Goal Body Image(?) Rant

So, after losing 168 lbs and being right on the cusp of the normal/overweight, you would think that it would be easier for me to get dressed in the morning right? Nope. Not the case. I seem to be spending more time in front of a mirror - changing outfits, adjusting, etc. - than I ever have before as a fat chick. I feel like I am focusing in even more so than before on my "flaws" or what looks good or is flattering.

I do think a part of it is not being able to truly "see" the loss. I had recently posted side-by-side comparison and while I do see A difference, it's not as dramatic to me as I thought it would be - nor is it as dramatic as when I look at other people's before-after photos. Yes. I know I lost a ton of weight. I see the scale, I see the size tags on my new clothes, I see that I take up less space. Yet, somehow, here I am fidgeting with my shirts, trying on 5 different outfits, etc. Here I am caring more about how people perceive me and the size of my body than before.

Has anyone else struggled with anything similar? 

Oh boy, you are far from alone on this one! I've read this type of post many times before and I know a lot of us got very particular about dressing as we got close to goal. I know I did. 

My hunch is that what most of us struggle with is this: when we lose the weight our bodies don't always match the body we had envisioned would be underneath all our fat in our mind's eye. I know mine did not and I still struggle with that issue of body image on some days. 

It is normal to fuss with your clothes at this point in your journey. Yes, you do want to look good. Yes, you want people to notice how well you've done and how good you look. It's not that you care more than you did before, it's that you now aren't focused on using clothes to hide. You are trying to dress to accentuate the body of a normal sized woman. Most women I know do that every single day. NORMAL! 

My suggestion is to try the outfits on the night before, pick one and commit to it. That way the morning minutes won't be used up in conflict over clothes. When I first reached goal I was on vacation, but as soon as I was back to work I picked my clothes the night before. Made my mornings much easier. 

Congratulations on all the hard work you've put in to lose so much weight. Not an easy task! 

Thank you! I guess I was a little too bold in my assumption that it wouldn't happen to me. I do think you are 100% right about no longer using clothes to hide. Shopping has now become my favorite thing to do!!

I struggled and still struggle with body image issues. It's part of the process. It takes a lot of mental work for me to be ok with my self esteem/body image. Recently though - 5 yrs after my surgery and 3 years after plastics, I finally said **** it and wore a bikini to the beach. Im still over weight and a little chubby but I just reached a point where I can appreciate my new body and stop focusing on the flaws. It's taken a lot of therapy though to be honest. 

I think I would definitely consider plastics once I've been maintaining at goal for a bit. Therapy would probably help a lot too as I do feel a lot of my self-worth is tied to people's physical perception of me.

Having loose skin does make it a bit difficult to be confident - especially when the clothes come off! I may be thinner but I don't have the body of a thin person...if that makes sense?

Totally makes sense. But I also learned the hard way. Post plastics I had a may e 20% improvement in body image. It did not result in this magic improvement that I thought it would. The other 80% for me was all mental work I had to do. 

I haven't worn my white pants this summer because I'm 129 instead of the 124 I was last summer.  I know I'm being ridiculous.

It's crazy how these things impact us when we're at or near goal! 

I think we all see the flaws in ourselves whether we are big or small...  That's just how we are programmed.  But you need to realize that you have made a HUGE change, even if you don't see it.  You have lost an entire person, you have improved your health, and you are an inspiration for more people than you will ever know!  You need to work daily to keep telling yourself that you are amazing, you look amazing, and that you have every right to be comfortable in your skin!  

You are 100% right! We are totally our own harshest critics and sometimes, it's good to remember that not everything plays out the way your head thinks it does. Thank you!!!