I'M OBESE!!!

While most people in the world wouldnt be excited about being "obese"- Im thrilled to finally be just "obese"!! My BMI is finally 39.9!! That means I went from SMO to extremely obese, to OBESE!! Someday I will even make to just overweight!! I got up this morning and jumped on the scale.. 233!! Im losing about a pound a day still and loving it!! If this continues for another 2 months then I will be close to goal when the so-called honeymoon period is over... I will actually make it to 150!! Now my question is when will my head catch up with my body.. While I know that Im 100lbs lighter-well 99 from my highest weight- but when I look in the mirror I cant see where Ive lost anything.. Dont get me wrong, I see some changes in my body but I dont see myself as any smaller.. Yeah my belly hangs lower, my boobs have gotten longer, and I have a roll of flab on my thighs that werent there before- but I dont see that Im any smaller.. And where did all these stretch marks come from??? Before surgery I couldnt see any except by my boobs, now I have them all over my stomache!! Looks like Ive been hit by shrapnel!! When does the mind catch up with the body?? I go shopping and instantly look for size 26/28 when I need 18/20.. I cant seem to grasp reality when it comes to my body image. Im not complaining.. just confused on why my mind doesnt grasp the fact that my body has changed?? Anyone have any suggestions on how to catch my mind up with my body?? Amber

hi amber: when you get some answers, please share with me. i'm down more than 150 pounds and am still doing/feeling the same stuff you're talking about. congrats, by the way, on your new weight status. i went from smo to mo and it was a really, really great feeling. have a good one. dorthe

I really thought when I had surgery that things would go smoothly, I had no idea how much I would struggle with the emotional and mental parts of this journey. The body image issue is becoming more and more of a problem for me. I used to be quite social but when I gained weight I became a hermit. Having lost this much weight I thought Id be social again but Im having a really hard time with it.. I have called an made an appt to see the lady who did my pysc eval.. Hopefully she can shed some light on things for me.. Good luck! If you find anything that helps please pass the info on.. at this point Im willing to try anything to understand this! Amber

Congratulations on your weight loss .. that is awesome!!!! I have not had my WLS so I am looking forward to that. But, I can tell you it may take possibly even years to get used to your new body. Just remember you did not get all your weight on over night.. and probably did not even get that weight as quickly as you have taken it off. I am just so excited for you! I have lost large amounts of weight a couple of times in my life and I can tell you it takes a while for the mind to believe. Congrats again.

Thanks for the congrats! It seems like a dream at times when I stand on the scale! Ive never lost weight like this before so this is all new to me.. Ive seen the scale go up and up but never down and down.. So this is all new to me.. Yeah Ive lost small amounts here and there but never even close to what Ive lost so far! I guess my best hope for understanding all this is counciling... Hopefully that will help! Good luck on your WLS journey! Amber

Just so you'll know you're not alone ... I'm really struggling with this lately. For a while I was so thrilled by my weight loss and the changes in my body ... because it was rapid and the changes were drastic. Now, the loss is slow and changes aren't readily seen ... and I'm only a little over half-way to goal (150lbs down today!!). I feel those old thoughts of "soooooooo fat" filling my head again. It's been a real fight with myself lately. I'm in a place with my body right now where I can't exactly figure out what size I am because I'm still resisting buying new clothes. (My cousins have been donating to me ... they went through this in May, 2004 and have lost 168lbs and 201lbs.) I know I'm "around" a 3x top now instead of a 6x ... forget about knowing bottom sizes, I haven't a clue, because I've been seaming up my pants rather than buying new ones, and because most of my weight has more visually come off the upper half of me. I too am like the incredible drooping woman ... my boobs are definitely doing their darnedest to get into my waistband, in a big wind I could probably fly with my arm flaps if my butt and legs weren't still so big and keeping me anchored down , and I too have the crepe-skin and puckered stretchmarks on my torso. Below my waist it just looks ghastly (to me) ... a huge problem post-goal will be my thighs ... there's already so much bagging and loosening all the way down to my knees. Now having said all that ... I'm still so grateful. All I have to do now is find a way to make my mind take it ALL in ... and I think that's the toughest obstacle we're all going to face. I wish I had a suggestion for you ... I'll be waiting for an answer too. ((hugs)) Myra

Myra, Thanks so much! I have felt like I was going through something that noone else understood! I know everyone goes through body image issues but I didnt realize that what Ive been going through is basically the same as others! That alone makes me feel better! Atleast I know that if I am insane Im not alone!! I guess noone has a magic wand to make it all go away! Thanks so much Amber

Hey Amber congratulations on being Obese!! It feels kinda weird saying that but I know I'll sure be glad when I can say that about myself Keep up the good work you are doing great Take care, Anita