So I haven't reached goal yet - I've been coasting in the 178-182 range for about 3 months now. A lot has been going on (moving, new job, etc) so I was happy just to maintain for a while.

In the past few days I've gotten back on the wagon but when I look at myself in the mirror I feel a lot fatter than when I first hit 180. I feel like my stomach is huge, my neck is flabby - and I used to feel pretty good about it.

My weight is the same.. it seems unlikely I've significantly changed body composition in the past couple months.. has anyone else experienced something like this?

Well, were you exercising before and now you aren't? If that is the case, then yes, you are losing muscle and replacing it with fat which means you will look bigger because you will be bigger.

But also your mind might be catching up with your body too. Like you are beginning to see things more critically. OR, too critically.

To be honest I wasn't exercising before and am not exercising now.

It might just be your self perception. I have days where I look at myself and think I look small...and then other days where I look at myself and think I look huge. I've always been this way - at 217+ pounds and now at 131 pounds.

I'm guessing perception. A new low might feel really small at first but after you've been there awhile you might decide you want to lose more. I think it's pretty natural, especially if you haven't been at your current weight for a long time before.

My brain tricks me like that - when I first hit a new weight I feel so awesome and lovely and every good thing you could associate with weight loss. Then it becomes the norm. And then it becomes too high, because I'm not where I want to be yet. And suddenly my body hasn't changed at all, but my feelings about it have. It's just the nature of being on the journey, as opposed to finished with it, for me.

Urg yes, it's really making me regret the last 3 months of maintaining. I wasn't feeling too badly about it because I figured it was good to give my body some time to adjust as long as I didn't gain any more weight. But now I'm just feeling fat again and worried about the warm weather and revealing clothing.

I guess the good thing is, I'm planning a trip late in the year and I still have just enough time to reach goal by then if I lose 1lb/wk. So enough pressure to be motivational but not some crazy deadline I can't really meet.

I know how you feel. The same number feels VICTORIOUS on the way down, and absolutely HUMONGOUS on the way up.

You just get used to how you look!

Yeah I feel that way, I've maintained all winter. When I first got lost 15lbs I felt fabulous..but now I'm back to feeling fat! It's just your self perception.