100+ Pounds to Lose Group

by JessyJean on Feb 12, 2012 at 8:11 pm

 This is me in a nutshell! I feel a lot smaller than I am. Maybe this is why I let myself get so big. I don't FEEL I look fat until I see the whole picture and realize I am. 
 
Eventually your mindset will change and perhaps it will be easier to accept yourself as you learn to LIKE what you see on the outside (as well as the inside). At least this is what I hope for.

by CharityShantell on Feb 12, 2012 at 11:03 pm

Hang in there. If it makes you feel any better, I started at almost 350 and I'm now approx. 260. And I juuuust barely asked my husband to take monthly pictures of me in fitted workout clothes. I really wish I had started at 350, as painful as it has already been at 270 and 260.

I have so few pictures of me at my highest. I wish I had more of an example to compare. Today I was organizing papers and found a picture of me at at least 350. I mean, my face is just HUGE compared to now. I'm in shock. And I get so sad looking at that poor girl. Even now. I think I always will. 

When I shop at this one thrift store, I have to wade past lots of bigger sizes because they sort them by color and style, not by size. So when I flip past a size 28 or 30 pants (which used to be super tight on me) and I see how gigantic they are, I just get so sad for that tortured person I was and for every person who is that size now.

Just hang in there and keep taking pictures. Don't LOOK at them if it's just too terrible to face. But sometimes when I get to complacent I think it's good for me to face the painful reality.

I'm sorry, I guess I had a lot to say on this subject and I fear I'm rambling a bit. But bottom line is we feel your pain. Just keep working hard for you. Now can be your time to shine. Just keep your eye on the prize, put your nose down and keep plowing

:o)

by brotherchris66 on Feb 13, 2012 at 5:18 am

 I use pictures to keep me going. I look at my beginning picture to remind myself where I started and the progress pictures to keep me focused. For me, a picture diary is an excellent motivator. Remember that the real essence of who you are is not your body. If you are a good person, you will be good whether you are 300 lbs or 150 lbs.

by BrookeHughes on Feb 13, 2012 at 6:30 am

Hi there. I'm new here also.
Seems alot of people are in the same boat of how they feel and see themselves.
I know what you have said is exactly how i feel. Hopefully this site will give us all the push on the days you cant push yourself. The only person that can change you is you. Good luck.

by KarenTN on Feb 13, 2012 at 6:34 am

One think that jolted me to get back to losing weight (after gaining back 25 ish of the 32 pounds I had lost in 2010/early 2011) was pictures.   I was in Las Vegas in December and several of my friends were there that weekend too,  and there were pictures.    And when I saw some of them posted on various people's facebooks and such,  I was all like OMG,  I have to do something!

by KarenTN on Feb 13, 2012 at 6:35 am

that is thing,  not think

by jiclark00 on Feb 13, 2012 at 6:58 am

I was reading your post and had to make sure that I didn't write it myself. I feel the same way about not feeling as big as I look.  My husband says that whatever the weight is I carry it well. But I dont want to carry it at all. I know he is giving me a compliment but i dont like the person I see when I look at the pictures.  When I look in the mirror the person I see isn't the same person I see in the pictures.
Last year a friend of mine took a picture of me at my step sons birthday party and i didn't recognize myself. I couldn't believe my weight had gotten so out of control.  I made up my mind to do something about it and started planning for change. I had dieted in the past but fast food always got the better of me. Jan. 2011 i made the decision to change my life. feb. 2011 we found out we were pregnant. I couldnt even enjoy taking tummy pictures because i was so fat i already looked 9 months pregnant. i only gained 10 poundsthrough my pregnancy. I gave birth to my beautiful 7 lb 9 oz baby girl on november 11, 2011. since then I have lost 40 lbs. I am goiing to continue untill i reach my goal weight of 150lbs. only 125 lbs left to lose.
I have started  taking my measurements instead of taking pictures. i took an initial picture but i think when i reach my first goal of 250lbs then my second goal of under 200.
 

by Noressa on Feb 13, 2012 at 8:52 am

 I kind of sort of wish I'd taken more pics at this point.  I'm down over 100 pounds lost and most of the pics of me are terribly out of date, from "before"  And yes, I do miss having "progression" pics...  But it's not as bad of a missing difference as I'd thought.  More a "Nice to have"  It'd be really nice to be able to show people a daily me instead of just the pretty dress up pictures I kept.

by BILLIEJOEISEVIL on Feb 13, 2012 at 11:43 am

 Same thing.  I don't feel as big as I am.  For a long time, I thought that was just high self-esteem, and part of it is that.  I have always felt pretty good about how I looked.  But now I think the other part was denial.  It is easier to NOT make a change than it is to actively change your habits, so feeling smaller was just a way for me to avoid making the change.  I would say "but I don't feel that big!  I feel okay" and then I wouldn't have to change.  I think we are all doing the right thing by actually looking at our pictures and trying to reconcile that image with our versions of ourselves.
 
I need to take pictures, but I keep pushing it off.  Maybe I'll go do it RIGHT NOW!  :)

by brotherchris66 on Feb 13, 2012 at 12:28 pm

 Git 'r done!

by deb1207 on Feb 14, 2012 at 1:07 am

Hi There,
 
I also did not identify with the person that was me at my Highest weight. I have many photos of myself when I weighed 125 more pounds than I do now.
 
I WOULD NOT take those photos and put them on the wall. Why? Why upset yourself ? I would not do that.
 
I used to really dislike the photos of me at my highest weights  because I had 2 or 3 chins, I had an enormous chest, could barely find a bra that fit, wore pants that were so gigantic, but basically: It was not ME, as you say. I did not identify with this woman who looked like a WHALE, or a baby elephant. I did not.
 
Here is what I did. I had a few photos of me BEFORE starting Livestrong, ones that had been taken for some purpose or other (like a wedding, or an ID photo for a membership group)...
 
Then, as I went along on Livestrong, I began taking photos of myself nearly every week, or quite frequently, using my Digital camera. I would also write down my weight when the  photo was taken, so I KNEW, using Livestrong: this is me at 250, 235, etc.
 
If you are dedicated and reall hoping to lose weight, this can be a great great tool. It can be soooo helpful!
 
When you are losing weight, you really DONT remember how you looked at one weight or another. You dont and you wont. But if you have these photos as a reference, on your down days when you feel like you are still fat, or you have not made progress, or whatever...You can go back and see photos of how you looked at various points along the process.
 
I am so glad I took all those photos. It helped me, as I used to get soooo upset looking at photos of myself. But as I forced myself to do it, it diminished the power of the photo. I was just me. Me at one size, or me at another size. Just me.
 
NOW I look at myself, and I see this face, this face of 125 pounds more than this, and I think, Gee I did not look so bad. My face was pleasant. Why was I so critical?   
 
I BRAVELY took 1 piece Swimsuit photos of myself
 

by vontrapp on Feb 14, 2012 at 1:03 pm

I take progress photos of myself every month. I enjoy seeing my progress and it really is a great motivator. Keep at it