Mental Picture v. Actual Picture

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Replies

  • mikeyboy
    mikeyboy Posts: 1,057 Member
    I eat the pictures as a meal replacement. :laugh:
  • HornsUT32
    HornsUT32 Posts: 146 Member
    I have the same issues lately, but the other way around. It's like my eyes still see a 270 pound woman, not 185. I get obsessive about it, I feel guilty about eating and I work out constantly. It is all consuming, the need to look perfect is a dangerous feeling. I look in the mirror and see a slob with imperfections everywhere, and then I see a photo of myself and I don't even recognize the person I see. I tell myself it must have been the angle of the camera, or lighting, or something I was wearing...but I KNOW I am heavier than that.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    my first instinct with most body shot pictures and ALWAYS with video is disgust. But that's first instinct. Give it a few days, then look again. You'll probably be surprised at how your opinion will change. I think our eyes need to adjust between the perfection we see in magazines on a daily basis and the reality of how people look in real life.

    I like the "wait a few days" comment. I had engagement pics taken last month, and even though I had lost over 10 lbs, thought I looked horrible.

    When I went back and looked, I didn't look nearly as fat a I initially thought. The more I looked at them, too, the less atrocious I found them.
  • skymichele
    skymichele Posts: 19 Member
    The proof is in the pudding, honey. If your clothes fit better or you're not the same dress size, there is a big difference! Plus, the camera adds pounds...always has and always will. The only thing that matters is how you feel and how you are progressing! Keep your head up!
  • sirrah17
    sirrah17 Posts: 26 Member
    Me too!

    I have no idea what I actually look like. Some days I feel like a huge whale and think it is the only thing people see about me. Some days I look in the mirror and think I am pretty cute even if I am overweight. Some days I get a glimpse of myself in a mirror or window and don't recognize the body.

    I actually ask my husband all the time if I compare to another woman we see who I think might be my size. My husband has stopped responding to these requests, and I get why. He doesn't want me to compare myself to other women, and he pointed out that another woman's height, body shape, demeanor, clothing choices, etc make it really difficult to find someone who I am very similar too in size and shape.

    I try every day to remember what my very, very thin friend told me years ago. I am the only one thinking about how I look, how I fit in, how I compare to others. No one else is doing that on my behalf because they are too busy worrying about themselves.
  • drusilla126
    drusilla126 Posts: 478 Member
    Ooh yeah I don't know but know you're not alone. I always hate me in pictures unless I take them.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    I agree with the others. camera adds 5 or 10 lbs I've heard. IT DOESN"T MATTER. You are what matters. Give yourself the kudos, the atta girls, the I'm doing it's. Look at how far you've come, not how far you have to go or what a stupid picture looks like. God made you and He doesn't make any junk!

    weird thing is that when u look at the picture, the other ppl in the picture they look normal, as you see them in real life.. the camera only plots against you making you win 5 pounds :grumble:
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    We had a 60th birthday party for my parents 10 days ago, as my mom turned 60 in mid-September and my stepfather is turning 60 next week. My sister and I wanted to surprise them with a photographer, since we've never had a family photo with both of our parents and all five of us (my sister and I, two stepsisters and a stepbrother). We got a "sneak peek" of photos on Facebook yesterday and I'm really disappointed in how I look. I thought I'd look as thin as I feel and I don't...in fact, I don't feel like I look that much thinner than I did 22.2 lbs ago, which I know IS NOT true.

    I know that my perception of how I look can be pretty screwy.... How do I (you, us) handle it when the photos don't look the same as the girl in the mirror does? I am confident when it comes to the mirror and being "inside my head," but photos throw me for a loop every time.

    You should remember that photos make you 2 dimensional, so unless you stand at the right angles, it can comeout pretty screwy. Try standing at at 45 degree angle, instead of facing the camera head on next time. Bend your front knee even a little while keeping the back one straight, and make sure to lift your chin a little higher than feels natural. These will all show contours that get flattened out in most photos.
  • victorious27
    victorious27 Posts: 250 Member
    For some reason, when I look in the mirror I see someone who isn't slim, but definitely isn't overweight. Later that day, someone snaps a picture.

    BAM!

    "I looked like that?!" (and then wanting to have whoever has the picture to trash it)

    It throws me for a loop because every other girl I know of only sees something worse in the mirror, but is actually gorgeous. Though some days I can't find a thing that doesn't make me look like a balloon, even though three days ago I thought it was the most slimming thing ever. My brain is definitely receiving some mixed up signals from my eyes.
  • victorious27
    victorious27 Posts: 250 Member
    It is actually really nice to know that other people have this problem, I thought it was just me! I go out on nights out thinking I'm a curvy hottie, and then I see the photos on facebook and realise I just looked big. On a slightly different subject, a "friend" recently got me to move in a group photo, so that I was between two thin girls "for balance". It may have been true but I like to think my feelings are more important than the aesthetic of a photo.

    :noway:

    That's crap. I would've told her to shove it (and probably not that nicely)....your feelings definitely are more important than how a photo looks. Especially if she is a "friend".

    Is she aspiring to be a photographer? If no, then she really needs to zip 'er lip. If yes, then she needs to work on her communication skills. :grumble:
  • crazybeautifulkittie
    crazybeautifulkittie Posts: 86 Member
    We had a 60th birthday party for my parents 10 days ago, as my mom turned 60 in mid-September and my stepfather is turning 60 next week. My sister and I wanted to surprise them with a photographer, since we've never had a family photo with both of our parents and all five of us (my sister and I, two stepsisters and a stepbrother). We got a "sneak peek" of photos on Facebook yesterday and I'm really disappointed in how I look. I thought I'd look as thin as I feel and I don't...in fact, I don't feel like I look that much thinner than I did 22.2 lbs ago, which I know IS NOT true.

    I know that my perception of how I look can be pretty screwy.... How do I (you, us) handle it when the photos don't look the same as the girl in the mirror does? I am confident when it comes to the mirror and being "inside my head," but photos throw me for a loop every time.

    Hey pretty lady, alot of what people perceive you as is how you act. So just put on that sexy lil black dress (and some spanx if it helps you feel better) and walk like everyone is jealous. The camera is great at capturing funny angle. And we are out own biggest critic. We see a HUGE roll of belly flat, and meanwhile everyone else is trying hard not to stare at our great legs.

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