1.5 years out ,body image

I have a question for the longer term post op people. I weigh now what I weighed last summer after my surgery, down 60 pounds , BUT last summer I feel like I looked MUCH slimmer. Now I feel frumpy and dumpy looking. Do you just get used to the new look or does your wieght redistribute after a longer period of time? I can't tell if this is in my head or the mirror!..lol.

I feel the same way! The more I lose the bigger I feel, I personally think I have body dysmorphia, whether weight goes up or down. That is not going to be helpful for you, but it may be something to explore. Sometimes if I get a new outfit or haircut/color even a blow out I can come out of that frumpy place. Good luck!

The longer I have...... I look back and feel I was bigger, I do notice in pictures that my body redistributed itself (sounds so darn weird!)... But when I look in the mirror I sometimes feel I'm fat, and other times I'm like "Wow, looking good!"... I have no idea how long it's going to take before I just feel I look "normal"... Or if that's even possible. Being big for the majority of my life is probably what throws me off still.

Here's to our eyes and them not doing mirror tricks soon enough. lol

Our heads do play games with us, but our weight redistributes over time, as well. 

Do you need/want to lose more weight?  If you are near a normal weight, then you might want to talk to a counselor and try to sort out why you are being hard on yourself.  If you would benefit from losing more weight, then perhaps its time to do so.

In either case, you deserve to feel good about yourself and the weight that you've lost.

best of luck,

Carol

I am 5 years out. I still suffer from body dysmorphia. It comes and goes. I have had quite a ride of gaining and losing over the last 6 years. I am currently close to my comfort weight post op and on some days, I feel disgusting and other days, like this weekend, I threw on a bikini and said **** it all....this is me, and its good enough. Sure, I want to lose more, need to lose more, but I am getting to a point where mentally, I can convince myself I am good enough while being a work in progress. I don't obsess over the weight I need to lose which helps.

For me, pics help. I feel like I get a more accurate view of myself, and I can compare side by side. Mirrors hate me. Every mirror is different lol. I don't know how or why, but I can look in my bedroom and hate myself but then I go to the bathroom mirror and im like, ok, im fine. Gym mirrors - usually im like ughhhh. Walking down the street and getting a reflection - usually more positive for whatever reason. So much of it is the mental filter we have in place when perceiving ourselves. I studied psychology and perception is such an interesting topic. Its so much more than just bare sensations.

Hang in there. In my experience it gets better and better as time goes by but so far, hasn't disappeared.

Do you just get used to the new look or does your wieght redistribute after a longer period of time?

simple answer -:  Both 

  I sometimes feel like I have a bit of body dysmorphia as well.  I hold up my now smaller sized pants and think, these must be miracle pants.  Just can't understand how these little pant fit my big body. Other times they look normal. 

  I've found it helpful to take measurements and record the date, and when I look in the mirror and think I look bigger than usual , I measure myself and compare to the last measurement , usually I'm smaller than the last time. Excepting changes is weird, even good changes. I think our heads will eventually catch up.