Truscifi Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 According to the scale, I hit my goal weight yesterday. I should be happy, but I feel...disappointed? I know by all objective measures I have made major changes in the last 9 months. I lost over 30 lbs. I am wearing smaller clothes. My hip and waist measurements are smaller. But when I see myself in the mirror, I look the same. I still see the same pudgy midsection and chubby legs and jiggly arms. Other people see the difference. They compliment me on it. And that feels good. But then I see myself in the mirror and I still see the same old me. How do I get past that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Yay, congrats!I think the scale is just one measure & the tape measure is just another measure. Sounds to me like you might want to work on toning. Planking every day & push ups + tricep kickbacks/curls....some other ideas: a new haircut to celebrate meditation on self acceptance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Thanks. I do actually work out 3-4 times a week doing cardio kickboxing and martial arts. I have been thinking of adding a weight training day for toning as well. A new haircut or maybe a new color might help. I recently started meditating with ds to work on mindfulness and focus. I could try changing the topic for me now that he is more comfortable with it. Dh says that various parts are getting smaller, I'm just not seeing it because it is so incremental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinaPagnato Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Weight training, squats, push ups, balance work. It's amazing what these will do to "re-form" your body. And congrats! A huge accomplishment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 When I was losing weight, I had a goal weight that I was going to be happy with. When I hit that number, I was more obsessed with my weight then when I had been heavy and much harder on myself. Take time to enjoy reaching your goal. Go out and celebrate with a couple new pieces for the wardrobe. Then tackle the toning. Just make sure you are using a measuring tape to measure that goal because increasing your muscles with weight training might make the scale go the other way a little bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Thanks. I do actually work out 3-4 times a week doing cardio kickboxing and martial arts. I have been thinking of adding a weight training day for toning as well. A new haircut or maybe a new color might help. I recently started meditating with ds to work on mindfulness and focus. I could try changing the topic for me now that he is more comfortable with it. Dh says that various parts are getting smaller, I'm just not seeing it because it is so incremental. I'm sure that's a big part of it. Think about how you see a friend's baby every couple of months and you see how they grow a ton. It doesn't seem like your own kids grow that fast because you see them every day. Congrats on your success!!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Dh says that various parts are getting smaller This made me grin. :D Congratulations on the weight loss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Give yourself some time to adjust to your new body. Sometimes it takes awhile for the brain to "adjust" to a different size. Congratulations! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I totally understand. I know intellectually my clothing size change but in my mind I look exactly like I always have. I never computed how big I was and I don't compute my current size. I'm just me in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Are you buying clothes that flaunt your new figure, or are you still buying clothes that camouflage? If the latter, I would try buying and wearing some more shape-conscious clothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Well, I went and bought some yoga pants. Some of the form fitting kind. And a new shirt. And I scheduled a weekly weight training/core work day at my dojo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Well, I went and bought some yoga pants. Some of the form fitting kind. And a new shirt. And I scheduled a weekly weight training/core work day at my dojo. You lost 30 pounds and bought one new shirt and some yoga pants? Hon, there is your problem. You need some clothes with buttons and zippers and such, things that come in sizes noted in numbers rather than letters. Now you go shop for some clothes that fit. ETA: Oh, you need new bras, too. Don't forget that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 New bras=new woman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 Ha! I definitely do need new bras. I'll likely have to do a big wardrobe update next month when it starts to warm up and I go through all my shorts to see how many I can still wear. It seems silly to do it now when we only have a few weeks of cold weather left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 It can help to look at pictures of yourself - current and pre-weight loss. It is easier to see the change if they are side by side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 It can help to look at pictures of yourself - current and pre-weight loss. It is easier to see the change if they are side by side. This is very true. My DH yesterday asked me about the time we went to Emeril's in Atlanta. He thought it was for our anniversary, and I thought we just ran away. I was right. Anywho, I knew we were not on our diet when we went there and OMG I was heavy! I really didn't see myself as big when I was big, but I definitely was when you look at pictures. It still doesn't necessarily make me happy where I am, but it is good to know how far I am came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Honestly, it can just take a long time for your body image to catch up to reality. I've looked at pictures to compare now to before, and that helps a bit. I've pulled out my tiny jeans and held them up next to my old ones. It doesn't help much, though. 99% of the time when I look in the mirror, I see the old, 40+ pounds heavier me. All I can see are my heavy areas, despite objectively being pretty small. Every so often, I'll catch a glimpse of myself somewhere that's not my usual mirror, and I'll be surprised to see someone quite thin. For some reason, I can't see it in my normal full-length mirror, but I can sometimes see it in other random mirrors. I find it very weird. For me, at least, it's not a lack of toning or muscle thing. I mean, I could use a bit of both, but it's really more just a body dysmorphia problem. I know this because of how shocked I'll be when I occasionally catch a glimpse of myself that shows me looking unexpectedly tiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 According to the scale, I hit my goal weight yesterday. I should be happy, but I feel...disappointed? I know by all objective measures I have made major changes in the last 9 months. I lost over 30 lbs. I am wearing smaller clothes. My hip and waist measurements are smaller. But when I see myself in the mirror, I look the same. I still see the same pudgy midsection and chubby legs and jiggly arms. Other people see the difference. They compliment me on it. And that feels good. But then I see myself in the mirror and I still see the same old me. How do I get past that? Reward yourself. Hair, nails, clothing... Try new makeup, or new ways of wearing it. Get a hobby. By an amazing dress and go in the town with your husband. When your weight has been a negative center focus for a long time, you have to actively change the focus and make it positive. I suspect this is the issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'd been about 10 pounds over my ideal weight since I got pregnant with my son. So maybe 10 years. 10 pounds isn't a whole lot, but I'm petite and it's at least a size and a half. Two, really. I'm 45, so it took seven months to wrestle that 10 pounds off and when I'd done it, I felt the same as you: a little underwhelmed. I think I thought I'd like like I did ten years and two babies ago, but that wasn't the case! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 You know, I think it really does take a while for your body image to catch up. I've lost 60 lbs and every time I walk into a store I head straight for the plus size section without thinking, even though I can dress from the juniors section now. I haven't needed clothes from there in 2 years, but I spent so many years shopping there it's hard to realize "No, that is not me anymore!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Take a bellydancing class. Apart from learning to do cool new things with your cool new body, you'll be surrounded by a culture of healthy body acceptance. You win on two fronts. I mean, as long as you're in the market for a new bra it might as well have sequins on it :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Reward yourself. Hair, nails, clothing... Try new makeup, or new ways of wearing it. Get a hobby. By an amazing dress and go in the town with your husband. When your weight has been a negative center focus for a long time, you have to actively change the focus and make it positive. I suspect this is the issue? Yes, this is true. I think maybe changing my focus to a new fitness goal rather than weight loss will help me view myself more positively. I did better in terms of self image I think when my goal was to get my black belt and I didn't even think about weight loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Take a bellydancing class. Apart from learning to do cool new things with your cool new body, you'll be surrounded by a culture of healthy body acceptance. You win on two fronts. I mean, as long as you're in the market for a new bra it might as well have sequins on it :-) That sounds really fun! I wonder if there is such a class out here in the boonies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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