Can I have everyone's honest opinion?
This post is not to p*ss anyone off..I'm really sincere here.
I've lost over 40 pounds in almost two years. I did it slowly and contently. I'm about 4-5 pounds of my goal of 110 (where I've always been most comfortable and not TOO skinny.)
I went home about 3 weeks ago and shocked people with how different I looked. Everyone was telling me I look great now. I know I look a lot better and I worked hard for it. In the past I had an ED and trust me have dieted many times, mostly unhealthy. For the first time in my life I did it the right and healthy way. I'm really proud of that.
I'm actually happy where I am now, but I'm kind of OCDic I admit and a bit of a perfectionist. I guess I'm guilty of what most women are when losing weight. We pick a number as our goal, don't know why, but even if we are happy with the way we look we still want to strive for that one number we set out for.
In my journal I have two entries with newer pictures I took at home titled (New pictures and the other is called that digi cam is really get used.) Could you please look at them and tell me your honest opinion? Do I look ok now? Do you think I could stop now and maintain? Or should I just strive for those last pounds for personal satisfaction.
I still feel big on and off (but, I was overweight awhile back ago..so that image is just psychologically in my mind.) I need to know what other people (non family related....think of how I look.)
Sorry if I offend any women here...I just really need to know that I look ok....I need some encouragement. I need to see myself through other people's eyes, because yes in a sense mine is distorted in some sense. Of course, with family..you think, "Oh, they have to say that!"
So please....I mean wholeheartidly...do I look good now?
Thanks guys. I really, really appreciate your opinions. (positive or...negative...ah.)
I think you could stop losing weight now for sure. You look gorgeous, even in your workout sweats :) You're definitely "skinny", but toned looking as well. I do think that you "look good now". I understand that it's hard to use our own judgement when we've been scrutenizing out bodies for so long- I have the same problem.
"Honestly", I think you look lovely, and above all else, healthy. Enjoy maintenance!
Well, I think you healthy, petite, and toned.
If I were at your weight, I'd stop at that point, start maintaining and chuck the scale if it makes you want to lose more to get to a slightly lower number. :D
I totally understand where you're coming from. Sometimes I question whether my friends and family are being honest with me when I ask for their opinions, and sometimes there are just days where I feel like I'm fit and sexy and I should consider maintaining soon, and other days when I'm like "man.. I have so far to go..", an unbiased opinion is always good. ;)
Kudos to getting where you're at! <3
You look great - thin, fit and petite. I'd be very surprised if you looked better 10 pounds lighter. It seems likely to me that you have a little more muscle than you did when you weighed 110 before, so you weigh more but are just as thin.
If I was you, I'd maintain the current weight (and fitness level).
+1 for maintaining, keep active and maybe reaaaaaaaally slowly over the course of time you will be losing a wee bit in the inches department, because you`ll be replacing fat with muscle.
I had a goal weight to begin with but once I liked the way I looked AND felt extremely healthy I just stopped dieting; nobody advised me to do that, but it just made the most sense to me.
You are beautiful!
I think every woman, no matter what their weight or history, feels like they don't measure up most days. We never see ourselves the way we really look to the outside eye - it's a curse! It's great for family and friends to be encouraging, but it is sometimes hard to know if they are being completely honest with us. Your loved ones, however, are telling the truth -You are gorgeous, and you got that way by taking care of yourself the right way. You have much to be proud of!
Congratulations!
I think that you look fabulous and I wish you hapiness :)
Congratulations and stay healthy.
You look fantastic. How about doing a month of maintenance and then reevualting? Especially if you add a bit of weight lifting in there.
Original Post by loudflower:
You are beautiful!
I think every woman, no matter what their weight or history, feels like they don't measure up most days. We never see ourselves the way we really look to the outside eye - it's a curse! It's great for family and friends to be encouraging, but it is sometimes hard to know if they are being completely honest with us. Your loved ones, however, are telling the truth -You are gorgeous, and you got that way by taking care of yourself the right way. You have much to be proud of!
Congratulations!
Ditto to that! I think you look fantastic and fit!
