Are you surprised when you look at your pictures?

OhMsDiva
OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not sure if this pertains only to people that have lost a lot, but whenever I look at my pictures, both before and after, I am shocked. When I look at my before pictures I can't believe that I was that big and thought it was okay.
When I look at myself in current pictures, I am shocked at how different I look and how much my face and my body has changed.
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Replies

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Yes. Sometimes I don't even recognize that it's me in the picture.
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
    I can definitely see changes in my body in the mirror (and feel them because the bones are more prominent now), but the changes in my face pop up ONLY when I look at photos, at which point I'm flabbergasted (and embarrassed!) every time.
  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
    Yes
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    edited December 2015
    Yes! Just added some photos to that new feature in the weight tracking area & whoa Nellie! I looked like one of Sonoma county's legendary happy cows! LOL
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    mylittlerainbow wrote: »
    I can definitely see changes in my body in the mirror (and feel them because the bones are more prominent now), but the changes in my face pop up ONLY when I look at photos, at which point I'm flabbergasted (and embarrassed!) every time.

    That's another surprise for me. I can actually feel bones on parts of my body. Sometimes I am so amazed that I have to touch it again to be sure.

  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited December 2015
    Yeah, I guess I rarely see differences in the mirror because the changes are gradual, but I look at older pictures of myself and see a difference. Not that I have all that many older pics of myself, I didn't really like having them.

    I definitely have the "what the hell is... oh, it's a muscle/bone" moments.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    Yup! Its fabulous!
  • ElvenToad
    ElvenToad Posts: 644 Member
    It is definitely shocking to me. I've been at this weight loss thing for 22 months now (123 pounds down) and still have another 15lbs to go. To compare those before and now pictures is just such a shock, every single time I do it. It takes so long to lose weight that when you look in the mirror everyday it's difficult to see the changes, but those photos don't lie!
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    Yes, very much. Sometimes, my own shadow scares me, because I think a skinny person is walking right behind me. Occasionally, I don't recognize my reflection, since we have no mirrors in the house. Very odd. Yes, to the bony parts. I used to whack my knee pretty hard without much pain. Now, it's a full on whack to the bone and wow, that hurts! Still having issues trusting that I really do wear a 12, not a 24+, so I'm choosing clothes way too big and have to go find a smaller size after trying it on.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Yes, it is shocking how fat I was and how much better I look now.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    when i see old pictures i am yeah

    other people are more shocked tho
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
    Oh absolutely!!!!

    Even now after 3 years maintenance I am still shocked by my reflection and I am NOT confident at picking the right sized clothes out either, I always go for sizes that are too big.....my Hubby is the one who can pick the sizes out pretty much perfectly.....

    Thank goodness he doesn't mind clothes shopping with me!! ;)
  • valeriesmith1840
    valeriesmith1840 Posts: 41 Member
    Yes, I am! I have lost almost 70 pounds and I cannot believe what I used to look like. I was in a bit of denial too I think. The weight creeps up on you. It doesn't show up all at once, so I just didn't realize. What's worse now is that I am in many ways a "deflated" version of what I used to be! I didn't anticipate that. So now, while I'm happy to be smaller, I'm still getting used to this new version of me. I'm not like the small version I once knew, and it will take some adjusting to...and certainly after the weight loss there will be more work to do.
  • Cpowe4031
    Cpowe4031 Posts: 5 Member
    Congrats!!!!!! :)
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    Yep. I've lost over 75 lbs and when I look at my pictures from my highest weight that I thought were "flattering", I'm surprised at how big I really look. I guess you just get used to looking a certain way.

    On the flip side, I still feel fat but when I see pictures of myself I am surprised at how thin I look.
  • scorpcookie
    scorpcookie Posts: 113 Member
    Yes I am surprised by some of my recent pictures and I never thought I could look the way I currently do. Although some choice angles and lighting make some of them look way better than if I stare directly at myself in the mirror.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    Remember what the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' video was all the rage? This must have been late 2014..?

