[DocSanae]

Hearing many of you talk about yourselves, I have noticed something that probably has something to do with the difficulty in seeing your weight loss for a long while.

How many of you were within the normal weight range at say, around high school or till about 20? How many of you were on the chubby/husky side in childhood, and kept that childhood fat with you as you matured into adulthood? If your weight was normal/the lower range of obese in late adoloescense/early adulthood, you probably don't have that much difficulty seeing in your mind, how you would look like, at goal, and the stages in-between. If you had been chubby/husky from childhood on, you've never seen yourself at a healthy weight range, so you will have a hard time seeing in your mind, how you will look like as you lose your weight. You might see your face on the body of someone you know who is at the weight range you would like, but that someone is not you, so when you reach the said weight, you won't look like that.

This lack of a good reference for what you would look like as you go along your journey may contribute in your inability to see the change in you when others compliment you, and in making your mind see the "fat" you in the mirror, even after you have lost considerable weight. Keeping a picture of you pre-weight loss, and of the present you side by side will enable you to see the difference objectively, give you confidence in what you are doing and who you have become, and also serve as a reminder to keep track throughout your life.

everyone!

[shelbi714]

Doc!! Thanks for your insight. I could not agree with what you said or say it any different way than how you did. I have never thought of my self as "skinny" though as I look back at pictures i was "not that bad", so I have no real concept of what I will look like. My dad is a psychologist and he says if you imagine yourself a size six and afirm daily you are a size six (or any other size) then you will be that size. I don't think he understands that I NEVER was a size six and so I have NO CONCEPT of what that will look like on me. That visualization of self where you want to be is probably the hardest thing in this whole dieting, weightloss process for me and probably a real key to my failure and then depression that I am really a size 20 and failed to get to that magic number. I am going to work on seeing that size on me and maybe monthly pics to document my progress will help.

[fr1endly2]

YES i am one who battled chubby/overweight to obesity thru my life.
I think the last time i was in normal body weight sizes was about my daughters age...from there on i went up and up and up!!
Your information makes good sense.
GUESS i just got to get used to my new self!
LISA

[Heidi]

I agree completely - It's so hard to imagine yourself not fat anymore when you've lived with it for so long. I think that was the reason I plateued in my weight loss for about six months. I had gone from 330 pounds to 220 pounds but I think I was still telling myself 'oh well just accept your never going to be a normal weight, we're (my family) all bigger than average, be pleased with how you've done so far and be happy with it'. Then I had an epiphany of ' hold on if I can lose 110 pound, then why the hell can't I lose more! and onwards I went to lose 65-70 pound to have me where I am now at about 150 pounds, at 5.6 tall. Weightloss and the maintaining of the loss has such a psychological factor! My other important message would be to not take the loss for granted, celebrate every loss by thinking about the benefits of how you feel, this will help 'train your brain' into wanting to keep losing more, or maintaining where you're at.
Heidi

[shelbi714]

Heidi, i soo get that idea that you were stopped at 220.. i think oooh good i am where i was when i (fill in the great mile stone) so i am done.. this time i want to go beyond that.. i want to go all the way to never been there in 35 yrs

[SHH]

I was not heavy as a child or teen. I did this all by myself after i started working.........less mobile, more eating.

I have been up and down in that time, my last successful diet being 14 years ago.

I don't know what a normal weight for me will look like. Maybe I will post my pics soon and you guys can help me with that concept. S

[Pillows]

I have always been heavy my whole life and don't know what it will be like to be considered skinny. I can't wait to find out though. I will let ya know as soon as it happens...hehehe.
Janae

[freebird]

now see i was never considered fat. i was always muscular but i can't say skinny. my tummy was flat for so long and then i stopped all of my physical activities and started to ballon, up and up i went. all that muscle turned to fat,and more. i have a pic of the year before i quit all of my physical activities and pretty much hold that in my mind as an image of what i will look like when i get to where i should be weight wise. maybe i'll post the pic for y'all and then we can see how close i come to it after i lose the weight.

[Pillows]

that would be awesome free. I would love to see the pic. if nobody else does....tooo bad, I do so there...lol.
Janae

[shelbi714]

i second that.. i want to see.. show me show me!!!