I hate myself in photos

I'm the same way! I also don't have a full length mirror. Felt a little liberating to post them today, but it's hard pill to swallow seeing myself this heavy.

Shannon, you are beautiful and courageous!!! Not deleting these photos when they make you cringe is NOT easy. But during your soon to be new journey, you'll be able to look back at them and see how far you've come. I used to delete every picture my SO took of me. My "before" came from a picture our friends shared and when I saw it, I cringed too. But realizing I never took a "before" photo, I cropped everyone else out and posted it here in my profile. I then posted my first "almost goal" picture. WOW!!! The difference is staggering.

You are even more courageous for making the decision for WLS to get healthier. The differences in how you feel, the energy you have, the desire to get out and do things without hesitation are phenomenal. You will be amazed.

Keep your chin up! You'll be flying through this before you know and doing great.

Pat

Thank you so much for taking time out to write such a thoughtful message. I really can?t wait to feel good AND look good. I have been obese all of my life (literally pictures date back to when I was a toddler). On the day of the pics, I took my son to the pumpkin patch, then to the Halloween store. I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck that evening. Looking forward to an easier more enjoyable life. My day is coming soon.

I have very few photos of myself at my highest weight, but now I am SO glad I have a handful - and I only wish I had more! Keep those - you'll be glad you did! You'll go back again and again throughout your journey to compare where you are now to where you were then. I had my husband take full-length pictures of me from all four sides every month on my surgery date during my weight loss phase. It's hard to detect a difference from one month to the next, but comparing pictures from four months ago, six months ago, a year ago - WOW! It's a great way to document your journey, and also to remind yourself of how very far you've come. And that can be hard to do without photographic evidence because many of our brains lag behind (e.g., still seeing ourselves as our original weight when we've lost 50 or 100 or more pounds)

Exactly! I want to see my progress and I also hope to share my journey as much as possible. Sharing is therapeutic for me. Thanks so much for your response!

You are beautiful and it's great that your DH feels that way!

I know what you mean about body shots pre-op though. It was hard for me to find any when asked for before shots because I HATED to have my picture taken. I still cringe when I see them, but now they help me to vow that I will never go back there.

Comforting knowing so many relate. I don't even have a family photo because I just can't stand seeing how awful (I feel) I look. One of the things on my to do list is to get family photos done!

These are great photos!!! Yes, you will forever cringe when YOU look at them, because somehow we are in denial about how we really look/ed... but in time, as you start losing and taking more pictures, these will be a perfect comparison shot to remind you of how far you've come -- because at first you won't be able to see the changes in yourself!

You are a beautiful woman, and great curves! I am looking forward to watching you transform into a smaller version of that same beautiful woman!

Thanks so much. I'm a little emotional this week, and I got choked up reading your post. Very sweet. I can't wait either! Nice to have the support of such inspirational people.

Hey you look beautiful and you will be glad you have these pictures. GL with your journey. Diane S