Brain not catching up with weight loss?

Hong Kong Yanpep International
I saw a post on Reddit where someone lost a lot of weight and said they were shocked to actually *like* their wedding pictures. That's the kind of confidence I dream of!
 
The metacognitive framing is worth pursuing - the same attentional and perceptual patterns that shaped how you moved through the world at higher weight take longer to update than the weight does. The body image lag is documented in the bariatric literature because it shows up consistently regardless of how the weight came off: the external change happens faster than the internal recalibration.
 
the adjustment time is longer than most people expect and doesn't have a clear endpoint - 70 lbs is a fundamentally different body and the brain's body image map updates much more slowly than the actual change. the mirror check that keeps showing the same old image is neurological lag, not self-deception; the update happens gradually and then people usually report it arriving all at once when they catch themselves in a photo or an unexpected reflection
 
Relate to this so much. The number on the scale changing is nice, but honestly what shifted most was no longer treating my body like an obstacle I had to clear before doing anything normal. It's a subtle sort of relief.
 
Appreciate the advice. Been working with a therapist actually, that's really how I started connecting the dots between my physical weight and emotional state.
 
It's really just a mental lag from the weight dropping so quickly. Doesn't happen for everyone, but it's mostly just a matter of your brain catching up eventually.
 
Really love this response, you're so right. That's actually something I skipped early on, just because I was so sick of my own reflection that I avoided looking altogether.

Even now while losing weight, in my head I still picture myself as pretty big. So actually looking at the photos helps me grasp the real difference, and honestly makes me appreciate taking progress pictures so much more now.
 
Lost sixty pounds a while back and it genuinely messed with my head a bit. Never enjoyed hearing how good things looked, all those questions that came with it, just didn't want to talk about it, not entirely sure why. The mind catches up eventually, but it can take a genuinely long stretch.
 
That's genuinely great to hear. People underestimate how heavily carrying extra weight can weigh on your headspace until you're finally free of it. Glad you're back to feeling like your true self.
 
Down about 20lbs myself, can't spot it in the mirror either, though other people say it shows in my face. Still struggling with clothes fitting differently, guess we just keep pushing forward.
 
Your brain lags furthest behind. I dropped weight several times, and I think loose skin really messes with it, because after regaining a few lbs I suddenly feel amazing about how I look!
 
65 pounds lighter than my peak here too, and my feelings match yours exactly. Youre definitely not alone! One reason, i suspect, is that much of my journey remains so the mirror doesnt please me. On the bright side, each week my heart attack risk shrinks a little.
 
Far more common than you'd think, going by what people write. Your mind formed a whole self-picture around one specific body, and once the mirror disagrees it stalls. Logically you know you wanted this, feelings just trail behind. Shrinking doesn't fix how you felt about yourself earlier, and people expect confidence to arrive with smaller clothes, then feel let down when it doesn't. Nothing's wrong with you, years built that self-image and a short stretch of change won't erase it overnight. Those who cope best quit waiting for a new feeling and simply acted differently, wearing a top they like, letting photos happen. Feelings seem to trail behavior, not lead it.
 
Shed around 30 pounds a while ago, and the odd part was watching the scale drop while my head kept picturing the heavier version of me long afterward. Catching my reflection in a store window eventually stopped me cold, it genuinely took a beat to place who I was looking at, that's when it finally clicked. The feeling definitely trails behind the actual number for a while, but it does eventually catch up.
 
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