First and foremost, you are not a Debbie downer. The feelings you are having are soooo normal, the majority of us have been obese for years and some their entire lives. Being of "normal" weight, what ever that is, is a goal that many of us thought we would never achieve. Now we are faced with living with the new us. Now we have to learn to live with the tiny person we have spent the past few years scupting.. It takes our minds time to catch up with the weight loss. Today at work a vendor said to me, "You are so tiny and petite, you look like a model for Talbot's". I just stared at her and started laughing, she looked very shocked by my response. My friend answered for me, "She does not see herself that way, she still sees herself as the overweight person she was 2 years ago." Sad but true, I know when I look in the mirror, I am tiny now but sometmes I look at that person in the mirror some days and all I see are the flaws that the weight loss has left me with. I know that may sound ungrateful and totally fickle but it is honestly how I feel. I am grateful for my band, I am happy with my weight loss and would never go back to who I was before. Keep working hard and you will reach your goal, you have made awesome progress and should be so proud of your progress to date.

I can totally relate to you. I'm only down just over 50 lbs, but when I look in the mirror I don't see any change. All of my family does; my sister-in-law told me today I look like skin and bones (which was sweet, but really, I'm still 190 lbs). My brother-in-law even complimented today about how great I look, but I just don't see it. I will agree that I'm thinner than I was but I'm in no way thin, and I don't think I will ever see myself that way no matter how much I lose.

I think it's safe to say that most overweight people develop a complex about themselves. It takes a lot of time and a lot of self discovery to be able to look in the mirror and not see the "fat girl". I figure, once I get to my goal weight, I'll start working on my self-image. Until then, I need to keep focused and not let the compliments get to my head and decide I've done enough.