Pictures don't lie?

jemhh

I try to get my husband to take my picture but he is tall so I feel like he holds the camera at a weird angle and I end up looking stumpy. Then I try to have my 7 yo daughter take it and that angle is weird too. Now I want to try flipping a picture the way it is mentioned upthread.

LivingtheLeanDream

When I see pics of myself I'm always delighted, almost surprised by how slim I look....my brain still hasn't caught onto the fact that I am now slim! I've looked this way for over a year, you'd think my head would catch on!

Iwishyouwell

I think that's when you've arrived.

When you look as good in the photos, from every angle, as you do in the mirror! LOL!

Bellodesiderare

Psshh... what y'all talkin' bout?? I thought I looked hot when I was 220!! I might have been fat, but I was still fine!!!

LivingtheLeanDream

LivingtheLeanDream

You certainly did ☺ loving your self confidence, I think that's what a lot of us lacked when we were larger.

Bellodesiderare

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

You certainly did ☺ loving your self confidence, I think that's what a lot of us lacked when we were larger.

Thanks

RebelDiamond

Keep your "before" photos!!

I waited so long before I started documenting my weight loss and I feel cheated that I can't accurately compare from my starting point!

Just take them and put them out of your mind and keep on going, in a month or two or three or six you'll be grateful that you did! I PROMISE!

eat_hike_b33r

Thanks everyone:)
I've been thinking about it and I even remember thinking I was too 'fat' when I was as young as 5 and that never went away. Sadly when I look back at pictures I now can see that I didn't really become overweight until sometime around 13 or 14 and even then it wasn't very much... its weird looking at those pictures and thinking that I really believed I was so 'fat' and I wasn't at all overweight maybe just not quite as twiggy as some other kids. I think it shows how much our perception is impacted by our feelings and brains. Self fulfilling prophecy i guess...

Its hard to imagine feeling any other way about my body but hoping that will change with time and maybe I can purchase my first 2 piece swimsuit next summer!

epido

OP, I can totally relate to what you are feeling. I can't seem to make the picture in my head match what I see in photos, or in the mirror. My reaction isn't always negative though. Sometimes I can't believe I look that good/am that small, and other days I think look bigger than I thought I was. Either way though, I just don't think I have an accurate perception of where I am.

And looking at pictures of me when I was younger, I am always shocked. I can't believe how thin and fit I look in those old pictures, especially since I remember distinctly feeling as if I have always been huge. Of course, I had a lot of help in getting to the point where I felt that way in my teens and early twenties. It's amazing how family members will say things "because I love you" that are so incredibly hurtful and damaging to your self esteem.

I know at some point there has got to be a day where the image in the mirror/camera matches up with the image in my head. It's just a matter of being patient enough for that day to get here.

Congrats on your progress so far!

And, Bellodesiderare, I love the self confidence you are exuding in that pic! I can only hope to have that sort of self confidence at some point, and wish I could have been more like that when I was bigger. You rock (and you look absolutely fabulous now too)!

eat_hike_b33r

epido wrote: »

OP, I can totally relate to what you are feeling. I can't seem to make the picture in my head match what I see in photos, or in the mirror. My reaction isn't always negative though. Sometimes I can't believe I look that good/am that small, and other days I think look bigger than I thought I was. Either way though, I just don't think I have an accurate perception of where I am.

And looking at pictures of me when I was younger, I am always shocked. I can't believe how thin and fit I look in those old pictures, especially since I remember distinctly feeling as if I have always been huge. Of course, I had a lot of help in getting to the point where I felt that way in my teens and early twenties. It's amazing how family members will say things "because I love you" that are so incredibly hurtful and damaging to your self esteem.

I know at some point there has got to be a day where the image in the mirror/camera matches up with the image in my head. It's just a matter of being patient enough for that day to get here.

Congrats on your progress so far!

And, Bellodesiderare, I love the self confidence you are exuding in that pic! I can only hope to have that sort of self confidence at some point, and wish I could have been more like that when I was bigger. You rock (and you look absolutely fabulous now too)!

While my family never directly said anything to me to make me feel that way, I think it was more about comments my mom made about herself (being fat) and hearing people comment on the 'skinny' kids, and my little brain must have equated fat=bad and skinny=good... and since no one ever commented on me being little/skinny etc but they did to my sister and friends I guess I thought that meant I was fat.

Here is to hoping our brains catch up;)
Thanks!

girlwithcurls2

OP, you look great. Remember that you took the photos for progress. They're not you at your goal. When you start reaching goals, you can compare them to this picture that you don't like and you'll start liking the next few progress pics more and more. You'll get there. As hard as it is, remember to focus on your successes, your strength, the changes your way of thinking has undergone. You're doing terrific. You can't stop now. Imagine how crappy you'll feel by mid-January if you say "screw it" now? No good. You can do this. Keep it up. You look fantastic (even in your unders, and not many of us would choose to be photographed in our unders, even if we've met our goal!)

Hang in there,
~Curly