Rose,
I too, have been hospitalized (In the VERY distant past) with an ED. I can see that you have the typical "perception" problem where you really have a difficult time with focusing on a number. Still, even when you acheive it, you have trouble perceiving yourself (body image) in a positive way. One of the exercises we had to do when I was hospitalized, was to draw an outline of how we "PERCEIVED" ourselves on a full length mirror (with an erasable marker). Next, the theapist TRACED an ACTUAL outline of our body pressed up against (backed up to) the same mirror. The difference of what we THOUGHT we saw and what was ACTUALLY there, was astounding. Anyway, GOOD FOR YOU for going about things the healthy way this time, that is SO INCREDIBLY difficult to do, especially after an ED. You should be extremely proud of your body and your level of health right now. Try to focus on how you "feel in your own skin" and not the # on the scale for awhile and see if you maintain or drop those last few pounds. Of course, you look incredible to all of us with our untainted "perceptions" out here!
I think you look great and should not worried so much about reaching your goal. Some times we don't see ourselves the way others see us, so I find it perfectly find with you writing to ask. I am 5'2 and 132 lbs working to loose 12 lbs. Everyone tells me I don't need to loose any more weight since I have lost 50 lbs but my goal is 120 and even if it takes me another 2 months I will not give . So I know how you feel.
Honestly.... stay and maintain. Learn to maintain while you are still young. I yo yo'd all my life. I cannot even start to tell you the cost I haver had to put out for smaller or bigger clothes orver the years. Don't get into the yo yo habit. It]s hell. I have lost 40 recently. I have plateaued and still have 14 to go. maintan for awhile. You look great and I am a very honest person.
Ah, kiddo, you Look Great...and ya know i wouldn't lie to ya
. I would absolutely kill to have your body. You have done such a good job. Now if you can master the art of maintaining, you're smooth sailing!
Its weird how everyone has different views of body shapes, to me you look really skinny. Not bad skinny but definitely skinny I would think that any more lost and you will look a little too skinny.
You look good now but maybe a little skinnier than I would look to go but then again thats just my view :)
I think you look great! adn shoudl be proud of your acheivements! But I know how it is, even at my skinniest I always felt like the "fat" girl. And i know that even though people tell you you look great, somehow it never sinks in.
So honestly I do think you look great! I too have 40 lbs to lose so you are my idol for losing it! haha, but you have to see it for yourself! only when you realize and really see your own achievements will you get how good you look.No matter what we say, unfortunately.
I wish you luck and hope you'll see how much you've acheived! PS- becareful of chasing perfection because it really doesn't exist. :)
I agree with everyone else! You look beautiful! You can stay right where you are! Congrats!
Original Post by lisajb74:
Its weird how everyone has different views of body shapes, to me you look really skinny. Not bad skinny but definitely skinny I would think that any more lost and you will look a little too skinny.
You look good now but maybe a little skinnier than I would look to go but then again thats just my view :)
Ditto.
I went and looked at some of your 'higher weight pics' and compared to the 'now pics'. I think you should stop losing and focus on the maintaining. I think if you lose much more, you'll start looking rather gaunt in the face and kind of bony. Keep what curves you have left!
Congrats on the work you've done so far. I'm really glad you're asking for opinions to help you discern if you're at a healthy weight. We all deceive ourselves just a little bit when it comes to self image. 
I think you look great, but I don't see why you can't lose the last 4 or 5lbs if that's what you want. If you find you're too thin weight is easy to gain, right??? I'm in the same boat. I'm 114lb and my gaol is 110lb. Everone keeps telling me I'm thin enough, but I just want that last 4lbs!!! I'm getting married in afew months and I just want to look Fab!!!
You looked really gaunt in your pic where you were about 110 back in '05. I think I agree that you traded some fat for muscle, which weighs more, so are are really probably at your goal already! Your workouts are reallt working to tone you up and imho you should just keep up the activity and maintain what you have. I think you look wonderful (and you know I do lol!). Also, the need to binge you've been having lately prolly is your body telling you that dieting time is over.
Seriously, you look great. I can't wait to read about how your maintenance goes, you're an inspiration, girl! Work it.
Honestly? You. Look. Amazing. And well done on actually doing this the RIGHT, healthy way and sticking with it.
I agree with a lot of others, in that you should eat to maintain. You look fantastic already and perhaps this is the weight your body is happy at?
You have a BEAUTIFUL body. Enjoy maintenence mode, sweetie. You've earned it!
