down 62 lbs since around last october, so like 34ish weeks. and honestly my brain still thinks i look exactly the same. i still avoid the mirror, still think my hoodie fits weird, still feel like the guy on the left in every before/after. but last night i was cleaning old phone storage and found a bunch of screenshots from late-night ranked sessions. same chair, same messy desk, same tired face. the difference was actually kinda nuts. my face is narrower, my shoulders look less like they're melting into my neck, and my old 3xl hoodie now hangs like an xl. the soda swap probably helped more than i want to admit: i used to crush 2-3 cans while gaming, now it's mostly sparkling water with those little flavor drops, and i actually sleep before 3am sometimes lol. scale is slow lately and it's annoying, but the photo thing was a needed reminder. anyone else only see it in pics and not the mirror?
mirror says nothing changed but old screenshots say otherwise
#1
#2
Totally get this. The mirror is a terrible measuring stick—lighting, posture, hoodie, all of it shifts daily. What helped me was a cheap tape measure once a month: waist, hips, thigh, upper arm, plus a note on which belt notch I was using. Old screenshots are gold because they’re same room, same chair, same posture. Quick q: in those late-night ranked shots, can you spot one specific change—jaw/neck, shoulder width, or how much extra chair you’re taking up? That kind of concrete detail sometimes gets past the brain when the mirror won’t.
#3
The mirror is a lagging indicator. I had same at ~50 lb: brain used old contour. What snapped me out was a cheap tape measure + one pair of “reference jeans” and monthly photos, same lighting, same pose. Data > vibes. If you have old screenshots, find a consistent landmark: waist at navel, hip, thigh. Calculate waist-to-height. At 62 lb, likely >4–6 inches waist. Do you have any baseline measurements? If not, start now; future-you will need them for the next plateau.
#4
Old Discord/ranked screenshots are weirdly honest, right? For me it was an old pic of me holding my kid at the zoo—my hands and neck looked totally different. What helped was picking one non-mirror checkpoint: a belt notch, watch band, how the minivan seatbelt sits. Also, snack drawer: I pre-bag grapes and cheese sticks so when kid dinner chaos hits, I’m not grazing off ther plates. Maybe make one old screenshot your lock screen for a week? Sounds dumb, but my brain argued less with a timestamp on it.
#5
Man, the old screenshots thing is so real. I didn’t trust my mirror until I found a random photo of me in the same hoodie at a family thing. What helped was boring data: waist at the navel, same pair of jeans, and a monthly photo in the same doorway/lighting. The scale was noisy but the tape didn’t lie. Sharp question: do you have any measurements from last October? Even a belt notch or old jean size can be a better reality check than the mirror, because your brain updates your self-image way slower than your body changes. Also check wrists/rings/seatbelt—weird places show it before your face does.
#6
I’m a daily weigher too, and the trend line is the only thing that keeps me sane. The mirror updates way slower than the scale. One concrete trick: crop the same spot—jaw/neck, wrist, hoodie shoulder—from an old screenshot and take the same crop today, side by side. No angles, no pose. For me the changes showed up in collarbones and hands before my brain caught up. Also, late-night ranked screenshots are unintentionally perfect progress pics because you weren’t posing. What game were you playing? Did your headset fit differently?
#7
My reality check wasn’t a photo—it was my after-dinner loop. Same route, same playlist. Last month I noticed I wasn’t stopping at the bench by the library, and I could stand through a whole new recipe without pulling up a stool. The brain still argues, but the body keeps receipts. Do you have an old walk or chore you can compare? Those ordinary moments have been more convincing to me than anything.
#8
Those old ranked screenshots are such an accidental time capsule. I keep a low-stakes version of this: once a month I take one back-camera photo in the same hoodie and doorway—no mirror—and hide it in an album. I don’t compare until I have three. The scale and my brain argue, but the hoodie’s shoulder seam and how the sleeves hang are harder to deny. Gentle question: when you looked at
#9
Old screenshots are the receipt the mirror won’t give you 😂
#10
Hi, I’m brand new here—literally week one—so sorry if this is a silly question. Something that caught me off guard was a ring I hadn’t worn in a while: it used to leave a mark and now it spins. Also my car seatbelt sits differently across my lap. Have you noticed any everyday object like that? Not a mirror or a photo, just something that used to fit one exact way. 62 lbs is incredible, and I hope it’s okay for a nervous newbie to say congrats.
#11
I work nights too. Mirror at 4am is useless. Skip the hoodie—it’s a tent by design. Pick one plain t-shirt, same pose, same bathroom light, one pic every 2 weeks. Not hype, just data. Also look at your old ranked screenshots for shoulders and neck, not your face. My brain updates there first. What game were you ranking in? Late-night grind posture changes too.
#12
The hoodie thing gets me. I started measuring mine flat — pit-to-pit, sleeve, hem — and logging it in my notes app. Old 2XL was 26 inches pit-to-pit; current L is 22.5. Mirror still shows the 2XL guy, but the tape doesn't. Same with shipping: I used to wait 2 weeks for a restock, now I'm reordering smaller sizes every 3 days because they sell out faster. Have you tried laying the old hoodie flat and comparing numbers? That might break the spell better than a photo.
#13
Tbh same, my old ranked screenshots are basically a before pic—my brain still lives there too.
#14
Not a mirror guy either, but my accidental check is my dorm desk chair. Same $30 folding chair I’ve parked in for ranked for two years. Last week I noticed I don’t
#15
Old ranked screenshots as an accidental before pic is so real 😂 my camera roll does the same jump scare.
#16
Tbh your math is quietly remarkable: 62 pounds over roughly 34 weeks is about 1.8 pounds per week, which is a steady trend. What helped me when my reflection lagged was a simple quarterly note: waist, hips, and how many flights of stairs before I needed a pause. Watching the stair number change was concrete in a way the mirror never was. You might also try one specific pair of jeans or a belt notch you kept—not for judgment, just as a neutral checkpoint. What is one everyday thing that feels easier now than it did last October?
#17
My mirror lied for months too—my old hoodie pics finally snitched 😂
#18
tbh my old dorm meal-prep pics are my before/after—same sad mini fridge, different guy lol
#19
The mirror lag is real, especially when you see yourself in the same cafe lighting every day. I run a cafe, so tasting spoons and pastry scraps are a constant portion-control trap. My weird progress gauge was my work apron: I used to tie it at the first hole and still feel it cut in after a lunch rush. Now I fold the waistband or it slides down. I didn’t notice until a baker laughed and said I looked like a kid wearing dad’s apron. Is there a non-photo thing that’s changed—belt notch, how a chair feels, how your hoodie hangs after a shift? What’s yours?
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