Do you see your progress?

[Norah Mitchel 1]

Surgery Date: 12/23/2013

Surgery Kind: Gastric Sleeve

Start Weight: 230 pounds

Current Weight: 147 pounds

Goal Weight: 130 pounds

As you see I'm 7 months out and lost a total of 83 pounds, but I have a problem of not seeing my progress. I look in the mirror and still see myself obese (which at this point I'm not) and I compare myself to others with my same weight and always find myself believing that they look more fit and healthy! I also go way hard on myself, today I had a 6 inch sub divided into two meals, I'm still feeling guilty I had the whole thing because it's my first sub since the surgery. It's driving me crazy because everyone around me is proud of my achievements except for me, I manage to find something wrong here or there.

Do I need to talk to a doctor? Is anyone here facing the same problem?

[FairySleeve 297]

I'm only 4 weeks out and lost total pre and post-op 18 kg which people think it's a LOT and they can see the difference and I drop 2 sizes of cloths already but I myself really don't see the big difference. I'm just telling myself to be patient, it will come. I still have a long way to go.

By the way, If I lost as much as you have, I'd be so thrilled!

[Roo101769 742]

Absolutely, positively YES!!!! I started MUCH heavier than you, I was 316 lbs. As of today I weigh 220 lbs. While 220 lbs is still obese and I have quite a way to go to my goal weight, there is a HUGE difference in my appearance. ( anyone who loses nearly 100lbs is bound to look different) I have struggled with my body and how it looks a great deal. I am not sure if it is body dysmorphic disorder or what, but I sometimes see myself now as fatter than when I was 316 lbs!. I think I had become so good at fooling myself and avoiding how truly obese I was that I became complacent at best. Now that I have had surgery and lost a lot of weight I am facing the reality of my body. I am not where I wish to be, so I think that makes it harder for me to accept the changes that have happened. It also doesn't help when you have to look at sagging skin, batwings etc. And I have the additinal issue of extreme hair loss ( which everyone does not have the extreme I do) and I hate how I look from it. This is a very taxing emotional journey and it is hard to deal with those feelings sometimes. One thing that has helped is pictures. I look at old pics of me compared to now and then I can see the change. It is like I am finally facing the person I had become instead of avoiding. Learning to accept what I was, and to see where I am now, has helped me let go of some of the"fat" brain.

[SillyAuntDi 1,610]

I still struggle with my self-image. I had surgery September 2013 and have dropped from 354lbs to between 196-199lbs (I'm in a bit of a plateau and bouncing around the same 3lbs the past few weeks).

I look in the mirror and still see the extra around the middle. I turn sideways when I am walking between cars, even though I don't have to anymore. I know when I buy clothes that I am much smaller, but I still "feel" big. It's my biggest hurdle so far...and I keep struggling to get over it. But, hey...if that is the worst thing I have to deal with after surgery, so be it! I'll take it everyday

[gowalking 10,790]

Surgery Date: 12/23/2013

Surgery Kind: Gastric Sleeve

Start Weight: 230 pounds

Current Weight: 147 pounds

Goal Weight: 130 pounds

As you see I'm 7 months out and lost a total of 83 pounds, but I have a problem of not seeing my progress. I look in the mirror and still see myself obese (which at this point I'm not) and I compare myself to others with my same weight and always find myself believing that they look more fit and healthy! I also go way hard on myself, today I had a 6 inch sub divided into two meals, I'm still feeling guilty I had the whole thing because it's my first sub since the surgery. It's driving me crazy because everyone around me is proud of my achievements except for me, I manage to find something wrong here or there.

Do I need to talk to a doctor? Is anyone here facing the same problem?

Yes and yes. I have the same struggle and I see a therapist because I am also too hard on myself and only find fault with how I look. I am not comfortable in my new body and still feel fat. I worry that I will sabotage myself so I am working with this therapist to find the root cause of my body image issues so I can embrace my new self, both with the improvements I've made and the work in progress I still feel I am. Good luck to you..hope you get the help you need.

[Kissifur 244]

My mother just asked me this question and the answer is no. I do not weigh myself so I wonder if that's the reason I don't feel like I'm losing. My surgery was on 6/05 and I weighed 225. I only weigh at Dr appt the last time I weighed was over a month ago and I was 205 and I wont weigh again until 8/27. I guess this is the price I pay for my no scale rule.

[jtickle 295]

I have lost 60 pounds. I look tremendously different to everyone but me. I still see the 325 pound person.

[Leepers 1,195]

The food guilt is difficult. I am always worried that when I eat something with more carbs or higher calories or lots of sugar that it is the beginning of the end. I worry that everyday I will allow myself a little more freedom here and there until I find that I am eating crap again and I'm gaining weight back. It is a valid fear. I think it keeps me honest. I need to think about every bite that goes into my body. Maybe for the rest of my life.

What is it about half of a six inch sub that makes you feel so bad? Carb-wise it might not be the best choice ever, but it's not a Big Mac. So it is a better choice.

We obsess over changing our bodies, when really it is our minds that need fixing. You are normal. Listen to your logic, not your feelings.

[Kissifur 244]

The food guilt is difficult. I am always worried that when I eat something with more carbs or higher calories or lots of sugar that it is the beginning of the end. I worry that everyday I will allow myself a little more freedom here and there until I find that I am eating crap again and I'm gaining weight back. It is a valid fear. I think it keeps me honest. I need to think about every bite that goes into my body. Maybe for the rest of my life.

What is it about half of a six inch sub that makes you feel so bad? Carb-wise it might not be the best choice ever, but it's not a Big Mac. So it is a better choice.

We obsess over changing our bodies, when really it is our minds that need fixing. You are normal. Listen to your logic, not your feelings.

I have found that my fear is opposite of yours. My life has been filled with one diet after another followed by long periods of eating whatever I wanted. My fear is being on a life long diet. I want to have a normal relationship with food. I want to learn how to have normal portions and not spend my life obsessing over every piece of food. it feels like going from one extreme( having no control) to another (trying to over control) I am hoping I find that happy balance of food and exercise.

[intelirish 714]

absolutely yes.. i have a habit of buying "goal" clothes cute new shirts at what i think should be the next size down for me - lately i haven't done very good at that as it turns out when i get my goal shirts home and actually try them on they fit... which is a yea for me. but i can't seem to move past the habit of buying in a store without trying on. i didn't want to share in the past the horror of a 2xl not fitting.. now that i'm in a LG/XL i can't shake the habit.

i also can't seem to take a compliment for what it is - rather than just smiling and saying thank you i end up challenging them. I really hope to move past this some day and see the loss in the mirror and the person i am now - rather than who i was.

[RNBSN786 206]

People around me notice and say I look great but my mind still thinks I am over weight. I am 5 feet, was 210 and now 155. I had surgery march 31 2014. I was 14/16 and now I am 8/10, xl to l/m. I see the difference in my clothing but in the mirror I still look huge. Even in the train when I sit down, I don't need a lot of space anymore like I used to before. I can squeeze in between 2 people and sit comfortably. But still my mind is not there yet. You know what I mean?