Losing but still looking and feeling fat

I have lost 32.8lbs with 22.2 to go unfortunately when I look in the mirror I feel as if I lost nothing and have become what I feel is jiggley/ flabby does any else have this going on?Could it be just me?

Well I am with you on the jiggly feeling My skin is not very elastic... I'm trying to drink as much water as I can since I've read that it helps.

When I look in the mirror I see no difference... but people around me do. I see a difference in my winter coat though... it used to be hard to zip and not it's a bit loose.

Did you put away some clothes that were too small ? You could try them and see if they fit again! It's such a good source of motivation to me... I now have access to a new area of my wardrobe!

You should be so proud that you lost 32+ lbs! I'm impressed. When you look in the mirror don't get discouraged, keep reminding yourself of how much less you weigh than when you started. You're moving in the right direction so keep up the good work, be patient and stay mentally strong and positive. Add some toning exercises to deal with jiggliness. You are well on your way to reaching your goal!

You write that you lost 38 lbs, but I would say it all depends on HOW MUCH you need to lose, whether you can see it or not. When I had lost 40 lbs, I didn't see much of a change either. I had 100 more to go. The suddenly one day everyone around me started noticing and before long I started to see it myself. I think it takes a while for US to see it, as we look at ourselves every day. We don't see the little changes.
Just keep going and wait and see. You'll get there.

When I lost the first 1/2 of the weight (I lost some prior to starting Fatsecret) I didn't see it, but my husband did. It wasn't until I went shopping and bought some new clothes that I started to appreciate the weight I had lost.

The flabby skin can be an unfortunate side effect of losing a lot of weight. Some, maybe all, will go away once your weight has stablized. Mine was so bad at first, I considered gaining the weight back in hopes that my skin would tighten up. Now it's close to being gone. Supposedly (I've done a lot of reading about it and discussed it with my doc) it can continue to tighten for up to two years after your weight stablizes. For me, the change in the 2-3 months following the weight loss was quite dramatic. Now it's slow, but I think it's still occuring.

It's supposed to help to keep yourself hydrated both by drinking lots of water and using lotion as you lose the weight. I didn't know that and didn't try it until more recently.

Another way to help you "see" the weight loss, is take measurements. I was well into my weight loss before I started it, but when I lost a bunch of weight an didn't see it in the mirror, I was amazed to see I had lost several inches off my waistline.

Don't give up!

Thanks everyone I guess Im just so in a rush to get into a smaller clothing size. Guess 30+ lbs is not enough to give me the results I want to see yet..

I felt the same way, lost 40 lbs. and I didn't really notice it too much - clothes felt better and I felt better, but I didn't see it in the mirror. So, I searched high and low for pictures of myself at my highest weight (it was difficult b/c I did not like getting my picture taken b/c of my size). So, I found some pictures of December 2010 - my highest weight. Then I put them next to a picture of me when I was down 25 lbs., 45 lbs. and now 54 lbs. (amazing difference -- I keep them in a word document on my computer and look at them often). When I feel like I am not making progress, I just open the file and bam - progress is staring at me.

So, if you could find some old pictures and then periodically take a new picture and put them next to each other - you will see the difference

That's a great Idea NCNOLE.I'm going to get on that especially since everyone does tell me I have lost weigh and they can see it but since I'm not seeing it maybe the pictures will help. I must say I am glad the scale drops 1-2 numbers a week because if I went on apperance only I would probably have given up already.However I did lose some inches but just enough for my clothes to be fitted and not tight.

the unfortunate part of dieting/working out is that you cant really choose where the fat comes off first. and it always seems that those trouble areas are the last to be shed.

I know for me its always the fat in my face and arms that seems to come off first with those love handles being the most stubborn.

just stick with, eventually that belly and back fat will come off!

The visible belly fat is generally always the last to come off. Looking at overall health factor, the first and most important fat you lose is the fat inside your belly that constricts your organs, and that fat you can't see, but is the most important to get rid of. Those love handles are stubborn, and unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to focus on just losing that. The fat burns off where it does. As you get to your goal weight, it will come off. Keep at it, go GETSUM!

