So last spring I went LCHF and lost about 44 lb over the course of 5 months. Then regained almost all of it (40 lb) again during the fall. Now I'm back on the journey and have lost 15 lb to date and in a much more sane way.
Last spring I wouldn't cheat. Ever. Not even things that are "okay in small amounts" (glass of wine, some berries, a few squares of dark chocolate). Everything was just a big no-no. Which is partly why I couldn't maintain.

But the big thing (I think) which pushed me back into old habits was that 44 lb down and I couldn't SEE it! I'd look in the mirror and I still saw fat me. In clothes, it was okay. Like buying and wearing a size 6 dress was bliss.
But I'm hour-glass shaped and even at thin weight, most of the bulk is in my legs. Heavy legs. Existing butt. So I still couldn't buy just any pants. Skinny variety, forget it!
And when I put on bikini/underwear and looked in the mirror, I just didn't see slim. I'd stare sadly at the legs.

I know this is a matter of changing perception and letting go of how I've viewed myself. But have you experienced this? Do you have any tips for how to change what I see in the mirror once I get to the goal?

Side-note: this journey is a more reasonable. Yes, I have a goal and yes, I make choices consciously to get to that goal but I will NOT beat myself up for choosing to have a glass of wine once in a while or going out and celebrating our 2-year anniversary at a gourmet restaurant with a set 7-course meal (hubby had booked) where they'd made sure everything was gluten-free and I simply left the potatoes (everything else was surprisingly low-carb).

I believe I'm already setting the scene for success at maintenance but the mirror part still worries me a bit. Insight and pro-tips much appreciated!

I use pictures to gage progress and get a reality check. I didn't really see my ups and downs in the mirror either.

We all look in the mirror and have something we don't like about our bodies. Make a real effort to look in the mirror and focus on the parts of your body you do like. Compliment your best features the same way you would compliment your best friend if she was feeling down about a certain aspect of herself.

I had the hardest time buying clothes. Everything I took off the rack that *looked* like it would fit, was way too big! I got so tired of double and triple trips to the dressing rooms, I started taking the size I thought should be right, and one smaller...even though in my head it was ridiculously too small. Ha. And the smaller one either fit or was also too big.

It took lots of experiences like this (a year maybe?) before I could look at items of clothing and get a gut feeling of what would actually fit. Yeah...about a year of guessing I was bigger.

So not exactly the same, but I definitely thought I was still big. Are your sizes changing? Having to buy new clothes? Maybe spending time trying on new clothes will help you "get" it.

Well done so far. I think very many of us feel the same as you. Another way of looking at it might be: do you want to be the type of person that looks in the mirror and says ( well ain't I just perfect)!!! I think if you asked the most perfect person you can think of, they would firstly see faults.
It's human nature. Perhaps you should write something down ( the reality of how you feel/look now) then compare this with how you really look when you get to goal. Our bodies are not the air brushed beauties that we compare ourselves to. Go to the local swimming baths, there you will see real people.
Well done on loosening the rein a bit, you have to make it doable. Its a learning curve for sure. Best wishes.

I remember an episode of What Not to Wear in which the participant had lost weight and didn't see it. Stacy and Clinton took a piece of butcher paper and had her draw her shillouette as she saw herself. Then they traced her actual shillouette. That seemed to flip a mental switch I her and helped her see her new slimness.

Maybe trace your shillouette now at the outset and re do it as you lose weight.

You know, we're never going to look like those women in the magazines and you could well miss out on a lot of life if you let that hold you back from enjoying your body as it is.

If the mirror isn't your friend, stop visiting it to critique yourself. Do a quick check that you don't have your shirt on backwards and then move along.

I have been a little depressed that, although I can wear some of the saved up smaller sizes in the back of the closet, my belly doesn't appear (to me) to be decreasing to any marked degree. I can see other changes, but I still have a "fat tummy". Yesterday I put on a belt that I haven't worn for ages - there was a period when I couldn't buckle it. This time I got it to the third hole, and really could have even made it to the fourth, but that would have been just a tad too tight. So, I don't "see" it, but it IS happening. Maybe something along those lines would help you re-adjust your perceptions.

I still see a fat me in the mirror!!! My family are sick of me saying "do I look fat???" I know I'm not cos of my weight and the size of my clothes, but I just cant see it! I was on a tv programme the other day and yes, I could see that I wasnt particularly fat lol - but I still feel fat

Jo xxx

Sadly, I think it's normal for most women to find fault with their own appearance and never feel that it's good enough. Most men, on the other hand, usually think they look better than they really do. How wonderful that must be. Women are pressured to aspire to the media's examples of female perfection that are actually male fantasies or fashion industry hype and impossible to achieve - at least without a clever surgeon and airbrush artist on our payroll. Late in life, I've learned to shrug off the voice in my head that points out my imperfections and enjoy the compliments of my critical friends and the size 6 label on my clothes. My wish for young women is that they don't fret away the years when their self-esteem should be highest because of a photo-shopped picture Madison Avenue put in a magazine.

What Wofan said!
Don't spend years (like I did) thinking you were a misfit just because my perfectly normal shape (I see that now) didn't fit the magazine image of what a women's body should look like!!!

Hi. i lost 85 lbs 14 years ago and I lost it in my face, neck, chest, arms and little below and including my waste. I went from being size 24 below and above to size 20 above and still 24 below. I was told that is how women lose weight. So frustrating. so I went to the gym. My calves got smaller but not my thighs and hips. I then went from a pear shape to an apple shape. Sigh. But after I quit low carbing, I gained 20 lbs of my weight back but then my body redistributed what fat I had left. I notice loose skin on my gut and thighs. My chest got alittle bigger and my face less drawn. I think you need to just be patient and all will be fine.

I have decided that I am going to accept my body as it is and dress to flatter the body parts that I like. I have had 2 C-sections and by the time I am at goal I will have lost 181lbs so I KNOW that I am going to have a lot of loose skin. I'm ok with that. I no longer fantasize that I could look good naked again. I just want to look nice in clothes. Maybe it is my age that allows me to give my body a break!
Good luck with your body image journey. Give yourself a break.

KIMBER

We, as women are harder on ourselves than anyone else would be. With being overweight we also have an altered perception of what our bodies look like, like looking into a carnival mirror. Just remember, the women in the magazines aren't perfect either, most of those pictures are airbrushed and touched up to make them look thinner. Go try on new clothes, see if you have lost a dress size or two, it really will help knowing that you can fit into a smaller size.