HATE... that I look so huge in photos!

dcglobalgirl
dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
edited November 18 in Motivation and Support
and presubly real life as well.

Just needed to get that off my chest.

Replies

  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
    and presumably real life as well.

    Just needed to get that off my chest.

    correcting spelling :)

  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
    Thanks ejinvt! It's just when i see a group photo and there are all these nice normal sized people and then me, I feel enormous!
  • laylabronx
    laylabronx Posts: 8 Member
    Yes I can relate! My brother posted a photo and I just about fainted. Also agree we are much harder on ourselves.

    Photos can be tricky in both ways depending on who takes them.
  • fieldsey2014
    fieldsey2014 Posts: 11 Member
    It is hard to get a balance isn't it? I've read that you should stay positive,consider your positive attributes, as it is easier then to stay motivated. But then I feel like I am avoiding the truth. Yet if I take a really long hard look at myself I am so disgusted by what I see - it may motivate me initially but then I end up thinking, what is the point? That stomach is never going to truly shrink. I be a thin woman in a fat woman's skin.
  • LLduds
    LLduds Posts: 258 Member
    I hear you, OP. I'm dreading a relative's graduation this week because I know they will want to take pics. Ugh. I've lost 26 lbs but still can't stand how huge I look in pics. And don't even get me started on my most recent trip to the mall....talk about a case of the sads :(
  • Patriots96
    Patriots96 Posts: 96 Member
    Ditto! My hubby and sons are tiny which just makes me look that much bigger in photos. Hate even looking in the mirror at myself. Disappointed in myself for regaining the 30 pounds I lost when I was on MFP in 2013. Not sure if the picture attached here or not. I am on the left and my arm looks huge!
    b3ifogygoog9.jpg
  • tekkiechikk
    tekkiechikk Posts: 375 Member
    and presumably real life as well.

    That gave me a good laugh, thanks! I totally understand. Photos can be allies, though... when tempted I just have to look at a pic of me fishing for striper last year. It curbs the desire to eat an entire bag of Doritos lol

  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    I still hate pictures of myself that other people take but don't mind selfies because I have all the control. I don't see myself the way other people do and am really critical. At least I'm self aware and know I'm being an *kitten* hole to my self.
  • minkky
    minkky Posts: 73 Member
    I'm with you op, I feel the same. My daughters college graduation was this weekend and I look like a giant. I'm 5'10" and she is 5'4". And really... It's my boobs. I swear in one picture it looks like they are trying to eat her.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    I feel this too. And i'm at my original goal weight. I think that a solid 70% of this battle is purely inside our heads. Loving ourselves is more important than any of that other crap.
  • lisahenneberry83
    lisahenneberry83 Posts: 37 Member
    I know what you mean! We are all much harder on ourselves...
  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
    minkky wrote: »
    And really... It's my boobs. I swear in one picture it looks like they are trying to eat her.

    I'm sorry but that almost ended me, hahaha. I feel your big-boob pain though, I hated them perhaps most of all in photos, that and my excess chin and back fat.

    I'm still shy of the camera but at least I'm finally starting to realise that I wasn't the size I was, so lately in photos I'm at least not entirely hiding behind other things. How I saw myself was a massive motivator, as it is with most of us I think.
  • prettygirlstorm1
    prettygirlstorm1 Posts: 721 Member
    I have rules for taking pictures. I never sit down unless you can only see my top half. No full front pics, only side pics when I stand and I suck in my stomach until my back hurts or the pic is over!!!! LOL
  • ritodcin03
    ritodcin03 Posts: 105 Member
    I'm with you! A horrendously bad picture is what made me come back to this site. It's really sad the power photos can have over us though. Last weekend, I threw my back out when I was home alone, and to amuse myself, I took a selfie while on the floor waiting for my husband to find me. The awkward overhead angle created the illusion that my waist was very small and the blessed power of gravity pulled most of my inner thighs out of view, giving the appearance that I have a super svelte body (I don't). It occured to me that this was the most flattering picture taken of me in years. I'm not gonna lie. I almost made it my Facebook profile picture.
  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
    wow, so nice to hear that I'm not the only one! I have a photo where I'm with my boss and my boss's boss. She and he are both tiny people and I absolutely look like a giant!
  • CurvyAsya88
    CurvyAsya88 Posts: 1 Member
    I totally agree. I think we've all been there at some point. You've got to learn more about your body and try to find your most flattering angles. Take some time to look at yourself in the mirror and see what looks the best.
  • lottdana
    lottdana Posts: 1 Member
    I feel your pain! When I look at myself in the mirror I'm like "ok I look good today". Then someone takes a photo and I'm freaking huge! I can see my reflection in a window and all I see is fat! Not sure why our minds do this to us. I've lost almost 50 lbs and I still have 50 more to go. Just wish my mind would see me the same all the time!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I'm not going to lie, this still even happens to me after all these years. I think pictures can be really deceiving sometimes so they make people odd sometimes. Some pictures look fine but others look strange. So I'm guessing this is just one of those things that might not ever change fully.
  • vinerie
    vinerie Posts: 234 Member
    ritodcin03 wrote: »
    I'm with you! A horrendously bad picture is what made me come back to this site. It's really sad the power photos can have over us though. Last weekend, I threw my back out when I was home alone, and to amuse myself, I took a selfie while on the floor waiting for my husband to find me. The awkward overhead angle created the illusion that my waist was very small and the blessed power of gravity pulled most of my inner thighs out of view, giving the appearance that I have a super svelte body (I don't). It occured to me that this was the most flattering picture taken of me in years. I'm not gonna lie. I almost made it my Facebook profile picture.