ARGH you cannot choose where fat comes off!!! i still have abdominal fat, but i lost 5 pant sizes(Went from Target size 13 to Target size 8, and i still need a belt)! however, 17 pounds later, i realize that fat around my 'gut'went down considerably, but most of the time I don't think I really lost any weight. but then when i was holding my cousins 1 yr old baby, and I stepped on my scale, and the scale read only a few pounds more than where i started from, and then i realized i lost the weight of a one year old baby, it starts to look a little bit more real.

I feel the same way, I've been losing weight, but I look the same to me, but everyone else tells me that they see me getting thinner.

Same for me. I always gain weight over the winter and when I lose it back that fat around my belly button area is always the last to go. It's probably a good thing because if we could not see it we would probably ignore it.

I had lost almost 60 pounds..and thought I looked the same.
Fortunately, I had clothing and pictures to tell me otherwise.

Then, I put most of it back on. (No, I am not a FS 1st-time sucess story at all..shame on me.) And I can tell were every ounce of it is showing in the mirror. (And, sadly, I have the pictures and clothes to remind me, if the mirror ever stops.)

But... the great side of this is that I know its possible to get back again AND that this time, I will appreciate the changes in my body more!
(And not just visible changes.. I'm back to suffering walking up the 2 flights of stairs to my apartment, and grocery shopping has become a serious workout. Sigh.)

I know how you feel Confusedangel! I lost 75 pounds on Weight Watchers but I couldn't attend meetings,I didn't want to pay the fee, and I moved in with my mother in law while my husband and I transitioned to a new home. I was invincible and lost every week, never gaining or hitting a plateau but with the changes and my horrible mother in law breathing down my neck,I lost control. I slowly gained a few pounds here and there thinking it wasn't a lot and it was temporary. Before I knew it,I had gained 70 pounds back. After that I was pregnant and had my girl so I didn't get back on track until recently. I've started counting calories and taking the opportunity to learn more about my health. I think the second time around will be a struggle but I've learned a lot and I'll know what it's like to start over. Good luck to you and just remember how far you've come in taking the steps necessary to your health. It will happen for you and you are not alone!

Sometimes we need to have counciling. We have been trapped in a "fat suit" for so long that we have a hard time not seeing ourself anymore. You might even feel like a stranger. If you do not start to feel better about your accomplishments throw out the mirrors and just get facial ones. We spend so much time dreaming about what we want to look like we forget how beautiful we really are. You have a lost a great deal of weight and you have worked hard to get there don't worry about minor flaws that you think you see. Look at what you have accomplished.

It takes time for your body image to catch up with reality. A few tricks to help your mind to catch up: Take some pictures of how you look NOW and compare them to before. Take your measurements. Put on an article of clothing you wore regularly when you first started. Go to the grocery store and pick up a bag of something that represents the weight you lost- I'm sure there's a box of kitty litter or something that's about the right size.

Your losses on the scale and the visible weight loss don't always match up. I've been convinced that I've lost several pounds because I can see it but the scale will tell me I haven't. Conversely, I'll be convinced that I haven't lost anything and the scale will tell me otherwise. A number of people observe that the biggest changes in their body take place not while they're losing weight but in the weeks when they aren't- its like your body drops the weight and then goes through a consolidation phase where the difference actually becomes visible.

One thing that will probably help- make sure you're doing strength training! That, more than anything else, will make you look smaller- especially in problem areas like your thighs. Even without any real weight loss over the past few months, I'm seeing a difference in how my pants fit and that is JUST as important as what the scale tells me.

i lost 10 pounds again about a month ago i lost them and then my husband was eating everything infront of me and ofering me things as if he didn't want me to lose any weight then he left for a week now and as soon as he left i started the drops again and i lost 10 pounds again and he still has a week to go so, hopefully another 10 down in a week. i now weight at 139, yey!!! and trying to get to 110 lbs. i dont know how im going to do it when he get's here on the week end, hell b here for 2 days so just have to be super strong for 3 days...