbs and I thought I looked sick because I had always been obese. I guess just the reverse. Go figure.

I feel the same way ladies. I thought that I was looking fairly good for me anyway until I went to the plastic surgeon for a consult to have a breast lift and he took a picture of me. Wow, that really made me feel bad. I looked so much worse in his picture than what I was seeing myself in my mirror. Why is that I wonder?

i'm always shocked when I see myself in photographs. Utter shock because I feel I don't see it in the mirror. I avoid anything to do with cameras during my journey to lose this weight. I've avoided cameras over the years all together unfortunately.