and thought I would share. I used to avoid getting my picture taken like the plague at my heaviest, but now I'm glad to have a couple to look back on. I can't call this a before and after because I'm not where I want to be yet, but the difference in how I look is kinda amazing to me!
One factor of course is that I didn't bother with things like taking much time on hair, makeup or jewelry. That has happened gradually, and I'm having fun with it now! The best part is how I feel - not just how I feel after climbing a flight of steps, etc, but how I feel that I actually belong amongst the other people in the world, how I feel desirable to my husband, how I feel like I have a right to be any dang place I want to be and can do just about any dang thing I want to do!
I definitely think you can feel all of those things at a higher weight, but I constantly struggled with self esteem. I'm discovering that it's got a lot less to do with how I look than how PROUD I am of myself for living my life in line with my goals, hopes, dreams for my family.
Don't mind the quality of the pictures - the before one is a pic of a pic, and I think taking a picture of yourself in the mirror is harder than it looks!