What if I don't look any different?

[Valinerya]

Okay, please tell me I am not the only one who worries about this.

I have a bunch of weight to lose. My ticker says it all.

Here's my fear (yes, I know it's irrational, but it's there)

What if I manage to lose it all, but I don't look any different? I just can't see myself ever looking different than I do right now. I have this stupid fear that when I'm at my goal, I'll still be wearing the same fat clothes.

How do you stop thinking like that?

[theredhead]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

You take it one pound at a time and try to enjoy the journey. It's really amazing to see the changes. Most of the time, it's gradual. But sometimes, you'll look in the mirror and be amazed at the changes. Your clothes will start falling off before you know it!

[chinadoll]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Well, gee, what do you have to lose by trying? I mean you look the way you so now so what do you have to lose? Even if you were to look the same (which you won't and even you know this is true) you would still be healthier and less addicted to sugars and processed starches. You said it yoursefl-its irrational so why not give this a real effort and see what happens?

[Shrew2u]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

What if I manage to lose it all, but I don't look any different?

Then you'll have to settle for merely being healthier - you'll feel better, move easier, have more physical endurance, your bloodwork will be vastly improved, etc. As the song goes, "You can't always get what you want / but if you try sometimes you just might find / you get what you need".

How do you stop thinking like that?

By concerning yourself with how your body feels - and falling in love with feeling *good*. Aren't you tired of carrying around all those extra pounds? Doesn't it hurt to do some things...and aren't you a little mad about the things you just can't do right now?

I remember a few days after I gave birth to my third child. I bounced back pretty quickly from childbirth before. After #3, I was still carrying so much weight that something as simple as bending over left me pretty winded. And my diet was so processed-carb-laden, it was torture trying to haul myself out of bed in the morning.

That's definitely changed since I committed myself to this WOE/WOL. Now, I can pop out of bed when my infant and toddler start their day (no later than 6:02am, it seems!), feeling refreshed and ready to get my day started. This WOE/WOL is responsible for that - it helps me sleep better and gives me far more energy to do what I need to do. I don't give a darn if I never look good in a bikini again...because I darn well *feel* like a million bucks right now!

[Valinerya]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Thanks all. I know it is such a tupid thing to worry about. Part of my head knows there has GOT to be some kind of change in my physical appearance. I guess I wonder if I will always see that fat blob staring back at me regardless of my weight.

I could go for feeling better! I'm tired of walking up the stairs resulting in hurting legs and making me out of breath. I start school in a couple months again, and I need all the energy and physical well being I can get, as I'm going into nursing, which is a demanding profession. I can't be a nurse when I'm fat and feel good during the day.

[Aways2Go]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

When your current pants start drooping and slide off without unzipping, you will feel better about it and know that you won't (and at that point, already don't) look the same as you once did... LOLOL!

Seriously, it's just your head messing with you, as you obviously understand you can not possibly lose the pound equivalent of my junior high school aged neice and still look the same as you do right now. Not physically possible to disappear that many pounds and look anything like the same.

The eye can fool you though, and play tricks on you... so I suggest taking your measurements in a number of places immediately (your neck, wrist, biceps, forearms, chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves) and write it down and then take them again in a month. Even if your eyes can't see a loss when you look at yourself, the tape measure will see it.

And for further proof, pick out some outfit that you can't even hardly get into right now, try it on, remember that, then come back in several weeks and try it on again. Think you look the same even though now you can get it on and before you couldn't zip those pants or the buttons on the shirt all strained and gapped apart? It's a good, common sense convincer.

Good luck with it - keep at it, you'll get there like so many others before.

[goin2befit]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Did you check out the before and after picture thread??? Do you see any of them being the same... NO WAY!!!!

It is totally a mindset and it is one that will catch up with time. I've been overweight ALL my 29 years of life. That is right, from 3 months of birth up, up, and kept going up.

I too had so many mental blocks of not being able to really believe that those before and after pictures could be me. I started working and really trying to "see myself" like that. It has taken a couple of years to do this. I don't have any, not a single "skinny" picture to refer back too, but if you have any then you can use those around the house to remind you of what you looked like.

I believe this is a very important vision to have to succeed. I mean usually you save money for a dream vacation when you visualize where it is you will be going... makes since. You need to have a "general" belief and realization of what you will be looking like and not just looking, how do you think you will feel 100 pounds light? How will life change? Even realize how are people going to treat you different, and they WILL!!! Some may treat you like you are now gold while others will push you aside like yesterdays news.

This is my honest opinions... you will change, inside and outside. I use to always think I would never change on the inside, but you do. You realize a few things like you don't have to accept whatever any more because well, you feel there is alternatives out there. You don't have to feel shy and embarrassed because you are PROUD of YOURSELF! What a feeling.

For me I have realized a trend in my weight-loss. Each time it gets to where people notice... I stop. I'm not sure what really goes on, if it is the confidence that I'm doing fine leads to a cheat or the feeling that people are watching me leads to nervousness which leads to a cheat, I'm really not sure. I know there is some self-sabotaging thoughts that keep stopping me, and I'm working on those right now.

