Anyone Else Ashamed of Where They Came From???

UnderConstructionJ

Okay so I'm wondering if its just me...or does someone else share my pain. Are you ashamed to show your before pics??? For some reason I'm so embarrassed of where I came from. I'm not sure if its because I can't believe I let myself get that big? Or if I'll be too offended by comments or thoughts people would have about me. I'm ecstatic on the inside for myself but cringe every time I think about posting the pics. I think it also has to do with the fact that I haven't gotten to my ULTIMATE GOAL WEIGHT...and sometimes when I see myself in the mirror I'm still that same person.

Maybe that's it...I'm scared of going back there...so I just try to erase that time period in my life from my memory. But I know others would say I should be using it as ENCOURAGEMENT. And it has been over 5 years and I've maintained my weight loss...so maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself. They say that we are our worst critic...maybe this is the case for me. I should be SHOUTING FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOPS that I lost 100+ lbs...but I don't mention it much at all...unless its someone who is heavy like I was and looking for encouragement. My trainer has been wanting me to send him my before and after pics...and I've been putting it off because of what I mentioned above. Is this crazy??? Does anyone else share my pain?

Isrn2

Absolutely!! I have very few pictures of me at my heaviest (close to 450 lbs) because I never wanted any record of what I looked like. I ran across one of the rare ones a couple of months ago. To me, I felt I looked like the same person still ... even though I'm 100+ pounds lighter. But when my daughter looked at the picture she said ... Oh wow, Mom!!! You look amazing now. Look at the difference!

When I took a closer look, there was a difference. I could see progress. Maybe there is hope in this journey!

I think we get so caught up in how much further we have to go in this process that we forget to celebrate where we've been. Don't look at sharing your pics as a way of beating yourself up about where you were in the past. Look at it as a way of truly embracing the changes you've made and the strength within that it took to get there.

Keep up the fabulous work!! We're all here with you

UnderConstructionJ

Very well said....thanks!!!

Cosmic_Unicorn

This is something I'm working on too. I'm trying very hard to just love myself and my body, no matter what size it was. Like, I should be proud of myself for losing 60 pounds and taking such good care of my body now, but I should love the past-me and her body too. It's tempting to never post the before and afters, or to take down all the old pictures from facebook or whatever else, but I think it's better to embrace who you are, including who you were in the past.

chatterbox3110

I NEED to see my before pictures, if only to prove to myself that there IS a change; I'm the same as a lot of people on here, you don't see the change in yourself.

It's only been the last few pounds that I've finally dropped dress size, so in my mind I'm still that 375lb person I was at the beginning, although I'm not, I'm currently 291lbs and still dropping.

Embarrassing, maybe, but look at them and feel proud of yourself and what you have achieved