The tricks our brains play on us.....

When I was over 100kg or so, I had a sort of "reverse anorexia" - in deep denial about how large I was, even though it restricted my movements, I was puffed out and sore all the time, etc.

Now I've lost over 20 kg, but I just keep fixating on my stomach still being comparatively big. Even though I've lost 8 inches from my waist, and everyone has noticed the weight loss. It's truly bizarre.

When does this mental confusion ease off?

Hi, I feel very much like you do. First, congrats on your weight loss! That is amazing! I gained 100 pounds in 6 months due to a medication I was on. This was back in 2007. For various reasons, I didn't really do anything about the weight gain until the last couple of years. I gave it a go in 2012, and lost about 40 pounds. Since then, I've gained about 30 of those back. Then , in 2016 I've started focusing on losing weight again and am about 30 pounds down.

So, when I was in college I was very thin, like 110 pounds, and a regular exerciser. I thought I was much bigger than I actually was. Then, when I got bigger, like 130 pounds larger than I was in college, I had no sense of how large I had become. I would see pictures of myself that were up recognizable to me. I looked in the mirror and did not like what I saw, but I still had no sense of my size until I saw myself in pictures.

Now, I'm on my way down again and I feel a lot better, people are noticing my weight loss, etc. and I can feel it in my clothes. But, I took my measurements and they turned out to be way bigger than I thought they would be. It is very strange what the mental image is versus the reality. I've never had an accurate mental picture of myself, whether I was at my heaviest or my lightest. I hope to get a more accurate image of myself along the way and at my goal weight.

I wish you all the best on your journey and hope you find happiness in your new size!

I feel like I'm struggling with this exact same thing. I don't have a clue what I really look like :/