Feeling Fat

So I started my whole working out and eating healthy back in april. When I started I was at 156lbs and now I'm down to 130, I got 5 lbs to go. Now I'm down to a size 5 which is were I want to be but I'm thinking that I might have a problem. When my friends see me they tell me how great I look but when I see myself in the mirror I still see the heavy me. I know I have lost weight because my clothes tell me so but my mirror still shows the heavy me. I'm kinda worried because I don't want to loose control and become anorexic or something like that . I'm not working out as hard as use too so I don't know if I'm the only that feels like this or if it's something everyone that is loosing weight goes through. Any advice will help.

Hey there.  I am in a similar situation.  I've gone from 180ish to 165.  Everyone around me is telling me not to lose anymore, but I look in the mirror and I am still dissatisfied.  For me, I know it is that the fat is still have is in my loose skin making my belly still droopy even though it wouldn't be at this weight without the loose skin.  I want to lose about 10-15 more lbs of fat, but if I did that right now I would be really scrawny for my frame and I think my body would fight it a lot.

So I think the big thing once you get to the point we are at is to look at it in terms of changing your body composition instead of losing weight.  By this I mean increasing your muscle to fat ratio.  My plan is to focus on resistance training and maintaining my current weight to help get my metabolism back up to speed and gain some muscle back, then alternate phases where I will cut back calorie intake to use stored fat with eating more and targeting muscle growth.  Maybe you want to look at a similar approach?

Brains are funny creatures.  They tend to see what they expect to see rather than what's actually there.  I have the exact same problem.  When I look in the mirror, I often see the person I was 20 pounds ago rather than who I am now (and what others see).  I know this because, every so often, I'll catch a view of myself in a shop window or something without realising it's me - and that person is a lot slimmer than who I see in the mirror at home.  It's really bizarre when I finally realise that person is me.  I know, objectively, that it is because I'm fitting into smaller clothing sizes than I ever thought possible (even accounting for vanity sizing).  But I still see all that fat in the mirror most days.  (It's somewhat mood-dependent too; the grumpier I am, the fatter I look.)

Eventually, your brain will catch up to your body.  Until then, listen to your friends and family.  If you feel like you still have weight to lose and they say no, try maintaining for a few months to give your brain a chance to recalibrate and make sure you really do have weight to lose and aren't just seeing what used to be there.

I definitely agree with the others on this topic!  Also, I can say from personal experience that eventually your brain DOES catch up!  I lost about 20 pounds over the course of about half a year, and although I still have days where I feel chubby, in generally I am finally able to look at myself in the mirror and say "sweetie, you look good!"

I think it probably took me most of the summer to figure it out :P  That, and a fight with a bridesmaid dress (grrrrr)

Hope you feel it soon too!

I can definitely relate! I was around 160 and now I am 130. There was a time in the beginning of the summer when I finally felt thin and could look at myself and be somewhat satisfied. Now I am starting to fall back into not liking what I see. I still weigh the same, but now I look at certain parts of me and want to lose more. So, I am sorry for the bad news, but for me it has not gone away yet. It seems to be creeping back...

The difficulty with loosing weight is that your perception changes as to your current image in the mirror.

I have lost nearly 50 pounds and yet when I look in the mirror I still see myself as still as fat as I was 50 pounds heavier but I know that that is because my perception has adjusted to my current mirror image but with the feeling that I am still heavier.

It takes a while to get your perception to change and realise that what you see is the new slimmer you and the best thing is often to see fat photos of before you lost the weight as then you will suddenly realise how much weight you actually have lost and appreciate the new you in the mirror.

I haven't had an ED so can't comment from that point of view but can see how addictive and easy it would be to look and see myself as still fat not as a slimmer and better version at doesn't need to keep pushing.

Hey I started back in April too and I have almost the same stats as you. I'm 7 pounds from my goal weight yet I don't feel like I look very different. My pants are all too big now, which is a positive sign but I also, still see the same old me. Maybe I suspected I would look a lot different at this weight. You're not the only one, that's all I can say. Sorry I don't have any helpful advice.

Oh I do recall something someone on here told me once:

Listen to your friends and family when they compliment you on here. If they haven't seen you in a while, they have a clearer view of the changes your body has made compared to yours, simply because we see ourselves everyday in the mirror, so our minds aren't noticing that much of a difference. I hope that makes sense!