when will i look different?

Really, it's all in the head. I've lost close to 150 lbs, and when I look in the mirror - I see NO difference in my appearance. That's impossible seeing as how Ive lost an entire normal sized adult, but its a perception issue to the max. When people call me skinny all I can do is laugh and tell them to stop being condescending - who the hell would call me skinny!!??

Its part of the reason ive become a workout addict - Its so much easier for me to measure and track my fitness levels than my size. When I increase my time/distance/speed - its a concrete measurable difference, and I get a lot more pride and satisfaction from that then losing an unnoticable 5 lbs on the scale. Even though - if I stop and think about it - I could get really depressed knowing I'll probably never have a lean body like the "skinny girls" - I don't go there very often. Starting at 420 lbs, I would have lost my motivation instantly if I thought about the end result. While its important to have goals, I cannot spend any of my time or energy thinking about hitting my goal weight because it seems so far away. I have taken it day by day, month by month, and this has worked for me.

And as for the vomiting, that's not normal. When it happens, write down what you ate, how much, how fast, see if there are any trends. Soup-y stuff is probably not the best idea b/c of the combination of solids/liquids - and definitely at this point, id suggest skipping the noodles.

i know its all in my head lol. i see what you're saying. even when i lost another 150lbs, ill probably see myself as the same 340lb fat girl i was before. i should probably start seeing a counselor for this, so its not detrimental to my success. i hope to be considered "skinny" by people when i get to goal, but if not, ill be happy knowing that im a LOT healthier than i was 200lbs ago and happier. thats a good idea about charting when i throw up. thatll help see the cause of it better than just guessing. congrats on your weight loss, thats amazing! thanks for your advice :)

The mind is a ***** and she refuses to let go of the "fat girl" image.  The only way I can confirm to myself that I really do look different is through pictures.  Looking in the mirror, I still look the same to myself as I did the day of surgery.  I KNOW I've lost weight.  I can FEEL that I've lost weight.  I just can't SEE it - unless I take pictures.  Hopefully, at some point the mind will let go and catch up with my body.

We had a clothing exchange at support group last night.  I grabbed a couple of size 10 pants thinking I might fit into them in a few months.  Held them up before I tried them on at home and my mind said "You won't be able to get one thigh into those.  They're way too small."  And I pulled them on...all the way...and they fit...and I'm still amazed....and my mind is telling me that it's impossible....and I've told the ***** to shut up.

LOL you crack me up. yea the mind, espcially that lil fat girl voice in my head, is a huge ***** and i just need to smack her lol. congrats on the size 10 pants!!!! thats so exciting. thats one of my goals to be a size 10. and when i look at a size 10, i say geez thats like 1 of my legs. so when i actually get there, im probably still gonna have that mindset that theyll NEVER fit! funny how our minds work! thanks for the inspiration and keep up the good work :)

How much chicken did you eat? I'm about 6 weeks out, but I can eat only 1/2 oz of chicken comfortably. If I ate 1 oz, I would probably vomit.

i ate about 1/2oz of chicken and 1/2 of a noodle w/ some broth.