170 to 125 pounds, still look fat, when will I look skinny?1

Question by April V: 170 to 125 pounds, still look fat, when will I look skinny?
It’s been a long, slow process. I’ve lost 45 pounds gradually over 3 years and have not gained anything back. I’m no longer actively “dieting”. For about a year now, I’ve just been “living” my new life. I decided from the start I wouldn’t “diet” but rather “change” my lifestyle. I was 135 pounds when I decided to relax my rules a little and see if I could maintain my new weight. I was pleasantly surprised when I dropped an additional 10 pounds without even trying. I’m still losing. Slowly but surely. As a celebration of my success, I took some professional photos. I still look soooo fat! I’m only 5′ 1″ so I know even the smallest amount of weight will look bad but at what point will I look…. not sure of the word…. less round? It’s so weird, my ankles are so tiny and then my leg is so plump. I guess I’m what you’d call “small framed”? My BMI is currently 23.5 and I can get down to 100 pounds and still be within a normal weight range. I’m just tired of looking fat. It’s taken so much work and effort to get this far and I look so much better than I did, but I’m ready to feel good about they way I look in photos. My husband says this is just “ugly duck syndrome” and I just need some time for my confidence to boost but I’m not so sure. Anyone else been in my shoes? At what point did you feel better about your appearance?
I achieved this by cutting calories and exercising. I know how to lose the weight. My question is more about the self image aspects. When will I stop looking fat? For someone my height, I’m already within a perfect BMI range but I still look big. Is this a mental block from years of being fat or is it because I’m so short? Even if I get down to a BMI of say, 19, would I still look fat? Maybe this is just my shape?? Kind of hoping for answers from people who’ve been there, done that!

Best answer:

Answer by Reyne Bennett
Well, because you’re shorter, I would say you probably still have fat on you, so losing a bit more wouldn’t hurt.. But, it’s more important that you incorporate strength training more to try to build up muscle. I understand feeling like you’re still jiggling; I’m 5’4″ and went from 155 to 130 and still feel really fat most of the time, but that’s because I haven’t toned any of the muscle I have. When you just do aerobic exercise and cut calories, you lose muscle mass, not just fat, so that’s why you need to do more strength training.

Of course, you probably need to alter the way you see yourself. Point out what you love about yourself, not what you want to change! Listen to your husband and honestly make an effort to believe him when he says you’re beautiful and whatnot. You’ve lost a lot of weight, and you owe it to yourself to love your new body, even if it isn’t 100% perfect.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!