    A picture brought me here, too. I went on vacation and my boyfriend took pictures of me. They were all awful! I kept thinking, "Boy, he cannot take pictures very well!" Then it dawned on me that he takes pictures just fine. It was me who was too big :(
  • eileensofianmushinfine
    eileensofianmushinfine Posts: 303 Member
    and presubly real life as well.

    Just needed to get that off my chest.

    I have photos that were taken of me in the summers of 2012 and 2013. NOT good! I use them for inspiration each day of this journey. In fact, the biggest "atta girl" came from my husband who one day last week noticed that his office desk has NO recent pictures of me -- and that I now look quite different (down from 243-197)....I told him that we'll take some new pics this summer!

  • Tami_H
    Tami_H Posts: 67 Member
    My photo from my god son's baptism revealed how much weight i had gained. I was embarrassed to share it even though i love my god child. It motivated me to make a lifestyle change and for that i am greatful. I wish the scale would move a little faster but atleast i took action. You should be very proud for taking the necessary steps to improve your life.
  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
    I posted the picture on my profile to remind myself why i need to do this. Hard to admit I really look like that.
  • dcglobalgirl
    dcglobalgirl Posts: 207 Member
  • VioletHaz
    VioletHaz Posts: 44 Member
    I have this same problem. Between everything being High resolution, wide screen, and or just angled wrong (like . . . pictures just aren't what they used to be. It is my motivation too. I found myself ducking out of family photos and this is bad. In twenty/thirty years I want to see myself in pictures enjoying my family and events from now.

    That's a great picture dcglobalgirl. Remember the good time and work to liking your next photo even more :)
  • inked_Calimom82
    inked_Calimom82 Posts: 143 Member
    Everyone feels that way at some point! You are your worst critic. I was the same way even when I was skinny and had lots of confidence and self esteem. Now I look back after havin my 3rd child and wish I could go back to that skinnier confident woman!!! But I don't let it bring me down. I have the power to change myself and me alone so I am doing just that. I've been a healthier me (eating better and exercising 6 days a week) and have lost 10pbs in just my first month. Although I don't see a difference yet when looking in the mirror, I feel really great and that's what counts! You can do it too you just have to believe you can and put in the work. Add me if u need any motivation. I log daily ;)
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
    ejinvt wrote: »
    I can totally relate, too. It sucks. That's why we're here, right? No, not just to look better in pictures, of course, but to be healthier and hopefully not have to worry about those types of things. :)

    LOL, I know, right? Before I went on a diet I had to obsessively screen all pictures of me and make sure they didn't show how big I really was. Sometimes I would untag myself. Sometimes *hangs head in shame* I would Photoshop pictures to make me narrower :-(

    Now that I'm in maintenance, I don't worry about pictures at all because I can trust that they will look the way I want them to.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Same here... I started realizing that all the pictures of me weren't "just bad photos".... That was how I really looked! It was hard to see them, but good to know the truth.

    Keep taking those pictures, though, and see how much they change!
  • marisawhitehead
    marisawhitehead Posts: 2 Member
    Hi. Just downloaded this app and reading these messages. Have to say, last night I took a few selfies and I
  • marisawhitehead
    marisawhitehead Posts: 2 Member
    Hi. Just downloaded this app and reading these messages. Have to say, last night I took a few selfies and I

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