Why can't I ever be happy with my progress??

I'm frustrated with myself right now. I am happy with my weight loss and where I am, I just had a really good week of loss and I'm finally keeping my promise to myself to exercise regularly. I've lost 87 pounds and I'm at 5 months and I'm really happy with that! 

But I have 5 shirts that fit right now lol. I work from home so generally that's not a huge problem, I've been wearing tanks that are way too big at home but it's not an issue at home. So I finally ordered some clothes online - there aren't a ton of places to shop in person - and I get them today and I'm STILL only one size smaller than I started out. That is insane to me! 87 freakin pounds should equal more than 1 damn size. UGH!

I got just the shirt and not the pants so that's just the shirt but I just find that so upsetting and it makes me not as happy with where I am. I don't want to buy new clothes in a 2x!

I am currently in the pre-op stage waiting for a surgery date for RNY - which will be a revision from lap band surgery. I had the band put in in 2011 and removed in 2012 as it slipped and was not able to be repaired - and I wanted it out anyway! During my days with the band, I lost 30 lbs pre-surgery and it took me most of another year to lose 50 more. So all together with the band, I lost a little over 80 lbs. Like you, I only went down one size with all that loss. But I started out at 371 lbs..... I had to lose almost 65 lbs before anyone even noticed I'd lost ANY weight!! Even after the loss of 80 lbs, I still had 110 lbs more to go before I would have reached my goal weight. I'm sure if I'd been able to lose more with the band, it would have been more noticeable and eventually I would have dropped multiple sizes. I think it all depends on where you start. If you weigh 225 lbs to start and lose 100 lbs, obviously you will be pretty darn thin and it will certainly be noticeable. But if you start at at 371 lbs like I did and lose 100lbs, you'd still be considerably overweight - 271lbs - and the loss would not be so noticeable. If you keep doing what you're doing, eventually it WILL become quite noticeable, and you'll be down many sizes, not just one. I guess the name of the game at this point is simply PATIENCE!! Hang in there! It WILL happen!!

I can wear so many of my pre-op clothes and, like you, find it a bit disheartening. However, 50 lbs lost on a 200 lbs frame will be MUCH more noticeable than 50 lbs on a 390ish frame. It'll come, for you and for me. 

I think  we have beat ourselves up for so long we need to not be so hard on ourselves. Try Old Navy their clearance is pretty good. 

Regular sizes are crunched down, but the gaps between plus sizes are huge. I was wearing 2x until fairly recently. I had to buy a new suit two weeks ago, and I wanted to cry because I still could not fit into anything in the regular size section at Macys. I did not think that being 200 pounds was still plus size. My advice, go to Walmart. They make their clothes bigger and sell them for cheap.

It took FOREVER in my weight loss process before I could ditch my old wardrobe.  And look at how much weight I've lost.  I've gone from a size 4X in pants to size 18W, and size 4X in tops to size 16.  It.  Takes.  Time.  I think it was after I lost 100 lbs after surgery that the size differences in clothes started to decrease exponentially. 

The sad part is that I'm still wearing the same underwear!  I'm waiting for them to fall off my body before I buy new ones.  And it still hasn't happened... arrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

Do not be so hard on yourself.  You are doing a wonderful job.  Marathon, not a sprint.  Keep telling yourself.

Ha, okay underwear is the one thing I've gone down sizes in lol. 

I think I made a similar post to this one when I wasn't going down in even one size but dammit 87 pounds seems like so much! Especially when nothing in my closet actually fits. Everything everyone said above totally makes sense but argghh, these sizes need to come sooner. 

The diet is going well, I'm happy with where I am, going to try to focus on that. 

Be careful what you wish for, Mo.  I waited too long to buy new underwear and, embarrassingly, they ended up around my ankles while walking through the grocery store!!!   I slipped them off my feet and put them in my purse, looking to see if anyone noticed.  I went commando until I got to Walmart to buy new undies.

haha! this story made my night! i can just imagine! thanks for sharing! 

   I love your story, Rocky! Yet another reason to wear pants instead of skirts/dresses.