To those that kicked butt and lost the weight...

Losingthedamnweight

Now that you've lost the weight, how do you feel seeing old pictures of your fat self? What goes through your mind?

LeeAnne210

I get the same expression you have on your profile picture. :laugh:

Seriously though I threw all my photos away. I hate photos of myself. I look wrong in all of them (not just talking about weight here). There are very few "okay" ones that I keep. But that's from recently.

RUNNING_AMOK_1958

How proud I am of myself.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

So many emotions, to be honest.

Shame, embarrassment, disgust, and disbelief. But then I also feel proud, confident and strong for getting to where I am. There is also a good shot of disbelief that this is really me....that I'm not still that girl. It can be very emotional.

kk_140

I was never REALLY overweight, but I do look a lot bigger 40 pounds ago in those pictures where I was almost 170 pounds at 5'4" compared to my now 5'4" and nearly 125 pounds. I do't mind seeing them, I was that size for years, I made wonderful memories at that size. The photos exist because of those wonderful memories. I guess I haven't really thought about it.

SunofaBeach14

It's not as much how I looked as the habits it represented. I was way too sedentary and rather than wanting to go out hiking and exploring, I was chasing the next gourmet restaurant. Vacations were centered on eating and drinking and not playing. I still love food but it's not my focus anymore. I feel better and am much happier as a result.

RHachicho

I found a pair of my old boxer shorts the other day.

I just couldn't stop laughing.

I ended up almost shouting where these really my pants!

Just giggling to myself.

xenofell

Sadness, disgust, and shame. So much discarded potential and missed experiences. Time wasted that I will never get back.

lorigrocks

Looking back at old photos is what keeps me motivated to maintain. I never want to go back to the way I was. It makes me very proud of my accomplishments especially the muscles I have in my arms and legs which many people notice and comment on. I love what I see in the mirror now and love getting my pic taken :-)

Galatea_Stone

I didn't let people take many photos of me, and the ones I did allow have been cropped to just my face or I was sitting in such a way that a table or group of people was hiding most of me.

I made it a habit of being the one with the camera in my hand. I kind of wish I had more before photos.

MelodyandBarbells

Big smile either way. I set out to accomplish a goal and I did it. That feels good

randomtai

I didn't let people take many photos of me, and the ones I did allow have been cropped to just my face or I was sitting in such a way that a table or group of people was hiding most of me.

I made it a habit of being the one with the camera in my hand. I kind of wish I had more before photos.

This for me as well... not many before photos were taken. I was usually the photographer.

_HeartsOnFire_

So many emotions, to be honest.

Shame, embarrassment, disgust, and disbelief. But then I also feel proud, confident and strong for getting to where I am. There is also a good shot of disbelief that this is really me....that I'm not still that girl. It can be very emotional.

I agree with all of This. I still have a little ways to go, but definitely getting there.

drewmmm

I just LOVE fat pics of myself! I am only sorry I don't have more of them so I can use them as before pictures for my success story!

DamePiglet

Meh. I think "I look different now."

I had a different lifestyle then. I'm not angry with myself over "letting myself go".

marekdds

I agree with others. I use them as motivation to never go back. Primary thought "OMG I was fat, .WTF was I thinking!"

RHachicho

Meh. I think "I look different now."

I had a different lifestyle then. I'm not angry with myself over "letting myself go".

Oh oh me too. I ate some damn good food and enjoyed myself I regret nothing!

Honestly sometimes I think who bother even trying to bee too skinny you just love food too damn much. Why not just let go a bit and work your *kitten* off in the gym. Hell if I end up looking like this guy I wont really be too dissapointed.

http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/muscles-and-fat.jpg

Chevy_Quest

Someone I know who was really heavy all his life until his sixties then he agressively lost about 80 lbs and looked great. He told me:

"I wish that I had started doing this 20 years ago... I will never get those years back and I use that feeling as motivation for me to keep at it now"

MaDwItNeWfLaVa

I feel incredible about it. It lets me know all the hard work has actually payed off. As some people said, it is emotional to look at them. But for me its happy emotional. Its just deff.something positive to look at to me. Thats why you should take lots of pics and measurements. I would have never realized I lost 50 pounds and over 10 inches without them.

splitdog79

I guess the proper phrase would be "Haunting shame and self-loathing." Shame and self-loathing because I hated who I was and everything about my life up until about two years ago, and haunted because I know statistically that despite my best efforts I've got an 85%+ chance of going back to that.