pics vs. mirrors

Hallzeehall

So I had the rudest of awakenings today and curious if this has happened to anyone else...left the house feeling pretty decent, I had dropped 21 lbs so far, my jeans are fitting a little better, my hair looked good etc. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely not on denial that I need to lose about 100 more pounds, but I took a picture and when I see what I look like in real life I have to wonder why I don't see the mirror...its so weird. In the mirror I feel good, slightly lighter, and nothing like in the pic. I am so disappointed in myself cause that is how I look to others. This is not a pity topic, I am using this as motivation to continue on my journey and lose the weight. Can't wait til 4th of July to see pics of myself then and compare my progress (because I will have lost more weight and finished the first 30 day shred session).

ohmscheeks

I experience the same thing, and other people have commented that I look "different" in pictures. I just chalk it up to not being photogenic.

Guamybear

It is the opposite for me.. I see myself in the mirror and don't see the change but I definitely see it in the pictures.. I am no longer afraid of cameras..

Railr0aderTony

We lie to ourselves in the Mirror. For me it was a pic someone else took that woke me up. I looked in the mirror and never seen this guy. Well now I have lost over a 115 pounds and the funny thing is, now i see this guy when I do not look like this anymore. Losing weight is only part of the battle, we have to change our states of mind, that is the tough part. Anyway here is the pic that was put on FB that was my "OH HELL NO" moment.

skrakalaka

I have the opposite problem. I look almost overweight in the mirror but fine in pictures. Sometimes if it's really bad I take my picture to make sure an outfit looks ok because I can't trust the mirror. I say go by what makes you feel better about yourself.

kindasortachewy

I agree completely, I think I look good in the mirror and then I see a photo and I'm like, is this right now? This is what I look liked before I started.

I think a big part of it is clothing and posture. Make sure you've bought at least a couple new articles of clothing that show off your new figure - baggy clothes just hide your work! Also when looking at yourself in the mirror you stand up tall and proud, if you are slouching in everyday life, it added look to your stomach, work on standing up straight!

RockandRoseRebel

Yeah I lie to myself in the mirror too. There's no way I'd have gained as much as I did if I'd seen myself in a mirror they way I looked in pictures. Instead, I just avoided pictures and told myself I was fine and now I have at least 50 lbs to lose instead of 15-30 because I avoided the issue instead of facing it when it first became a problem.

ladybugs98a

I am completely the opposite, when I look in the mirror I don't see the change but when I see myself in pictures I see it. I have to agree with Railr0aderTon losing weight is only part of the battle.

AlongCame_Molly

I feel like I never photograph well, so I ignore what the pictures say. They always, almost without fail, catch me at the most unflattering angles possible.

teamstanish

It is the opposite for me.. I see myself in the mirror and don't see the change but I definitely see it in the pictures.. I am no longer afraid of cameras..

This is me too, in the mirror I see myself as larger, I notice the fat and stretch marks. In pictures I see the change.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Like some others, I have the opposite problem. I look in the mirror and see myself at my original starting point of 245lbs. So I take lots of pictures to show myself what I really look like.

moni_tb_192

I hate pictures... I'm so not photogenic and with me, it's just like OP said... I see something in the mirror, and when a picture comes, it's totally different. Although I've noticed that the quality of the camera also has a lot to do with how much I like the picture :laugh:

jljshoe1979

I feel like I never photograph well, so I ignore what the pictures say. They always, almost without fail, catch me at the most unflattering angles possible.

Have you tried taking pics at different angles? I hate it when people who are shorter than me take my picture, and I'm smiling (it always gives me a double looking chin, that I know I don't have). A retired photographer told me that it was coming from the angle at which the people were taking the pics.

AngelBaby7041

Don't feel bad Hun. You should see me in a pic (uuuygfh!!!) If you can get me to take one. I don't take pics, I don't go out in public. I DONT EVEN LOOK AT MYSELF IN THE MIRROR

Tamm04

I also swear different mirrors show my body differently! Maybe it's just all in my mind

yrollam1013

I hate myself in both mirror and pictures. I see myself varying degrees of incredibly large depending on my mood, and the number on the scale. I never can see a change even when I've lost a significant amount of weight. It is definitely possible for eyes to play tricks on us.

honey_bee_keysha

I hate taking pictures and sometimes I hate the mirror also. If I had to chose then I guess pics would be a better indicator of how you really look.

xstarxdustx

It is the opposite for me.. I see myself in the mirror and don't see the change but I definitely see it in the pictures.. I am no longer afraid of cameras..

Yeah this one goes for me as well. Photos capture the change for me, the mirror doesn't.

RockandRoseRebel

I feel like I never photograph well, so I ignore what the pictures say. They always, almost without fail, catch me at the most unflattering angles possible.

Have you tried taking pics at different angles? I hate it when people who are shorter than me take my picture, and I'm smiling (it always gives me a double looking chin, that I know I don't have). A retired photographer told me that it was coming from the angle at which the people were taking the pics.

^this. I have always been able to take flattering pictures of myself no matter my weight because of the camera angle. Confidence helps too. When I'm happy, wearing makeup and/or not being self-conscious of my weight because I'm having fun, my pictures always turn out better no matter who's taking them.

squiggyflop

Well, aside from always having a weird look on my face in still shots, its important to know that there have been studies that show that one of the reasons we dislike photos of ourselves is because they are not mirror images. They are how others see us, and not the way we are used to seeing ourselves. One day try using photoshop to mirror an image of yourself. The study shows that the person in the pic will think they look better in the flipped image and people who know the person will like the flipped image less than the normal camera shot.

And then there is the issue of still images being an unnatural way to process an image of a living being. Frequently I find that I look much prettier in a video than in a still shot.

Combine that with how we typically lie to our self when looking in the mirror and you have a really solid reason for this. We say the camera adds 10lbs, but really depending on the person it can seem to either add or subtract lbs. If you are very thin, and every time you look in the mirror you see fat thighs, you can be shocked when the camera reveals that you have ribs showing and skinny legs that look like tiny twigs.

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

I don't lie to myself in the mirror. Why would I? I think some people photograph looking heavier because of their body shape. The camera does add weight to everyone, but some people worse than others. I have found with myself, because I've always had a curvy shape, even at my lowest weight, I photograph slightly plump. I was just looking through some pics in my early 20s when I was 110 pounds, and I definitely had a chubby thing going on in pics. I know it wasn't there off camera. Even my profile pic makes me look like I gained 10 pounds in the waist line. There's nothing I can do about it. I know what's in the mirror. I know what size I wear. I've just accepted that I'll never be a model. lol

MyChocolateDiet

I feel you dawg.

alisonlynn1976

Yes, totally. I usually think I look better in the mirror than in pictures, unless I happen to get a really flattering picture.