Isn't it amazing how we trade one image issue for another?
I can certainly relate. I am only 39 yo, and after I had my son, I lost weight (yea me!), but at the expense of developing the jowl look...yea me, NOT. I look 10 years older.
Thank you all, i won't post about this again (except to commiserate in someone else's post and i know i just need to accept it and get over it. I thought i had been successful until i catch a glimpse of myself in a different mirror or in a store or something because i've been avoiding looking at them. A lot of it is just dealing with aging.
There was an article about Sharon Stone and when she turned 40 she went into her bathroom with a bottle of wine and cried as soon as she realized she was aging and then dealt with it and got over it, it's what i need to do, sans wine
I appreciate all the kind and thoughtful words and advice. Pattience i have thought about saving for at least fillers but until that happens i need to just really work on acceptance and not being so self focused
Wow! Seriously you look amazing!
I found the last time I lost a lot of weight that people were so used to me being the chunky friend that getting to a normal weight lead so many people to say I was starting to look unhealthy or sick. I really think people just say that because they are so accustomed to seeing you heavy, that you don't 'look right' to them. But the reality is that you look healthy and beautiful. Ignore the negative comments, especially your own internal ones, and love the new shell you worked so hard to achieve!
A bunch of women 10 years younger than you want to hit you right now.
If you want to get your puffy face back (not sure why but it's your face) you might want to try creatine. Some women take it specifically to bloat their gaunt face. It will cause you to gain water weight but it is very safe and when you stop using it the effects go away.
Haha JohnP
I figured out what i'm going to do about this situation.
I actually gained 20 lbs back which really eased up on the skinny face. I think that seems to really show up in the 160s for me. Trust me though, I'd rather have skinny face back then the 20lbs around my belly again right now, so I've already played out that option for you
It's really not "gaunt" face to everyone else though. It's just people being hard on themselves and noticing and zooming in on what they perceive as flaws on their face - things that other people don't see.
It's a big change from before and after but your face looks great, especially for 51. If we're talking pure vanity here I'd say neck lift otherwise seriously your face doesn't look old, but I can see why the drastic change freaks you out because it's sudden. I definitely see that I look older too. I'm vain as heck though so I will be doing fillers and such.
A doctor I worked with always joke that he never looked as old as he was because his fat filled out his wrinkles haha. So yes, now that you're healthy (congrats!) you will have some wrinkles from aging. But honey, you look gorgeous! I'm 24 and I wish I looked as good as you do. I would say go get your makeup done by a professional artist and learn how to play up/down certain features. It should help you feel better. But really, you are beautiful and have nothing to worry about.
I don't know how much this contributes to the discussion, ok it doesn't really at ALL but OP you look like you could be a star on General Hospital or something - what a classic beauty! You "age" VERY well and look far younger than people your age that I know who haven't had drastic weight loss!
Acceptance is the best option. There's a concept called letting go. Its like you just drop something that' you've been clinging too. The clinging is what causes the tension and pain. Its really quite literal. When you let go a whole weight of worry falls off you instantly - though sometimes it feel more dramatic than others. I've experienced this many times. I've done it with men, with a big part of my garden, with having kids, with jobs, with anything that its not reasonable to do something about or impossible, then i do letting go. Sometiems it takes a little while to get to the point of remembering to let go.
When you know that letting go releases tension and pain, then its quite easy to make the decision. All you have to do once you've made the decision if you see yourself in a mirror and have a twinge of pain, is drop the thought. Say stop being ridiculous you look fine. You can say that knowing you are miles ahead in terms of health and your appearance when look back at the past. And you can say that when you consider the bigger issues going on in your life and in the lives of other people.
Thank you everyone for the kind words, i think aging plays into it more than i imagined..
Pattience, funny that you should say that because i'm dealing w/something far more serious and devastating than my looks and i last night just dropped it and said "God...YOUR Will, i'm done". Since i'm a believer in the Creator, that's my way of letting it go because the situation is out of my hands.
Unfortunately telling myself i look great is going to be much easier than the situation i'm dealing with now because even though i've dropped it, so to speak, i still have to live in it but yes, you're correct in your advice, it's how i've dealt with my face thus far and it once in awhile resurfaces for me to deal with again.
and i know i just need to accept it and get over it. I thought i had been successful until i catch a glimpse of myself in a different mirror or in a store or something because i've been avoiding looking at them. A lot of it is just dealing with aging. 
