Blahhhh why can't I settle on a final goal weight??? Not happy...

Well then what you *think* is fat is probably just excess skin. My plastic surgeon measured my rib cage right below the boobs just before surgery and it was 31".  Now it's 29".  So that tells me it was only skin.  150 for you may just be perfect...big foot...just kidding...

Laura

Yep maybe! I'm scared to change my ticker though. I've changed it so many times already. LOL

I wear 10s and 11s shoe wise girlie.  My mama ALWAYS told me we were big boned.

Well, she is big boned!  I am mediumy. 

I ditto SchmaatyLaura and say give yourself some breathing room - The working hard to GET a place is MUCH harder than STAYING at the place - remember that! 

OK miss little bitty feet.. I wear a size 13.. lol.  My wrist size is 7.5 and just my lean body mass (without any fat at all) is 150 pounds.  I'm a freaking gorilla.  But you know what, I totally love myself as I am.. I'm lifting weights so I'll be even stronger and more muscular..and I don't really care if anyone finds it "attractive" or not.  I LOVE feeling strong and powerful.

WHOOT!!

Welcome to the flintstonefeetz club!!

I think lifting has helped me not have that weird vulnerable feeling I have had every other time I have lost any weight. 

If anybody does not like it, JUST FLASH YOUR GUNS!!   :} 

Dear Sweet Mandy,
The trainer is a "f" face.....drop his ass!  *****!  (wow, I feel better now)

You are so beautiful and I'm sure you were a very pretty thing when you were a "chucky girl" too!~

I agree with all our girlies on this site.  Relax....baby....relax.....You are knock down gorgeous!  WOW!

We have no clue how we look.  I have to constantly look in a mirror to realize I've lost 130+/- lbs.
It's crazy....some days I feel like I'm 305 again.  Our heads are so dangerous.  I love STFU that Brandi suggested.  We've seen women who lose so much and are still not satisfied.  They look awful and they can't see it.  

We all just want to be comfortable in our own skin....including the excess stuff......We have to remember we have come along way baby...... "I have to remember this"....

I'm 5'7" and come from a nice german background.....I've got "lingenfelter legs".....and I can squeeze my man's head off....if you know what I mean....LOL!  He has to be very careful....LOL!

I didn't let my surgeon pick my goal weight or any of those nasty charts on the back of the door in any doctors' office or even my personal trainer.   I chose 180...yep!  180!  I loved that weight.  My head still wants to "f" with that number, cuz all the other girls are in the 150's or 160's.  I just bought size 12 Vera Wang jeans....and OMG....they fit and they still fit even after I wash 'em...LOL!  Crazy. 
I gotta be true to myself and for now, 180 (current range between 172-180).  Our bodies have been through a lot.  Takes lots of work and you are doing great! 

Hugs and more hugs.....Beautiful!

Ahhh!  I always heard that a lingenfelter held her licker by the ears!  :{}

oh, you heard that did you?  hummm........LOL!

Oh yeah, my father is German so I know about the German genes! And my mom is 5'10" and "strong like bull." lol

I really do need to quit obsessing over the scale and just keep focusing on leaning out and building muscle like I have been. It's just easier said than done! = )

Mandy, I also wanted to tell you about something I do that helps me feel good when I am feeling bad about myself.  I can tell you that being my size I often feel awkward about my appearance and insecure, but I try not to let it get in the way of life.

What I do is I make up a self-empowering story and I just totally and deliberately delude myself into believing that story.. I use my imagination here.  So for example when I was close to 400 pounds I can't tell you how intimidating it is to go to the gym, especially when I feel as if I am being stared at, particularly by young muscular men.

I have no idea what they are *really* thinking about me (and noone has made any real comments to me), and since I don't know what they are thinking about me I get to make it all up.  Now this is a bit embarrassing but it really does help me.. I imagine that every man that is staring at me thinks I am the hottest fat woman they have ever seen and they are lusting after me.  LOL.

Women that stare at me are all wondering why all the men are lusting after me.  LOL.  Now if I stop and think about it, you know even someone as beautiful as Angelina Jolie doesn't have the admiration of EVERY man on the planet.  So I know damn well that not every man is staring at me because they think I'm hot.  In fact probably few if any are staring for that reason.. they are probably staring at me for negative reasons.

BUT I tell myself that they are staring for good reasons because it's an empowering story (or delusion that I USE to my advantage).  There is an expression.. "Fake it till you make it".  In your head keep telling yourself that you are hot.  Don't listen to any thoughts that make you doubt yourself.

In fact I have a HUGE issue with looking in the mirror or photos of myself b/c I never look as good as I do in my head and my story that I made up about myself.  I look at the picture and I say to myself, WTF I know I look better than that! LOL.  I'd rather be willfully deluded and project self-confidence than really look at all the physical flaws that I have, which are many.

I can tell you that sometimes my projection of my INTENTIONAL delusions fool other people too, and they are attracted because I project outwards that inner story that I tell myself.  In reality I know that I am not anywhere near as good looking as I am in my head.. LOL.

But I purposely tell myself otherwise.  Because really only my own opinion of myself matters, and I'd rather it be a good (if deluded) opinion than one that gets me down.  I know this all may sound weird but it really helps me deal with life and not feeling depressed all the time about my weight and appearance, and most of the time I happily believe my story/delusions.

Hope that helps...