Just a vent - I've been feeling so good about progress lately but then I see pictures....

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hartmamp
hartmamp Posts: 80 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
And I'm horrified. I was at an event over the weekend and I look terrible in the photos. This whole process is such a mental struggle for me and this is just a tough blow. I guess in the mirror I am smaller than I was when I started but it's just so darn frustrating on how much further I obviously need to go. /endwhinyrant

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  • crazyjerseygirl
    crazyjerseygirl Posts: 1,252 Member
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    Everyone gets a few whiny rants!
    Just trust the process and keep on going. Remember, people who see you every day aren't going to see you as fat/thin, they're gonna see you as you. So chill and go CICO!
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
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    I totally hear you. I feel really good. Until I look at the mirror or pictures.
    Just know that you're not alone
  • chubbard9
    chubbard9 Posts: 565 Member
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    I totally feel you on that! I'm down 40# and I'm JUST starting to see my progress(and slowly getting out of my starting jean size!!!), and people are JUST starting to notice.

    It can be a downer, but just remember that this is a long-term thing, and it takes time... Also, people say it "takes time" for your mind to catch up so you may not think you look better in your pictures, but I am sure you will soon enough!!! Compare your current picture to one from when/before you started, and I'm sure you will notice a difference!

    You can keep going, and you will thank yourself later!!!
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
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    I feel the same way. I've lost 18lbs so far and feel like ive done great until i look in the mirror or see a photo and i think "Woah there Neddy, i dont look any different... im still fat FFS!" :(
    But then i have to remind myself that it's a work in progress. Im doing well and if i keep going i will see more and more positive results, and the reality is i MUST look better, but im just not quite where i want to be just yet and thats ok, because im half way towards the finishing line already.
    Im impatient and want results, like, yesterday, but im realising that being super critical and tough on myself regards my appearance is counter productive because that could cause me to give up and fail, whereas acknowledging that i have come a long way (but still have a little way to go yet) puts me in a better place in my head. We're still in the race, making progress, thats what matters.
  • Teamhynes
    Teamhynes Posts: 31 Member
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    Just ditto to all of this above.
  • Jmgkamp
    Jmgkamp Posts: 278 Member
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    I hear you! I'm down 40 (well, now 38 thank you very much TOM), and I felt like I was rocking it. Until I saw a picture and my arms look like inflatables! Argh!!!
  • SweetTea111104
    SweetTea111104 Posts: 338 Member
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    I ditto everything above. Know that you are not alone in that feeling. We just have to remind ourselves that we have to keep pushing if we ever want to reach the finish line. I saw a quote once that basically said the people that succeed with their fitness and weightloss goals are those that stay focused and keep going when they don't see results in the mirror. A bad paraphrase but I hope you get the point. Lol it resonated with me.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Is it possible that they were simply bad photos? Lots of people don't know how to take good pictures. Maybe the lighting was bad, or the choice of outfit you made was ill-advised?
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    I understand!! I've lost 40 pounds, and dropped several clothing sizes and I know I am doing awesome. But I'm still fat! I was really, really fat before and now I'm just fat, lol. When I saw pictures of myself today, I was sort of disappointed that I still look overweight, when in my head 40 pounds just seems like so much. And it is, but when you have 70-80 pounds to lose it's just a long journey.

    Something I did today though was go back and compare my pictures from today to pictures from last year. That helped a lot because I was able to see that even though I still have a ways to go, I've come a long way already too.
  • scr183
    scr183 Posts: 49 Member
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    Oh yeah, I hear ya. I feel great and then I get sucker-punched by a glance of myself in a mirror, window, etc., and I assume I'd react the same way to photos if I didn't run from cameras like the hounds of hell were after me. I have to take a minute and talk myself down from the ledge, as it were, on a regular basis. Part of the process, I suppose. So yeah -- I guess my point is you aren't alone, and you probably are your own harshest critic. :)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I hear you. I remember feeling great at the start of weight loss only to see a picture that still showed me very doughy, and not at all how I THOUGHT I looked. Just motivated me more.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    Is it possible that they were simply bad photos? Lots of people don't know how to take good pictures. Maybe the lighting was bad, or the choice of outfit you made was ill-advised?

    That's what I was thinking.

    Don't be daunted by how far you've got to go. Be proud of how far you've come.
  • hartmamp
    hartmamp Posts: 80 Member
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    It's nice to hear I'm not alone and that we all have these down moments. I went to the gym yesterday and had a great workout, so I just have to keep going and use this to push me further. Thanks to all for the kind words!

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