For those of you at or near goal: How long did it take to really "feel" thin?
 

So I'm currently around 65 pounds down and in the home stretch- only 20 pounds to go before I hit goal. I'm a shirt size small and a size 6 (US) in pants, but here's the thing...every time I look in the mirror, I see a body that doesn't look any different from the one I started with. I look at photos and don't see a difference between now (at 155) and 30 pounds ago (at 185).

Is this just one of those things where you don't "see it" until you're at the very end of your weight loss journey? Or something that just takes time as your mind adjusts? Or is it unusual/bad that I'm experiencing this to such a great extent?

Ugh. I'd love to hear any of your insight/experiences!

I would say this is normal. It took me over 3 years to acknowledge that I was 'small'. Even when you get to that point, you still have moments when you question it (though admittedly, it happens much less).

Keep kicking butt and you'll see it! :) It takes time!

Well, there's "not fat" and then there's "thin". For the thin feeling to come into play, at least for me, that means weighing on the very low end of "ideal" for my height.

At your stage in the journey acknowledge to yourself *often* that you ARE thinner than you used to be. Say it to yourself over and over. There's absolutely NO reason to tell yourself that you're still fat. Say to yourself, "I've lost so much weight!" and "Wow, 65 pounds GONE! That's really something!" or whatever. Keep your self-talk positive. Enjoy your success and enjoy it right now because you have been successful.

Two thoughts:

1) Pictures are very helpful. You probably look in the mirror every day so day to day the changes are so small you don't notice.

2) Exercise particularly weight training is helpful to changing body composition. If all you do is lose weight you'll look exactly like you did before you started, only smaller.

Having said these things, the closer you get to goal the more noticiable every pound of fat you lose is going to be.

Congratulations on your huge loss!

I have lost just about 150lbs in the last year and honestly, I feel fatter than ever in my current body. I "know" my clothes are smaller, my shoes are smaller, my previously too small necklaces fit, etc. I have tons of physical proof of my weightloss but when I look in the mirror, I feel so large and out of shape even though I haven't been this light or fit in almost 20 years.

I don't know if my mind will ever catch up and be kind to me. I just feel like a blob. And...I never felt like a blob in the 300s, I was just a big person. :(

Hmm, that sounds tricky.

Maybe, as someone suggested, your mind needs to be trained to believe you have a small body.

Is there anyone you feel comfortable showing your before/after photos to, and asking them to show you where they see differences? Maybe 'seeing yourself through another person's eyes' might help?

Good luck, and congratulations on your accomplishments!

Thank you all for the feedback! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's experienced this.

John- I've worked out pretty consistently throughout the process, but I only just added weights recently...I'm hoping that, as you said, the change in body composition will feel more noticeable!

Also, after reading all of these comments I did look at old photos compared to current images--while I still have trouble seeing the new me as "small," I can certainly see in the comparison that I'm markedly smallER! Maybe I should just start taking photos more often from now on...

I'm dealing with something slightly different, but related.

A year ago, I was roughly the weight I am now (150ish). I was ecstatic. Thinnest I'd ever been as an adult. So ecstatic! I had more to lose, but I felt tiny!

One year later: I'm this weight again, but because of a slight regain from my absolute lowest (5-7 lbs). But now, I feel big and lumpy. I feel like I've barely lost any weight at all.

The body image/headspace stuff is SO strange, isn't it? I've been trying to put a positive spin on my feelings - that maybe I've redefined a new normal for me, where old-thin is now-fluffy -- that's progress, right? :/ I should probably dig out some old photos, too.

I don't feel thin and don't think I ever will, but I do feel normal most days. I concur with picture being very helpful for a reality check.

Sometimes, that happens because the way we *think* about weight loss and how we will look after we lost the pounds is actually very different from what we will actually look like. You probably don't look like you thought you would. That has happened to me and it is a mind issue, you fix it from inside, learning to love what you look like now.

When I hit the 140s/150s I didn't feel as thin as I thought I should have, but at the same time I'm not sure what I was supposed to feel like. :shrug:

It took me until the 130s before I felt "thin" and it probably took me about 6 months after I hit the 120s before I actually thought that my body looked different then when I'd started. What helped me realise I did have a different body & was thinner was seeing pictures of myself & also trying on some clothes that I thought would still fit - they wound up dropping right off of me. That's when I first started realising I was "thin" or at least what I considered to be thin for me. :)

I hit goal around April 2013 and truly felt thin once I got below 140p. This is the thinnest I have been since 2000. I have managed to maintain for 6 months (Yay!) but find that the longer I stay at this weight the less thin I feel. Perhaps the novelty wears off and I forgot how 156+ feels. Plus when I'm naked I see lots of flaws that didn't bother me so much a few months ago. I will probably never be 100% satisfied and always find something I don't like about my body.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with my results and will never allow my weight to get away from me again. I wouldn't have it in me to lose it all over again. I have gained and lost 30p about 5 times in my life but this last 25p was extremely hard to lose, probably because I am much older now.

re:
 

Good question, and it has a lot to do with weight loss imo.

I'm not close to goal but...

I never felt fat at 280. I felt absolutely normal, and was invisible to how I really was. That's probably why I got that high to begin with and I hear many people say the same thing.

Interestingly enough, I feel fat now though. I have no idea if I'll ever feel thin. It's just a matter of your mind becoming truly aware of how you really look.

I have often been frustrated that losing weight doesn't change the shape of my body much (other than being smaller). I have decided to incorporate weight lifting this time with the hopes that I also see some better definition.

I know this is probably not typical (or who knows? Maybe it is.) Anyway. The thing with me is: I may reach my ultimate goal weight at some point, but I don't know if I'll ever actually "feel" thin. I think I'll always be fat in my head. Does that make any sense?