Mirrors Vs. Pictures

[MellioM 116]

Have a head issue. In my head I see only the negative. On mirrors I see my flaws. However, when I see pictures from last year held up next to pictures of now it is almost like seeing different people.

I hope that my head catches up with my loss and that mirrors stop reflecting only flaws.

In the mean time, it is nice to look through pictures to see how far I've come.

[Theboysmom 69]

Funny that you write this today! My gf and I (she has lost 117) were talking about this yesterday and how we still see our old selves. On occasion I will catch a glimpse of myself in a window or mirror and almost have to do a second look to see if that is really me! Im not sure if your brain every catches up with your weight?!

[SusieSunshine 68]

Well when I look in the mirror I see someont thinner then I am. Pictures tell me the opposite. So I can't wait until I look good in pictures!

[Sojourner 2,446]

There is an entire psychology behind understanding the automatic thinking we engage in, versus the reality of what is. I recently wrote a post about it...the Psychology of Size.

I've had a difficult time to stop shopping in the plus size section in clothing stores...and my sister has actually had to physically steer me away from purchasing the same item in plus size that fit me in misses sizes. I have a difficult time believing that the smaller size is the correct one for me.

We see the same dynamic at work when we work with anorexic eating disordered patients...you ask them to draw a life size image of their body and then compare their actual size versus their "psychological" size...invariably they see themselves as larger than they really are.

I believe that the head does catch up with the body...it just takes time and awareness of the automatic thoughts which keep us a different size in our minds.

[Jachut 487]

I havent gotten around this in seven years!

I look in the mirror and see imperfection, fat, love handles, wobbly thighs, and a big bum (trying on all my bikinis for thailand in a couple of weeks!).

Snap a photo of myself and see something entirely different - not perfect, definitely someone with "problem" hips and thighs, lol, but a tall and thin person!

See a photo of myself next to someone else I consider normal sized and cant freaking believe it!

[Renee2817 76]

I thought that it was only me that see only imperfections. My husband, family and friends see things a lot

differently that I do. I never really took pictures due to my weight and even though I have lost weight, I still won't take pictures. I will have to find some before and after shots so that I can compare. Be encouraged in know that in time you will have the desired look that you are aiming for.

[nikki c 16]

I see myself larger in the mirror than I a in photo. Just like jachut said, when I see a pic of me with a normal sized person I can't believe it! It was a HUGE revelation!