I havent been sleeved...may 17...my new life begins....but heres the question...WHEN DOES OR EVER ...BRAIN CATCH.UP...TO WAT U SEE IN THE MIRROR....IVE BEEN 250 down to 150.....and no mater wat...i still saw and felt 250.....im afraid...ill never really see....wat the mirror shows......im 223 now...hoping to get to goal wieght of 160....

Good question. I look back through my family photo album and all the times I thought myself fat... I wasn't. Why was I never happy?

This time is going to be different. I already know it. The difference this time is my goal isn't just to get thinner, but to get healthy. That mind set right there has given me a new look at myself. I'm not at my goal weight , but ever since I started.. Yes, my "journey" (Hush, you nay sayers ) anyway.. Being healthy thin puts a whole new aspect to what I see in the mirror.

I have struggled with this. When I have cloths on, I can see the difference. It is amazing. I have gone from 16/18 pants and XXL tops to size 9 jeans and Med/Large tops (i am a little big up top in certain areas so I will never wear very small shirts)... however, when I do not have cloths on (like when I am weighing) I still see myself as FAT! I know by the scale and measurements I am not. I am no longer even considered obese. This is something my therapist and I are working on.

Wish I had a better answer - maybe some day I will see it when I don't have cloths on!

I think everyone is different. When i had my lapband and lost weight, I could see it. Now with the sleeve, i can see it. I have no idea why some people can and some can't. My opinion is that it is a psychological thing. There are people on here who have lost 100 lbs and still can't see it. How sucky it would be to go through this and not be able to see the difference! Especially in the beginning, that's the thing that keeps me going!!

The doctor from my psych eval. for surgery told me that it takes the average person about two years for their mind to catch up to their body when you loose a large amount of weight. It was good to hear that so I know this won't happen forever. My husband recently saw some pictures from a year ago (I'm 6 months post-op) and said "I didn't remember that you looked like that! I had kind of forgotten, and have gotten used to how you look now." Weird.