Seeing myself in a photo :(

melto1989

I'm trying really hard not to be sad right now. I've been on this motivation high for the last 9 months and I've lost 16kg all by myself just by self control and hard work.
SW: 86kg
CW: 70kg
GW: 65kg (hopefully)
Height 163cm
So I just got shown a photo of myself and I look sooooooo big and it shocked me because I have been feeling really good thinking I almost look slim nd for once feeling confident and seeing that pic was like a kick in the guts, even foolish a bit because I thought I was looking pretty good even though I'm not there yet.
So upset right now
I'll add I weighed 96kg at the end of my pregnancy 11m ago! Had baby and dropped to 86kg straight away so that's my SW so in the last year technically I have lost 26kg .

kimny72

We are always our worst critics. When we look at a photo of ourselves and in the mirror, we don't just see what's there, we see all our worst ideas of ourselves.

I hate myself in pictures, even when I like what I see in the mirror. I assume it's faulty wiring in my brain

Keep your mind on the progress you've made and the things you are capable of now that you weren't six months ago. Think about your improved health, and the clothes you can fit into now. Think about the good habits you've built and will be modeling for your kids.

Hopefully someday our minds and inner critics will catch up with the rest of us!

lorrpb

Congrats on your loss! How does this photo compare to your before photo? Can you post both for some objective feedback?

grebber1

Yesterday marks 100 pound loss for me. I feel great. No aches and pains any more. Very life changing. Then I look in the mirror and it's disappointing. I get what your feeling. I know I'm smaller but I'm still fat. Just a pear shaped fat guy. It just takes time

hannahmcneill8853

Nobody like what they look like in a photo. Just be proud at how much you have accomplished!

maureenkhilde

I agree most people do not like what they look like in photos. Even if they look at a photo and say yes I see progress we still will say darn I am so fat, or one thing or another does not look good. My dirty secret is I do not have a full length picture of myself when I started in May, I could not bear to take it. First one I have is after about 3 months of working on changing how I eat. I take a pic from chest up every 25 lb loss for me to compare. The other thing I really use besides the scale is clothes that are now truly too big. baggy, loose and so on.

Because I so get your post, it will take our minds a long time to adjust to the new us. It wants to hold onto the us, we are letting go. You can do this, just keep doing all the good things you are doing. You got this.

fgh4

im donig good, how abot yoi>?

AmyC2288

I was telling my husband this very thing the other day. We attended a wedding and I thought I looked BOMB! I was in the mirror like "Oh snap I look good!" Went to the wedding- had a fabulous time and felt great the whole time. The next day I saw a picture of myself someone took and was super confused. The way I looked in the picture didn't match what I saw in the mirror or what I thought I looked like at ALL. It really messes with your mind....

I don't know what causes this or why this happens- but just wanted you to know you're not alone!

born_of_fire74

Would it help to compare with some photos of yourself from when you were heavier? I recently attended a family event where old photos were looked at and I couldn't believe what I used to look like compared to now. I knew I lost weight but holy moley was it good to see just how much! One of my nieces asked "Who is that lady?" and it was very pleasing to hear her shock when her mother told her it was me.

It's easy to lose sight of overall progress in the day to day gradual changes that come with weight loss. 16kg is significant; try not to be so hard on yourself

Running2Fit

Anyone, no matter what size they are, can take a bad photo.

777Gemma888

You're likely fixating on one area or areas of your body where losses are minimal.

When initial losses occur, you notice it. Once your eyes adjust, you start judging yourself akin to your pre- workout and pre- counting calories self. You only see the blehh version of you.

My sister had the craziest idea ... Use the frames we're making for our friends wedding to gauge spatial losses. Maybe you should do something like that. Seeing how much smaller you're getting within a specified space might alter your judgement of self.

Congratulations for your achievements so far.

StargazerB

I agree with above poster. Look at this photo next to one of when you were heavier. I'm sure you will see your progress. Also, photos can often distort the way we actually look, the quality of the camera and lens can really effect the photo.

melto1989

Thank you so much everyone who said encouraging things.

kiela64

Photos other people take are often weirder looking because we typically see a mirror reflection rather than straight on. The angle of the photo also makes a big difference. If you try flipping the photo, or taking a picture of yourself from a similar distance but a slightly taller angle it may look better & more in line with what you usually see. A bad picture doesn’t mean you look bad! It’s also a 2D version of you, a 3D being. It can change size perception. I can’t find it but there used to be this neat video of light and angle changes to show how dramatically different pictures can look depending on these things! ❤️