I feel kind of disoriented in my new body...

[Jaelzion 1,123]

You know how you incidentally touch yourself all the time without really thinking about it? As my body composition changes, I am feeling a bit disoriented because my body is so unfamiliar...for example:

1. When I lean my head on my hand (you know, elbow on the table, chin in hand), the shape of my face feels different - I can actually feel the point of my chin pressing into my hand.

2. I generally fall sleep lying on my left side with my right arm lying along the length of my right leg. Now, my leg feels different - the curve is more pronounced because my leg is smaller overall. Before the surface felt almost flat and now I can feel the curvature very definitely.

3. When I wash my face, my forehead feels very firm now that there is less fat under the skin.

4. As I continue to lose weight, my tummy, which used to be firm and packed with fat, is now soft and squishy as the fat dissolves. It's almost like a pillow that has had some of the stuffing taken out.

5. I have an over-the-shoulder-around-the-body style messenger bag and I can feel the bag pressing on my collar bone when it's heavy. That never happened before.

6. As my arms slim down, they hang closer to my sides. I find myself adopting an "elbows-in" posture more often, because my arms fit into the curve of my waist now.

Then there's the visual disorientation...when I look in the mirror, I have a hard time internalizing that that is me. It's been decades since I was this thin...I don't know this body.

Anyone else feel a little disoriented living in a new body?

[catwoman7 10,883]

yes - even after 5+ years, I'm still surprised by how "bony" I feel in some parts of my body!

[WishMeSmaller 1,270]

I literally just told my husband this morning that I am completely obsessed with my changing body. I keep trying to imagine what it will be like when I get to goal. I keep touching the emerging muscles and bones. I look in the mirror and move the fatty, loose skin around. I try to see if anything looks different from the week before. I put on clothes, and look and feel for differences in the way they fit. When I am working out I like to feel the different muscles engage and watch them work. I am a creeper on myself😳😳😳

[Lynnlovesthebeach 625]

Yes, I feel all of what you described. It's even more pronounced after plastic surgery! When I saw my abdomen for the first time after my Tummy Tuck my first response was, "oh no, my belly button is too high!" Then I remembered they don't really move your belly button, it's actually a stalk inside your body and stays in the same place, they just move the skin that was around it and pull it through a new hole. I also realized I hadn't seen my belly button in a "normal" position in years...it was in saggy, excess skin. I actually went online to order new panties and looked at the different models to see where their belly buttons are! After the swelling went away and I could actually see where my waist is, it is fine!

[Arabesque 6,504]

Oh yeah, I often realise I’m touching myself (not in the Christina Amphlett ‘I touch myself’ way 😁). Some of it is feeling the smaller body parts but another is my smoother, softer skin. I used to have a lot of dry, bumpy, itchy skin on my arms, legs & feet but not any more. Whoo hoo! I’m saving a fortune on body moisturisers - don’t need to use as much or use it as frequently. And it’s still odd to feel & see bones.

One of my young nieces is always touching the loose skin on my upper arms. She says it’s because it’s so soft & squishy.

[loridee11 510]

Same. Right now I am really noticing my hip bones. They've been there for a while when laying down, but I just noticed when I was carrying a grocery basket and had it sitting on my side how firm it was --- the basket wasn't squishing anything in, just resting on the bone. I can also feel my hip bones from under my cheeks - still covered in squish but definitely there.

[Jaelzion 1,123]

Thanks, everyone. It's good to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. In any case, it's a good "problem" to have, LOL. 😂

[BigJay79 9]

You know how you incidentally touch yourself all the time without really thinking about it? As my body composition changes, I am feeling a bit disoriented because my body is so unfamiliar...for example:

1. When I lean my head on my hand (you know, elbow on the table, chin in hand), the shape of my face feels different - I can actually feel the point of my chin pressing into my hand.

2. I generally fall sleep lying on my left side with my right arm lying along the length of my right leg. Now, my leg feels different - the curve is more pronounced because my leg is smaller overall. Before the surface felt almost flat and now I can feel the curvature very definitely.

3. When I wash my face, my forehead feels very firm now that there is less fat under the skin.

4. As I continue to lose weight, my tummy, which used to be firm and packed with fat, is now soft and squishy as the fat dissolves. It's almost like a pillow that has had some of the stuffing taken out.

5. I have an over-the-shoulder-around-the-body style messenger bag and I can feel the bag pressing on my collar bone when it's heavy. That never happened before.

6. As my arms slim down, they hang closer to my sides. I find myself adopting an "elbows-in" posture more often, because my arms fit into the curve of my waist now.

Then there's the visual disorientation...when I look in the mirror, I have a hard time internalizing that that is me. It's been decades since I was this thin...I don't know this body.

Anyone else feel a little disoriented living in a new body?

Great Post. You are definitely paying attention to your new body which is going to help you overall during your journey. What really stuck for me on this post is the part where you speak about the bag and how you can feel the sleeve on your collarbone which is now probably more pronounced. Keep up the good work. People say it takes about a good year after you have completed the peaj off your weight lost before you start to feel better in your new body.

Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

[PolkSDA 115]

Heh. It is a change, isn't it? I still have a long way to go, but where I notice the difference the most is in movement:

• The fact that I can get down on the floor and not be worried about whether I'll be able to get up again without crawling to a chair to pull myself up.
• I'll occasionally subconsciously push myself up out of a chair with the same effort that used to be required, and inadvertently almost launch myself across the room.
• I can actually turn around quickly now, and I have to be careful not to throw myself off balance when doing so, as the amount of effort needed isn't what it used to be.

Back on topic to the thread: I discovered that I have a rib cage. Who knew?

[ms.sss 14,739]

On 10/31/2020 at 10:02 PM, Arabesque said:

One of my young nieces is always touching the loose skin on my upper arms. She says it’s because it’s so soft & squishy.

Lololololzzz

The Kid did that to my arms too! Once upon a time she said wished she had a sleep toy as soft and “melty” (her word, not mine) as my arm flaps! Lololololzzz

Since the arm lift though, she has diverted her attention to my butt and will often poke me there to get her squishy fix 😂

She’s weird.

Edited December 9, 2020 by ms.sss