My brain doesn't work... it lies to me.

[kranky813 477]

Ok.. quick stats... 4 months post op. Love life... almost 60 pounds down. Here's the issue.

1st issue is that I am a size medium. Is that crazy or what! for someone who has always been an XL or larger being a medium is so weird to me.

2nd issue is that I don't believe it. When I look in the mirror I don't see the size change. I still see everything that I did the day of surgery. Everyone around me says I look great. I am at 180 pounds and I feel great. I hadn't seen below 210 since middle school so to see the scale that low is weird. But my brain keeps saying that I haven't changed. When I try on the medium clothes I think the sizing is wrong. Someone messed up. I can't be a medium because my naked body isn't a size medium.

How long did it take your brain to catch up to your body? I KNOW I have lost weight and look good. But when I look at myself I do not see it.

[2goldengirl 2,076]

I'm preop, but I wonder about this myself a lot. I have a friend who was sleeved a little over a year ago. She's lost 150#. I asked her how she dealt with the mind piece of it, and she said that even after a year, she is still a ways from being able to wrap her head around it.

I think that part of it is that we've had so much longer for the "I'm fat, etc." messages to sink in, and not nearly enough time for the "whoa! Look at how much smaller I am" to sink in.

[kranky813 477]

Oh I hear you. People will call me "small" and I don't get it. Half the time I don't think they are talking to me. I just shrug and think they are just trying to be nice. I honestly don't get it.

I also added a few photos to my profile for reference. 2 are Pre-Op and 2 are from a week ago. I still don't see a difference, LOL.

[marcy0912 66]

Just donated 5 bags of of XXL to goodwill. Wife keeps buying me XL and I keep telling her that they made a mistake and all these clothes are mislabeled.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MrsB2007 90]

I'm about 8.5 months out and still don't feel like I'm any different. I can see it in the clothing sizes and even pics..but looking at myself in the mirror I dont. I went from a size 18+ down to a 5 (so far).

[kranky813 477]

I'm glad it's not just me then. It just seems so weird. I knew I would go down in size and lose weight it's just weird being a medium...

[lauraellen80 854]

You're not the only one.

I commented in another thread that I am convinced that all the size 6 pairs of pants I now own--actually, size 4 as of yesterday--must be mislabeled. No matter that they are from different stores and are different brands and styles.

I still assume that I'm the fattest person in the room most of the time.

I'm still afraid when my husband picks me up or pulls me onto his lap, worried I'll hurt him.

Logically, I know that I'm smaller... But my gut feeling is still that I'm fat. And of course a lot of it is giving our minds time to catch up with our bodies.

Edited December 29, 2015 by lauraellen80

[ssguthrie 7]

I so relate to this. I've felt fat starting as far back as my teen years, but when I look at photos of myself as a teen, mid twenties, even mid-thirties, I don't see a fat person. Why did I think I was fat? Now, I look at myself, and I am definitely fat, my self-image more closely matches reality. Does the mind catch up with the body? Do weight loss patients finally grasp, and embrace, their new selves?

[Justme24 69]

I can see the weight loss in the smaller clothing that I can now wear, and in pictures, but I too don't really see it in a mirror, which I simply don't understand (and freaks me out a little bit:)

[vsghealthymom 16]

I feel you! I will hit my one year mark on January 3. I was at 248 last August and last weighed in at 122, size 0 and XS. Umm who is this person? Every time I try something on I'm convinced it won't fit until it does. So crazy!

[MillieBug 2]

My older brother and I were talking about this today. I was 214.8 on surgery day. 6 days post-op and the scale says 204.4. I don't believe it. I barely look any different to myself. My tummy used to have a little "poof" right around my bellybutton area. Even after surgery, it was there. It wasn't there yesterday and it hasn't come back. That's the only difference I see though. I've inspected my face, butt, back fat, arms, thighs and stomach. I truly don't know where that 10 lbs went.

He said that when I get used to not being as heavy it'll start sinking in. Hearing from you guys though, seems like it might be a while lol.

[Kelly0559 34]

I totally get where you are all at and actually, it makes me feel better knowing it's a normal thing. I'm 2 weeks post op and have lost 23 pounds. I don't see any difference at all and I put on my 18 jeans and they still fit the exact same. I'm not sure where that 23 pounds came from. I look in the mirror and besides my face slimming down, I look the same. Very odd! Lol This was definitely not something I expected when going into the surgery. I've lost large sums of weight before but I could always see it and feel it. I wonder why this is different?

[miller1109 116]

Same here. I am a size 0. 18 months post op size small. When I order clothes I have to force myself to buy the correct size. My head tells me the whole time, "that won't fit you"!!!! However it does. When I hold up a small in the store I think that is not your size. I don't know if it will ever go away. When I look in the mirror I don't see skinny, but everyone else does. Weird!!! I love my new size my only problem is I am 5'9 and have problems finding jeans size 0 with a long length. Oh well rather have that problem than finding clothes size 26. Lost 160 pounds. Going on a cruise the end of this month and bought 5 new bathing suits. Wouldn't have been caught dead in a bathing suit 18 months ago.

[lauraellen80 854]

Every time I go to put on a pair of my size 4 jeans, I have a moment of panic that they are not going to fit, that I somehow gained back all my weight overnight, or that I dreamed the weight loss in the first place and am still a size 20.

[WorkinOnMe 596]

8 months post-op, I've lost 125lbs and 8 pants sizes (from a 28/30 to a 12) ... and my brain still hasn't caught up with my body!!!

I'm okay with that though. When I look at photos I can see the difference and the scales (yes, multiple scales because I never believe the first one is correct!) aren't lying to me. The most important thing for me is no longer having the co-morbidities ... my diabetes is under control, I am off my blood pressure and cholesterol meds, and I don't need a cpap machine at night. I figure I will adjust what I "see" with time, and if I don't, that's okay too because life is great!