Question:
Any tips for getting my mind and body working together?

Does anyone have any tips for how to get my mind and body working on the same page? I have lost about 80 lbs but my mind isn't catching up. Some days I wake up thinking I look GREAT (even though the BMI says I'm technically still obese) and other days I think I look worse now than before surgery. I am 50-60 lbs away from my ideal weight. I just wish I had a clearer body image! Am I a hottie...am I still fat? Does this ever get any better? Surely some of you that have gone through this have some suggestions for me as to how to cope with all the emotions this is bringing to the surface.    — Barbi B. (posted on April 22, 2002)

April 22, 2002
I still have days like this. I have lost over 270lbs and there are times i feel fatter than when I started this journey. I look in the mirror and say ick. then other days I feel great. I went shopping and the Bill Blass size 14s are a bit loose and I bought a size medium dress yet the day I bought them I was feeling really self conscious about how I looked..Hmmmmm Maybe the head will catch up some day.... rita in vermont
   — vt_rita

April 22, 2002
I can totally relate. I have lost 177 lbs. and have 40 lbs. to go. Some days I feel huge, and other days, I feel thin as a rail. My body image is constantly fluctuating. I really try to focus on my success, i.e. "Oh, my God! I've lost 177 lbs.!" I am trying to avoid that trap that so many women are stuck in, where there bodies are mostly okay, but they get picky about the small stuff. I find myself obsessing about my excess skin sometimes or about the fact that my boobs aren't perky anymore. I really try to remember that I did this surgery for HEALTH reasons, not cosmetic reasons ... and I feel GREAT now, so I should really consider myself a success, even if I never lose another ounce.
   — Terissa R.

April 22, 2002
Hello. I have "only" lost 45ish pounds so far, but the thing that really helps me see it is pictures!! The mirror lies to me, I see the same person I did six months ago. But pictures really help me see the progress I've made. Good Luck! :)
   — Angela B.

April 22, 2002
I feel like I go through it DAILY!!! Some days I do feel like a hottie. Other days a cow!! When I'm feeling fat, I've found that I like to go to the mall just to try on clothes. Seeing that I can wear a size 12 pair of jeans comfortably and a size medium shirt make a world of difference!!! I still have about 30 pounds to lose so I keep trying to tell myself that I'm almost there but this last 30 pounds seem to be the hardest to lose.
   — Patty H.

April 22, 2002
Thanks for asking your question. I loved reading everyone's answers! I do not feel alone! I am 45 lbs from my goal. My BMI is 30.7, just barely obese. last weekend I pulled some size 14 jeans out of the back of my closet and they fit! I was so happy! Then during this past week someone said something that made me trigger the thought that size 14 is fat! and I felt huge again. This week I feel pretty again. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!
   — blank first name B.

October 27, 2002
Well, I thought I'd repost to this thread I started. Thank you so much for all your posts. It helps to know that I am not alone! I am down about 115 lbs now and still struggling with the same issues. <p> Part of it is that my body has really changed shape! I am no longer an apple shape but more pear shaped. Everything is kind of going south...lol! I'm having to adjust the style of clothes I wear to match my new shape. This isn't necessarly bad...just an adjustment. Changing my "style" of clothing has really helped with my body image.<p> I still have another 20-30 lbs to go and boy are they going slow now at 10 months out. I'm still struggling with feeling that I look worse now than before. Loosing weight in my face has caused me to look older I believe. But I have come to realize that even if I look a bit older, being able to shop for new clothes in a normal size with more choices takes the sting out of that. I am so much more comfortable with the way my body moves now that even if I'm not totaly ok with the way it looks I am still happy I did this. Keep posting here with any ideas you have for getting our minds and bodies to sync up with our new shapes!
   — Barbi B.

February 27, 2003
WOW, what a question. I have lost about 190#. Some days I am so happy that I did this, and then when I get out of the shower and pass by that mirror, I stare...in horror, the saggy monster that stands before me. I had the panni surgery done, and it looks somewhat the same as my tummy did before the surgery. Why do I feel so bad? What makes me feel so aweful? I am heathier now! I am not morbidly obease anymore! I will live longer! I still am not happy. I try to count my blessings, and remember where I was compaired to where I am now. I still ask the same question, when will it be enough for me. When will my insides be ok with what my outsides look like? I have to ask myself daily why I feel like this. I should be so happy with who I am and not with what I look like. I guess it is the next step in this process. It sounds like I am totally not alone in this. Thank you so much for being here, and thank you for letting me express how I feel. I think I am not happy with being able to eat more. That really brings me down. I don't want to gain any weight at all, and heavens forbid, work at loosing this weight. Thank heavens...I can work at it now. Did anyone else's mom ever tell them life would be easy?? Cuz mine sure forgot to tell me that!!!! Chin up babe (cuz now there is only one to hold up) and remember....WE ARE IN CONTROL!!!! Live life, love life!!!
   — MAGICG9