This ladies and gentlemen, will be primarily whining

My sister in law posted 96 photos of me from her wedding yesterday. I have spent probably 96 HOURS making myself miserable with said photos. I wasn't expecting perfection. Ok, yes I was. See, I started to lose weight when they got engaged, and one of my mental pictures was how much better I would look ten months down the road in their pictures. I can tell that I look smaller, I think, although I cringe when I'm standing next to another person.

What's really bothering me? LUMPS!!!! They're everywhere. I look just like I said in the title. Or a pillow case full of marbles. Take your pick. The worst is one of the goofy shots where I'm wielding a pitchfork in the photo booth and my upper arm looks like I'm the wicked witch of the west and someone doused me with water. Everything is just hanging off my bones, with random lumps here and there. Have I mentioned lumps? Gah.

I think for the first time, I'm genuinely afraid of the loose skin thing. A nearly 300 pound loss is going to leave a lot of skin. I know in the end that it isn't what matters. I guess what it comes down to is I'm tired of taking my lumps when it comes to weight loss, so to speak. I know I did this to myself, but I've worked so hard. Don't I deserve to see something good?

End of whine. Sorry guys. Any one else lumpy? Lol.

Don't be afraid of the loose skin, that's not what is causing that lumpy look, but rather the remaining fat cells that are not shrinking uniformly. It gets better the more weight you lose. I used to be lumpy, now I am just squishy and a little wrinkly. Visibly very different, much easier to hide under clothes

*hugs* Pillow case full of marbles is a very good description of my thighs right now. I get it. *more hugs*

Yes, I have this too. It makes me nervous about what's going to be left when I lose my last 50 lbs.

That's reassuring, and if I'd thought about it, I knew that. Wrinkly I can handle!

Don't be discouraged; you will de-lump as the weight continues to come off!

I bet you looked so much nicer than you are giving yourself credit for.

From 210 down to 200, my thighs look like biscuit dough. When i get into the 190's, they look 150% better. I dont know why, but those 10 lbs make a huge difference. Just keep plugging along!

I weigh 82 lbs less than I did at the height of my pregnancy, so I definitely know a thing or two about loose skin (most noticeably the tummy area - my belly button is covered by a skin apron). But you know, it's just skin, and it's a lot easier to get rid of than fat (can we say "snip snip"? LOL).

You're doing amazing things with your body and you've been an inspiration for others both in "real" life and at 3FC. You're always insightful, intelligent, and humorous. From the pictures you've shared here I can see a tremendous, positive difference, especially in your face. Don't let a few lumps get you down!

Hugs

I have the loose skin, too. I do think it has improved since I have been maintaining, though. It will never be perfect or how I want it to be. For me, it is not worth it to have any type of surgery, though. I have seen other women who look very similar to me but I don't think theirs is from weight loss. It seems more to be from age. I'm not sure. It does get better, though. Hang in there.

Jane, I'm sorry you felt that way after seeing the pictures. The one you shared with us in your dress -- you looked beautiful! You do realize that every single person in the pictures did the exact same thing that you did, don't you (well, maybe not the guys so much). They all focused on how they looked and found themselves wanting in some area.

Fortunately, we're all in the lumpy in some area stage except for the long term maintainers. It's good to know that a) it's just part of the journey and b) it eventually gets to an acceptable stage.

Also, you've really got to work on your whining skills. With a lot of the whines that I read, I just shake my head and usually don't comment. I just wanted to give you a hug. So here's a virtual one.

Thank you everyone! You're all so amazingly insightful and supportive. I suppose lumpy and saggy beats stretched to the limit with fat!

Every day of the week!

Yeah, with weight loss, we're all going to have some excess skin & lumps. I'm 130 something pounds less than my highest weight...still have a ways to go. Today, my personal trainer commented on my "guns" (arms). I laughed it off, and she insisted that I've got some muscle there. I think she was as shocked as I was. All I see are my atrocious "bingo wings" whenever I have my arms up. ha!

We just cannot see ourselves as we are. A lot of us are so invested in ourselves and the process of losing the weight that we just cannot see the positive aspects of our bodies.

Take whatever you can get, RadioJane. Be proud of the smaller size dress that you wore that day. Be proud that someone even cared enough to TAKE 96 photos of you! I recently saw my brother and his family for the first time in a year and photos were shot, but not one of me.

You've accomplished a lot, and you're ON YOUR WAY! Well begun is well done! SMILE!

I have bat wings and my stomach is really jiggly - I'm afraid of loose skin though too. I've done some reading and it appears that it gets better with time - It can take 6 months to a year for things to return to semi-normal. At least that's how long a plastic surgeon would want you to wait after reaching goal before removing the excess skin.

You've achieved so much already, and you should be really proud of yourself. And I don't know a single person in the world that could look at 96 photos of themselves and think they look like a rock star in every one.