So, when did it finally hit you that you have lost a good deal of weight? Or has it? I have now lost 109 lbs and it really hasn't set in yet that I have lost a lot of weight. In the beginning of my weight loss journey I looked at others stats and of course felt that anyone who had lost 100 + lbs had lost a LOT of weight. I don't know why though but 120 lbs lost stood out even more for me. So, as I have been losing and not really feeling like I have lost a lot, I have continued to tell myself that when I hit 120 lbs lost I will feel like I have done something big. However, now I am just 11 lbs from that and am very skeptical on whether or not it is going to seem as big when I get there. I remember telling people when I had lost 80 lbs and them being shocked and so impressed. It kind of flabbergasted me that they would make such a big deal out of what I didn't think was THAT much. Of course, when I logically think about it, 80 lbs is huge. I just think that in this society when we have shows like the biggest loser etc where 80 lbs lost is zoomed by in just weeks, we are conditioned to lessen the accomplishment of such a loss. Over Christmas, everyone was shocked to hear that I had lost over 100 lbs. I felt proud but really never expected the amount of praise they would give or how incredibly impressed they would be. Will it ever sink in for me?? I really hope that it doesn't take getting all the way to my goal weight for me to be able view it as as great an accomplishment as it is. That would be super frustrating!!!

Congrats on your amazing weight loss!!

I hear you! So far I have lost 80 pounds, and I have about 30-35 more pounds to lose. When people hear that I've lost 80 pounds they are shocked and stunned, and I don't see it! Probably because I know that I have more to lose.

When I look at pictures of me when I was heavier, I do see a major difference, but when I see pictures of myself at my current weight, I see someone who needs to keep losing. I'm really hoping that it will sink in once I have hit my goal weight!

It takes a while for our minds/perception of self to catch up to the body changes. About 2 months I really started to notice or maybe appreciate where I am and where I was. It's funny I look down and still feel fat because I think I have the same 'shape' as before ....it's just smaller but when I look in the mirror it's obviously significally smaller shape!

I'm still waiting

Before I had any kids, I followed a diet/exercise and was down to 140 lbs. It never sunk in for me. I was over weight / obese at a child and teen, so when I lost the weight in my early 20s, I just continued to feel over weight. I gained it back that and more with my pregnancies, but when I look at pics, I cant believe I was really that small!
My hope is to lose it again and actually FEEL that small.

I think a big part is I had such a beaten down self esteem when I was younger, I still saw myself as fat, when I wasnt. I don't know if that's the reason behind it for everyone that still feels fat when they are not, or doesn't feel thin when they've lost the weight, but that's what it was for me.

HTH

I lost 60. It occurs to me in moments that that is a lot, and that it's more than I've ever lost before. But I often find myself more focused on what I still have left to lose.

Yeah, it's definitely weird. Sometimes I feel pretty happy about it, but I definitely go back and forth. I almost feel like I have more body image issues now than I did when I was at my heaviest because I'm so much more aware of it now. It also doesn't help when members of my family kind of freak out when I go off of my diet at all. It's kind of like, okay, I've gotten this far. Trust me, eating this one cookie isn't going to throw me off! So yeah, it's definitely a battle.

Thanks for all of the replies! It helps to know I am not the only one who deals with this skewed perception of weight loss. It is crazy that the smaller I get, the more self conscious I seem to get about certain things. You would think that after having the body I had for the last 5 years, I would be more content with my much slimmer body now. And, sometimes I am pretty content... just not often.

Are you crazy?!!??! You are AMAZING!!!!! 109??? That's AWESOME!!! 109 pound?? How many people who want to actually DO!

I really do understand where your perception is though. It makes it seems like the 109 is just a drop in the bucket when you have quite a bit more to lose. Maybe you see 120 as a half way mark kinda deal? While everyone is just seeing you shrink in front of their eyes.

I do really think you're amazing and it's stories like yours that keep me motivated because you're working with more than I have to loose and you're DOING it. You are truly truly amazing and I hope my post didn't offend!

Good luck!!!

I think I know what you mean. I see others stats who have lost 80, and I think WOW! Amazing! But me? It's me. Of course I did it. I set out to do it, I did it...so what's the big deal? It gets harder to remember what it was like X pounds ago. When I really think about that, then I realize how far I've come.

In three more pounds I get to take a picture of myself holding my 9 year old because I'll have lost what he weighs! Then I'll realize just how much I've lost! LOL! I may take a walk around the house or something with him on my back just to see if I can even do it. I've been looking forward to doing this with him since day one!!

When did it sink in huh? When the new jeans I bought before I started losing weight, I tried to put on and I was not able to wear them because they were to big. Even today I have trouble recognizing myself in the mirror.

suenos096 - thanks No, your post didn't offend me at all. I really don't know why 120 lbs sounds like a magic #... I have already passed my halfway point by 20 lbs so far. Something about that # just sounds good to me.. haha! Thanks for the encouragement!

eliana - what a fun and creative way to show your progress to yourself! That is great!

ultreos - that is an awesome accomplishment!

Congrats on your loss. That's amazing. I think for me it's having people always seem to ask "how much more do you have to go?" that makes it hard to feel like I've done anything. I think weight loss is the one area that it's okay to look back on the past and see what we've accomplished. Again, I can think that but putting it into practice is another issue. I am so close to my goal of 175 which is exactly 75 pounds lost but all I can see is that 20 or 25 pounds more I have to go. I was planning a tattoo at 175 but now I doubt I'll do it. I'm still too big to get a tattoo as a reward....or so I tell myself way too often. Now it really should be I'm just too old to get one LOL.

I think it's hard for a lot of us because, for me, if I get excited about what I've lost, I get complacent in what is left to be done.

Eliana ~ maybe those of use with fairly large losses should all find a small child to lug around to see what we used to weigh. It might give us all some perspective.