Dealing with changing body image

Do any of you find yourselves being overly critical of yourselves even though you are losing like crazy and getting smaller all the time?  I am.  I tend to focus on the negative.  Instead of wow, look how much I've lost already, I look at myself and think, look how fat I am, will this ever go away?  This is one of the things I am working on right now.  Focusing on the loss I've achieved instead of how much more I have to go. I am also guilty of getting on that scale at least twice a day every day.  I am going to make myself weigh only once a week (starting Sunday, lol) and stay off that darned scale.  I am also taking measurements now.  I didn't start to write them down until 2 1/2 months ago but I have lost 36 1/2 inches since then.  That's pretty good when you look at it.  I look half bald right now too from the hair loss that started about a month ago.  It was thin and whispy to begin with.  They layered it at the beauty shop which makes it look even thinner now.  I am going to let it grow out to all one length again I guess. 

Yes I am also looking at the negative like you.  Even when someone commets on how many pounds I have lost I say something like well I still have 100 to go instead of just saying thank you and feeling good.  I find myself looking in the mirror and saying gosh I am still so fat will I ever lose down to my goal weigh.  Not sure why we do this but like you I am trying to focus on the good and not so much on the bad.
I have not started losing my hair yet not looking forward to it either.  My hair is already paper thin not much to lose LOL.
What a good thing to talk about thanks for posting this.  Maybe seeing what others post will help.
Huggers,
Jan

The hair thing is awful for me right now.  An associate at work came up to me all excited and invited me to come to her beutician because "she is a whiz in making thinning, older womens hair look fuller."  Now I'm really obsessing on the hair thing, lol.  Look at you though, you are halfway to your goal weight already!  That is awesome.

Yes ma'am I do! I get told how skinny I am. Uhhhh, hello!?!? I am still considered obese for the next 6 pounds and THEN I will be overweight. I am NOT skinny! When people say  "OH MY GOSH! look at you, you've lost so much weight!!" My response, "Yea, but I still have 40 pounds to go." WTH?!?! Why can't I jsut say thanks?

Fact #1: Scales were made by the devil. I weigh every Friday faithfully(unless on Friday I forget it's Friday, then I weighg Saturday!)

Fact #2: If you would have came to support I would have told you how good you look! I know you probably had to work, but we missed your face!

Fact #3: Losing your hair is depressing. Mine was terrible. However, you will feel immediately happy as soon as it starts to grow back in because we always look thin at the scalp and that will be the first place it covers! I am excited that I have to spray down my little 2 inch wispies on the top of my head. I think there was a ton of baby hairs that emerged around my 6 month mark.

I wish I could come to support.  Now that I work 3-11 I can't.  I am going to try to get the next available day slot though.  I don't get to see my kid either except as he is running out the door in the morning for the school bus.  I know Mari said they were thinking about a group during the day but they are still thinking about doing it in the afternoon so I am still out of luck.  I guess I will let dh put mine up.  He has offered to.  I'm betting I will have trouble staying off the one at work though.  I can't ever get away from them.  It's like every time I see one I am compelled to get on it, lol.  You do look absolutely fabulous by the way.  If I hadn't recognized you from your picture on the web site, I would have thought you were at the meeting as a visitor with someone else.  I never thought I would be wishing to have the frizzies, lol.  Can't wait for that though.

HA! you're so sweet. I honestly wish they had multiple meetings so that we could choose when we went to support. Of course, I would need another evening spot, but I think the group is getting slightly crowded (which is a good thing don't get me wrong). I feel like there are so many questions but we only have a limited amount of time.

I would also prefer to attend an attention-*****free meeting. I don't really care to have anyone's wightloss shoved down my throat. We are all there to lose weight and support each other. It's fun to give compliments and toot our own horns, but it always seems to get a bit extreme or the meeting tends to be taken over by one person who wants all of the attention.

I go to see all my lovely ladies and help anyone who may need it. I can get support here from all of my lovely Arkansans if *I* need it. However, I feel like there are many WLS patients whose only support that actually understands are the people at support group.

I got way off track there didn't I? Sorry about that, I shall now step down off of my soapbox. Pray for the frizzies, they ROCK! Do you dye your hair? I have heard that dying your hair causes the shaft of your hair to swell making it appear thicker. I never tried it because I spent many years dying my hair and many more years letting all of the color grow out so that it's my natural hair color.

Hi Sybul,

The whole body image thing is something that won't go away for some time to come. I'm just over two years out and wear a size 4. It's rare that I see myself as small as I am.  Please be patient with yourself.  You're doing the right thing by measuring, sometimes seeing those numbers make more sense to us than the scale does. Shawna's right.....lose the scale for now.  I had my husband put mine where I couldn't find it and he brought it out once a wee****il I broke that habit of getting on it twice a day.

Yeah, the hair thing stinks. It  will grow back, but keeping your diet higher in protein will help that get better sooner.

Keep you chin up.....you're doing really well.

Thanks Susan,  I've been working on the protein thing.  I am going to let dh hide the scale that's the only way I will be able to get any peace of mind.  I think I am doing better now that I am in the habit of journaling my food every day.  Now I just need to do it as I go so I don't see after it's too late that I took in more than I intended for the day.  Thanks for the encouragement.

Sometimes, this picture is STILL the perfect representation of me looking in the mirror. 


I also focus too much on the negative much of the time.  I do try not to, but I can't help it.  When I was bigger, I kept thinking... "oh well... if I only lose 50 pounds, that's still better than where I'm at".  I had nothing to lose by trying.  (That isn't a pun on words.)  But now that I actually HAVE this new, improved life.... I have EVERYTHING to lose.  (Again... no pun on words intended.)  I think it is easier to be positive when you have nowhere to go but up.  It is MUCH easier to be negative when you have everything to lose. 

Just my take. 

That picture says it all.