I wish you luck and happiness on this next step in your life. If you ever need to chat, just pm me.

~Amanda

[Maggiemuggs]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Over time you may not notice much when you look in the mirror, or if you are like me, you avoid looking in the mirror, but it does happen. The other day I ran into someone I haven't seen in a year, and at 50lbs lost, she said "my God, you look amazing" Talk about an ego boost, especially since I am only at the halfway mark. I really hadn't noticed as much because I see me every day, just like you see you every day, and I promise you, you will look and feel better! It just happens at a different time for everyone. Some people can lose 20lbs and you can tell right away, and other people it takes 70lbs, but at some point it will happen.

[barrnone]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Think more about how you feel. I know that I don't show my loss yet - but I feel great. It's really changed my life, and that's just 20 lbs, I can't image how I'll feel when I reach goal! Also, be patient. I know that I'm losing, I can certainly tell in my clothes, but somedays I just still feel so heavy. I take a deep breath and know that it will be like this for a while - when I hit a new low, I think WOW...then when I stay there for a while and get used to how I look - I think CRAP, I'm still fat. Deep breath, tomorrow is another day and I look forward to hitting another WOW day...keeps me going.

[Eama]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Focus on the little things and, like everyone else says, how you feel. I just had a revelation when I got dressed this morning. Now, I'm about 40 pounds off my highest weight and I don't think I look any different at all, but when I put on my pants today, they were longer! They actually hit the top of my foot instead of being an inch away from my ankle. It took me a minute to realize that they're longer because my width is not taking up so much of them anymore.

When clothes starts changing, you can't help but realize your body is changing.

[Valinerya]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Thank you all so much for your encouraging words

It's good to know that I'm not the only one who has felt this way. I frequent the Before and After section a lot, thinking sometimes "Maybe that'll be me" but more often thinking "I could lose all the weight in the world and never look thin."

It's reprogramming I suppose. That will take some time. Right now, so early into my journey, it's too big to think about losing 125 pounds. If I can get to 250 first, a solid 250, that will be great. Then 225. Then the next goal. I just hope, really really HOPE, that I start to look and feel different as I lose.

[Ohbehave007]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

I think it has something to do with us not really noticing we are gaining...I didn't realize it at all until I bought a scale...It scared me. In a period of 1,5 years I had gained 50+ lbs all thanks to a hormone inbalance (way to strong bc).

But trust me, I have lost those 50+ lbs since my highest (known) weight of 208. I am now at the point (155-158lbs) that I was as a teenager and it feels great. I would like to lose more but I am happy were I am at too. I am no longer obese and can shop at normal stores (or even the market!).

I have taken a picture of myself after every 10lbs I lost (starting at 190), with each I saw a little improvement.

Don't let the mirror trick you, take measurements...they never lie.

[soon2bslim]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Thanks all. I know it is such a tupid thing to worry about. Part of my head knows there has GOT to be some kind of change in my physical appearance. I guess I wonder if I will always see that fat blob staring back at me regardless of my weight.

I could go for feeling better! I'm tired of walking up the stairs resulting in hurting legs and making me out of breath. I start school in a couple months again, and I need all the energy and physical well being I can get, as I'm going into nursing, which is a demanding profession. I can't be a nurse when I'm fat and feel good during the day.

Of course there will be a change in the way you look and u will probably notice it more than anyone at first. You might even notice how that your clothes fit differently evan before the scale moves in a big way since if u are exercising u may lose inches before the actual numbers get much smaller.

HOWEVER, i am a big believer of the 'whole system of Atkins' changing your life in that it will give u much more energy, improve your organizational skills (since u have to plan,plan, plan the food) and here on this board u can find tons of support.

***RECOMMENDATION: Huffing and Puffing up the stairs really bothered me, emotionally, of course physically too, so when i read about the climbing stairs challenge i had to try it to combat the exhaustion from just ONE flight of stairs. Guess what - i am no longer exhausted from the stairs - now i run up and i seek out stairs to climb - it took very little time for this to happen, but each of us is different tho, but it happens. I lose weight very sporadically and haven't lost much since i started induction in mid - October, but the inches are coming off AND MOST IMPORTANTLY My STAMiNA HAS IMPROVED GREATLY!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PLEDGING FLIGHTS STAIR CLIMBING CHALLENGE. SET YOUR INITIAL GOALS AS LOW AS YOU WANT AND KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON INCREASED ENERGY AND STRONG LEG MUSCLES AND U WILL BE AMAZED WITH YOUR PROGRESS!

I'll try to figure out how to post the link to this challenge but basically go to Exercise > Exercise Challenges > Pledging Flight or Climbing Stairs. Find the very first post by Jimmie and look at the links in the post and start climbing up to NEW ENERGY!!!!

Soon U will not only see urself as slimmer but much more enregetic as well!

Good Luck!

[soon2bslim]

Re: What if I don't look any different?

Try this link - it should bring you to the beginning of stair climbing thread with all the necessary explanations:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/exercise-challenges/28906-pledging-flights-stair-climb-challenge.html#post391501