Covering Up A Multitude Of Sins...Really Scary

TheDoctorDana

Thank you for your openness. I don't know if I can be that brave when the time comes. You are awesome :flowerforyou:

josavage

Thank you for sharing your pictures - you are so inspiring! I wish I were half as brave as you!

Ascolti_la_musica

Congrats to you! It takes some pretty major courage to post photos of yourself like that, for the world to see. And don't you just LOVE the pool for exercise?

KKWilson

You are a beautiful lady inside and out. It takes guts to post our photos, but know that you are not alone. We are all hear working towards improving and maintaining our health. Keep working towards your goals and increasing your level of health. You have a great base of support here on this website. If you continue to make your health a priority in your life, you will continue to improve every day. Your husband sounds like a real gem and it is so wonderful that he is so supportive of all the hard work you are putting in. You have inspired as many people as you find to be inspiring. Thank you for sharing your story.

mazdauk

Congratuations on doing great and sticking to it! Ed doesn't need new glasses - he sees you with the eyes of love. You don't want to change that!!

staceypunk

You are so brave and strong! How lucky to have such a great coach and partner!

FitToBeKim

You are beautiful !!
So proud of you !!

kfheston78

Sweet lady, you look just as I do. I see those same sags and folds, and I am 34 years old.

The TRUTH? The truth is, I saw someone with courage, a lovely smile, pride in her accomplishment to date, and an honest approach to this process. You'd be amazed at how rare a gem you are!

I saw beauty. And a cute bathing suit. And an ADORABLE couple in your and your husband!

Thanks for sharing, and for encouraging me, whom has just started her weight loss journey. My fiftieth, AND LAST, attempt.

AleciaG724

I love you! The body is just a shell, and it can't hide the real you that's inside...Strong, brave, hilarious, inspiring, and beautiful! Every day we are all working towards making the outside match the inside, a tiny bit at a time. Thank you for your posts!

So_Much_Fab

I stumbled across you in the blogs and have been following your blogs and posts since then.

First off, I love reading your posts. You're a great writer with a quirky sense of humor. More that that though, I'm proud of the progress you've made and your bravery! You're a winner in my book! :drinker:

joleenl

Wow. Thanks for having the courage to post this. Your story is, weither you know it or not, is very inspiring. As bad as you think the photos are they are still better then they were. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Change is hard when you are young but it gets progressively harder the older you get. You have made many changes. Keep up the fabulous job! Thanks for the inspiration!

HeidiCooksSupper

This, this, this, this, this! I'm gonna show this to hubby when he wakes up and we are gonna have us a photo session. I deserve to have semi-clothed before pictures so I can admire my afters!!!

LunaMischief

:flowerforyou:

Thank you for your awesome courage.

Love the picture of you and your husband Great picture!

jamiemommy

You are amazing and so inspiring! A million congratulations to you and well done for all your hard work and determination!

melissabonnette5

I check this board every now and then for a little inspiration and your story is the most inspiring one I have read today! I love your story and your courage and your honesty. It is never easy being honest about our flaws (even without pictures!) and owning up to mistakes we have made (like bad food choices) but your weight loss and continued goal setting is fantastic. You are a beautiful woman. I wish you well on your journey and thank you for your bravery.

Also, you have a very handsome swim coach.

mazzasweet

YOU my lady are beautiful inside and out! So pretty and vivacious! So happy for you that your are getting healthy :-) Great work!! And I love the special love story between you and your hubby

blondageh

Lady, you are NUTS! You are way too hard on yourself!! I have arms and legs and a tummy like that too and I am 35! You don't look a day over 60 to me. Seriously, young looking and beautiful. I am way larger than you and I rock it at the community pool each week. Sometimes I care, but most of the time I just figure life is TOO short to worry about what other people think. Quit knocking yourself! You look great and have accomplished a lot!

maryannelk

You are so inspirational (and so very hard on yourself!) Thank you for sharing!

SherryP71561

Beautiful pictures!!! The best part is your happy smile. Keep up the awesome work!

MrsJ1105

Thank you for sharing. You are so inspirational. You and your husband are adorable.

KyliAnne26

You're such an inspiration!! I love your attitude Congrats on all your hard work, it's definitely paying off! Your story made me think of that saying: "Be the kind of person who when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says 'Crap, she's up!" lol - keep up the good work!!