    Anyway, I did the 'challenge', filmed it and put it on facebook for the world to see. I very recently viewed it again by accident and I couldn't believe the size of me. At the time, I uploaded it thinking I didn't look 'that big' but realistically, I was significantly overweight. That video alone was a huge boost to my confidence because I sometimes find myself doubting my successes even though I have clearly lost a good amount of weight.

    Remember though, we may have been 'bigger' back then - but we were still fabulous.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Yes. I did not realize or accept how big I was. I knew I was heavy but I did not realize I looked that heavy.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Lately when I look at old pictures, I don't see that much of a difference between then and now. That is surprising to me.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Yes. I did not realize or accept how big I was. I knew I was heavy but I did not realize I looked that heavy.

    Me neither

    Being surrounded by love and acceptance irrespective of size and having love and acceptance for oneself is a great way to exist, although the shock of the realisation of previous body dysmorphia is odd
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
    Yes. When I weighed so much more, I avoided being photographed and when I was, I would only glance at the photo because I thought I looked disgusting and refused to admit how out of control I was.

    Now that I'm down over 80 lbs and close to my goal, I no longer hide from the camera and privately inspect every detail of my photos.

    Sometimes I'm thrilled with how I look, other times I'm hyper critical. Both responses motivate me to continue on.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    victoria_1024 wrote: »
    Yep. I've lost over 75 lbs and when I look at my pictures from my highest weight that I thought were "flattering", I'm surprised at how big I really look. I guess you just get used to looking a certain way.

    On the flip side, I still feel fat but when I see pictures of myself I am surprised at how thin I look.

    This pretty much describes me too, for the most part.

    I was around 260-275 lb for most of my adult life. In my mind though, I saw myself as being around 220 lb, my weight when I was 16-17 yrs old. I am nearly 40 now and that hasn't changed. Even though I'm 50+ lb lower than that now. And even when I was 80 lb heavier than that...in my mind I'm around 220 lb and a size 18/20 no matter what my jeans actually say (28, 10...)

  • geminiswede
    geminiswede Posts: 903 Member
    Absolutely. I've gotten so used to the way I look in the mirror, a lot of times I feel like I'm the same size even with my clothes fitting differently. I've been taking pictures every 20 lbs though and I was honestly surprised by how different I looked, especially between the 20lbs overall lost and the 40 lbs overall lost.

    Individual pictures sometimes I still feel like I don't look different, but when compared side by side with ones from before, I can absolutely see it.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Yes. I did not realize or accept how big I was. I knew I was heavy but I did not realize I looked that heavy.

    ditto that. and im like ' why didnt someone tell me i looked like a cow?' lolol
  • shadows2424
    shadows2424 Posts: 179 Member
    Mine is opposite. When i was 130 pounds i thought i was fat, but now that im 160ish I look back and realize i wasn't overweight, and its surprising.
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
    Yes, I don't recognize myself in my old pictures and in my head I think I haven't changed that much even after losing 55 lbs.
  • heyjude345
    heyjude345 Posts: 66 Member
    Oh my....yes! I knew I was heavy and I was very uncomfortable in my skin. I avoided the camera at all times, but now when I look back at those few pictures, I am quite honestly horrified. I look like I had given up. I still haven't quite figured out this "new-ish" body of mine. Every single day I am amazed at how much better I look!
  • cwagar123
    cwagar123 Posts: 195 Member
    yep... it is hard to find pictures of me at 278 lbs... but i hate hate hate my drivers license photo.
  • KathyApplebaum
    KathyApplebaum Posts: 188 Member
    cwagar123 wrote: »
    but i hate hate hate my drivers license photo.
    I would pay money to change that photo. Hmm... maybe this could be a revenue idea for states? LOL

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,610 Member
    Yes ... my "before" pictures surprise me a bit. I've always thought I was slender. I've been fairly slender my entire life until just a few years ago when I started gradually putting on a bit of weight. But in my head, I was still reasonably slender.

    So the fact that I've lost 57 lbs this year to get to the bottom end of my normal BMI range is quite startling ... that I had 57 lbs I could lose! And the fact that I looked like that in my "before" picture is a little disconcerting ...

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