Photo of shame...

I just read these things on your profile:

"On the 7th of March my Grandad died right in front on my eyes... its a difficult time for all but it has made me realize the excuses have to stop, i need to be the woman i can be and want to be, just like the man my grandad was and always will be."

and

"To love myself again and be a mother"

Sounds like you need a reminder of why you are doing this. You can let these negative emotions push you into giving up, or you can use them to push you forward toward your goals.

There are a lot of people who are not successful because they have a negative disposition. They look at themselves and pick out every unfavorable attribute and every imperfection. You need to get over that. What drives you to lose weight? What is your motivation? You need to look at yourself in the mirror and ask, "Why do I want this and what do I want to be?" You need to dig deep and find something that pushes you to the next level. What you are now is not what you have to be the rest of your life.

You are beautiful! Stay motivated and in a short while you will feel differently. I can't see your photo links just your profile one. Great advice already given. You are aware of the wheat intolerance now and we know that family can often say or do something so damaging tho they may not have meant it. When I lost 4 stone I travelled miles to see family and they didn't even comment on my new shape!

Wish I could find some magic words to make you feel better.

Eat 'clean' for a while, look after you and when the wheat bloat has gone you will be back on track x

Don't give up sweetie! Sometimes, photos like this give you motivation and remind you of why you are on this journey. I know its hard to see and especially as you have been working to change yourself. We all look in the mirror and see something different than everyone else or "the camera" sees. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw some pictures of myself....and that goes for my heaviest and when I was at my lowest weight after losing over 100 pounds. I couldn't see myself thinner in the mirror, not until I saw a picture.

Be kind to yourself, you deserve to be happy and have the body you want. And you can do it!!!

Just a side note about gluten- I am also sensitive to it and after a hard fight, I've given it up for almost a year now. I feel a million times better and don't really get sick ever anymore. If you know your reaction to it is bad, you should try cutting it out. I have tons and tons of gluten free recipes including cakes. I'd be happy to share some tricks with you. It was very hard at first, but when I realized how much better I felt, it was easier. Plus there are many gf options and I don't miss it anymore.

Just don't give up on yourself. You are a beautiful girl. I totally feel you becasue I've felt this way most of my life. I'm only now(almost 32) realizing that I am worthy of being happy, healthy and beautiful.

Send me a friend request if you want.

You are a beautiful girl..inside and out. A surprise party! How thoughtful! Also, I'd use these pictures as additional motivation to stay the course. I have. I still have an old picture from October up here that I just hate. It motivates me to keep moving (along with tons else in my life). Don't worry about the one slice of cake. We all need our indulgences from time to time.

Make sure you're tracking honestly and you do your best to get up and move. I've lost 24 lbs in about 12 months. It looks like I've barely scratched the surface, but I'm going to continue and hopefully be down another 24 this time next year.

Chin up! You got this!

First, you HAVE had progress. You have lost weight. And just becuase you might not see it, you already mentioned that other people have! THAT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Second, use this pictures as progress pictures for yourself. Like someone above me said, put them in an envelope, seal it, and keep it hidden away while you continue eating right and exercising! Then once you get halfway towards your goal, allow yourself to look at them. I can guarentee you will be nothing but pleased with how far you've come.

You just have to remember: YOU CAN DO THIS.

Don't give up! If those pictures make you feel bad, tuck them in an envelope and seal it. Put it away somewhere for safekeeping and forget about it. Stick with your diet and exercise. Monitor your progress both on the scale and my measuring yourself every few weeks. It will take time to see changes happening and probably even longer before friends and loved ones start to notice, but it will happen. Then down the road you can pull out that once shameful photo and display it as a reminder that you are never going back! You can do it and your MFP family is with you all the way!!!

I wanted to quote this to make sure you saw it. These photos are now your prized possessions and can serve as motivation. A lot of people remember exactly when they saw "the photo" and immediately knew they had to make a change.

Excellent reply!!!

Use these pictures as motivation!

You can do it! A lot of people on this site proved it's possible. It's not gonna be easy for sure, by focus on your goal and BE CONSISTANT & PATIENT.

I can see you now, slow connection speed.

Two thoughts:
change ticker to show how much you've lost, as it can appear overwhelming to see how much still to go.
turn the music up, Satriani is great but listen to some of your favourite music right now.

Satriani sounds like heaven right now!

Thank you to everyone who has replied.. I guess i just didn't think i was like THAT you know after the 19lbs i have lost i don't see any difference, not even my clothes feel looser, mainly because i only wear dresses!
I guess if i had felt before something had changed i would not have taken it so badly, as i swear i have a neck and in them i feel like look like a Sontaran from Doctor Who! But with hair!

Thank you all for the overwhelming support, i have been in tears over it, in a good way

I am going to print them off, of Facebook and put them in an envelope to open when i loose 2 more stone and then compare - i should see a difference im sure!

That sounds like an awesome plan to me!!!

Sometimes the difference takes awhile to show up. Before joining MFP I lost about 45 lb and none of my friends noticed, not a single one!!! I told my best friend I'd lost 30 lb and she looked surprised or skeptical and didn't really say anything at all! But I started to see less of a double chin and belly roll in photos and that was amazing...when it comes, it's worth it completely...good luck, girl!

I understand. When you're putting in all the work, losing weight, feeling better, then get a pick that leaves the appearance little has changed. It's rough. I took pictures a few months ago at the 100 lb mark and felt, in the pic, it didn't look like I'd dropped anywhere near that much weight.

Let it motivate you. Keep going, don't stop. Know that eventually, if you don't give up, you WILL reach a point where no matter what picture you take, from what angle, your radical change will be undeniable.

You know, I have seen pix of myself and thought "who is that old fat chick"? And it's me. How I felt I looked did not AT ALL match what a picture reflected. While it is a reality check in a really harsh light.....you get to choose to keep going for the very reasons and goals you set for yourself in your profile.

Don't let emotions define you....and don't fear make any decisions for you!

Thank you to everyone who has replied.. I guess i just didn't think i was like THAT you know after the 19lbs i have lost i don't see any difference, not even my clothes feel looser, mainly because i only wear dresses!

I had the same problem! I started buying jeans, in the smallest size I can squeeze into. Just one pair at a time. One month I can barely button them, the next I can wear them pretty comfortably, and the next month they are in the get rid of pile! Maybe you could try that? Even if you only wore the jeans for yard work.

I know it can be discouraging, but you HAVE lost weight. Keep working at it, and the results will come.

YOU are IMPORTANT!! YOU are BEAUTIFUL!!

YOU not only planned a surprise party for your dad but YOU got the ingredients together and YOU hand made a cake. That shows YOU have character and YOU value others.

Changing your body takes time, but YOU are worth it.

Don't give up on YOU!!

Write your goals down. YOU have VALUE!!

Start small and write everything down that YOU want to achieve. (Don't necessarily focus in a size or a number on the scale). Maybe it's i want to drink 8 glasses of water today or I want to walk outside for 10 mins. Make these goals measurable and attainable.)

Take it one day at a time.

YOU are WORTH IT!!

That was a really sweet thing to do for your Dad, I bet he was thrilled. Don't feel bad about one slice of cake, it's only a slice of cake and i'm sure it was 100% delicious ! Try not to feel discouraged, you've obviously done so well and you can always jump on to MFP and chat to us all and we'll encourage you to keep going and reach your goals!