Mixed emotions over some pics

Here is a link to teh pics I'm talking about. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/leanner977/0506comp.jpg I just had a nice long post typed up about this and forgot that I have to hit post after the preview comes up (I HATE that on this board). I'm too emotionally drained to comepletely reha**** so the short version is this: I feel like I hypocrite for looking at those pics and saying "wow, I'm so much prettier now!" I truly believe that beauty is about who you are not what you look like so why am I thinking that about those pics? Am I suddenly becoming a judgemental skinny (well, skinnier) ***** I don't think I feel that way about strangers...just myself, but I didn't know I felt that way about myself so who knows what I'm really thinking when I see overweight people in public. Anyway, I'm having a very hard time with that and figured some of you could probably understand or relate.

I understand what you mean, sort of. I think it all boils down to the fact that we are our own worst critics. It is human nature to want to be the best we can be and to be especially critical of what we consider to be our failures in that quest for perfection. To look back on photos of us at our higher weights only brings back those critical feelings for our weakness (perceived or otherwise) that allowed us to reach those high weights in the first place. This doesn't necessarily translate into feelings about other overweight people, but is primarily directed at ourselves. Of course we are much more satisfied with ourselves at a normal or lower weight!! And we DO look better. But the judgmental feelings are (hopefully) reserved for ourselves, not for others. Anyway, I wouldn't stress over feeling this way so long as it doesn't translate into feelings about overweight people in general. Warm regards!!! Bonnie

I know how you feel, I look at my pictures and think wow I look so much prettier now... I think that my family and friends see it to. To tell you the truth I looked at your pictures and see the beauty in both. I think we are so much harder on ourselves then we are on others so I don't think that you or I would judge anyone by their apperance just because we judge ourselves. I do look at others in public and think I feel sad for them because it was only 5 months ago that I was right there where they are, and I wish I could tell them about it. I may be locked up in the mental ward at the hospital one day muttering to myself have the WLS it works wonders....LOL!

I totally look at others in public and feel bad for them. I find myself often thinking I wish there was a non-offensive way to say, "hey, this worked for me, here's my surgeon's number." I really don't think it's possible though. LOL about being locked up for muttering to yourself. I have a toddler so I just pretend I'm talking to him...people don't look at me as weird.

I know how you feel. I want to give people my surgeon's number too! I never would, of course, but I just want to tell everyone that there is a way out!