RhonndaJ

I don't even know you and I'm so darned proud of you that I want to give you a huge hug... and I'm really not a hug sort of person. Fantastic inspiration!

jolt28

You ROCK!! Great post - thank you so much for sharing with us:)

sbrownallison

You're a brave woman and an inspiration to the rest of us. I'm so happy you've found an exercise that works well for you NOW -- even before those new knees have you sprinting past the rest of us. Terrific post, as are all of yours. And, I hope you ordered your next swimsuit in a smaller size, since you'll be there in no time...

holliebevineau

I Think You have done an AWESOME job!! Keep up the Great work!! You are beautiful!!!!

Hanfordrose

My hubbie Ed and I both want to thank you all for your wonderful and encouraging feedback to this post.

Here is a link to a blog that I did this morning in response to your comments, the numerous messages and friend requests that have been coming in since yesterday. It talks about the freedom of 'Setting The Chubby Girl Free'.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Hanfordrose/view/setting-the-chubby-girl-free-543149

Hanfordrose

Oh....by the way, I just took my weight for the morning. I lost another 0.8 pounds in the past 2 days. Swimming is definitely helping me to shed some weight. I feel so good that I just know I can do those 25 laps today that 'the coach' wants.

melfitnesspal13

I have seen so many before and after pictures on MFP. Most folks didn't start out quite as bad as me. The majority of my life was spent carrying well over 200 pounds. My 68 years and all that weight did a lot of damage that may or may not be FIXABLE.

Yes, I have lost 52 pounds in the past 6 months; but I still have a long way to go. I put together a before and after photo in April showing me at 280+ pounds to 232 pounds. It was a SAFE before and after picture, because I was fully clothed and not exposing anything scary.

In a recent post, I showed photos of me in a swimming pool for first time in years. I chose photos that DIDN'T reveal the worst of me. MFP friends commented that I didn't look like I was 219 pounds. Why didn't they see the truth? Because I was HIDING in the water, behind a towel or in carefully chosen clothing. The rest of the photos were DELETED, because I was still too scared to share the truth about how bad my body looked.

Today, I want to show you the TRUTH. This is me at 219 pounds. This is a real set of BEFORE pictures. This took more courage than anything else that I have ever done; but it was time to stop COVERING UP.

This first photo shows me dressed in my swimdress with a blouse to cover up my arms. Warning: This is only going to get worse...much worse, but I need to do this.



Here is the first step toward the Truth.



Now, we are getting really honest. This is the damage done by years of carrying the fat. Believe it or not, my husband thinks that I am sexy. Yes, he is an old man who probably could use some new glasses; but he love me...just as I am.



This is the bad news about my back side. Yes. This is a reality check. This is what my tired, fat, old body looks like at 219 pounds. Can you imagine this same body at 280+ pounds? I didn't have the guts to take that picture.



I couldn't have bared my body 6 months ago. I was too scared of what people would think...would say about this fat, old lady. I couldn't have done this TODAY without the encouragement of my MFP sisters and the trust that I have in all of you. If you don't consider this a Success, I feel sorry for you. Being truthful take courage, and it is the first step to getting healthy.

Today, I took my 219 pounds back to the water and swam 20 laps of that pool with the help and encouragement of the man I love, Pastor Special Ed. I couldn't do any of this without him.

Yes. I may be one of fattest ladies to use that pool; but I am also one of the luckiest, because I know that I am loved by this incredible man and my many dear MFP friends. I will succeed in losing the 18 more pounds to get my new knees and another 40 or more pounds on the other side of Onederland with their continued love and support.

By the way, isn't Ed a handsome swimming coach?

By far you are my new American Idol!!!! You need to have your own show for continued encouragement of those out here on MFP!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing and not holding back (pretty brave of you!). I love the water and won't ever let me weight stop me from enjoying it. Enjoy the pool and your handsome swim coach............

sweetpeas317

Bravo, you are such an inspiration, I applaud you and your wonderful husband for the support he gives you. May all your dreams come true and I for one will use your courage to motivate myself and when I have a pity party because I am not losing and should be trying harder I will think of how dedicated you are and push myself to move forward and not give up. Thank you:flowerforyou:

JodieP13

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: You're sassy and I admire your courage! Keep up the great work and keep playing in the pool!