How can I not "tell" I've lost 22 lbs??

It's the fat goggles.

We all wear them even if we don't think we do.

I've lost 128lbs and when I look in the mirror I still don't really see the loss. A little in my face but overall not so much. But there are other people who see it and of course there are all of the NSVs that I have like clothes getting bigger and fitting into seats better and being able to walk up 6 flights of stairs and not dying. :-)

 

Still the fat goggles show me as just looking the same. Stupid fat. :-)

 

Give it time, you will see it eventually and just keep in mind that the fat cells are going away one cell at a time.

It's called "Body Dismorphia"  You are so used to seeing the "fat" you, you do not see the new you.  I sometimes do it (4+ years out) when I see my reflection....That guy looks familiar, who is it? and it's ME!!!

 

I have been to conferences where the Therarpists/shrinks say it can take 5+ years to get rid of it.....

 

 

Yup, totally common.  I've lost 50 since surgery and about 72 since my high weight.  I still very rarely see any differences MYSELF. 

I've lost 27 since 12/17 and I can't tell. I think we are our own harshest critics. Don't be so tough on yourself, but I get wanting to be able to see a difference!

I put on jeans.  They seem to fit about the same.  I will say weight comes from my top half first, so I don't know that jeans are the best measure.  I should have done pre-op measurements!

You'll be able to tell in the pictures...

After losing significant amounts of weight (70+pounds) at least half a dozen times something I have learned is this. Most of us obese people continue wearing clothes that are far too small, but refuse to buy a bigger size, therefore we really should consider ourselves in the next size up. Keeping this in mind don't be upset if it takes you 30 pounds to lose a size at first because more than likely it is really two sizes if your clothes were really small on you to begin with. Also on large people it takes a large amount of weight being lost to be noticeable. I once lost 40 pounds before anyone even made a comment about weight loss, but on a smaller framed person 40 pounds would look like 100. I am a cosmetologist so I see a lot of people on a daily basis. The last time I lost weight I was down 100 pounds and my client said what have you done with your self, something is different. HELLO lady I lost 100 freakin pounds a lot is different. lol. Constant comments about did you change your hair, what about your makeup? When all you want to do is scream I have lost a **** ton of weight how could you not know that is what is different!!! Don't hate on them. Their minds can't keep up with your changing body. 

I am down 80 lbs... When I look in mirror, I don't see it. However I did finally pull up a b4 and had a "during" pic taken by DD and I could SEE IT!   I wish I'd been better abt pictures and measurements.... So (hint hint) I'd recommend that even though I didn't do it.

People who have lost limbs report still "seeing" and "feeling" the missing body part.  

Why we are surprised (and I am) when we don't "see" or "feel" a much less obvious systemic loss I dunno.  (Well, except for that trick the brain has of maintaining perceptive status quo.  It's important to us to feel "consistent", change is frightening, so our malleable, manipulative brain simply ignores a fair amount of sensory input that indicates non-emergent crisis change.)

The beautiful thing:  

I didn't notice. 

And I didn't notice.

And I didn't farkin' notice.

And then...

I couldn't not notice.

Joy.