I have some before pictures of when I looked awesome and an after picture of what I have become. Anyone else torture themselves with pictures from the past?

The picture in the jeans was after I had my first child....he was 3 at the time. Now I have three kids. The picture in the mirror was October 2009, but I am the same weight today.

Me! I totally torture myself in the same way, it's not great, but sometimes it gets me super motivated!

You'll get there again, patients and hard work

-Aimee

Fortunately for me (or unfortunately, idk which) I have no pictures to look back on...because I weigh less now than when I was 10 years old. I am actually almost the same weight now as when I was in 3rd grade (175....I really weighed THAT much at the age of 8). So I don't have any "glory days" pics to look back on...but then I also don't have any idea as to how good I could look.

I do have some skinny pics that I look at from time to time... it's a bit sad to think how far I went in the other direction but now I try to use them as motivation instead... and definately as a lesson to be careful with my thinking because I can remember thinking I was so huge back then and now I look at them and am thinking, "Dang, I was tiny!"

I have an envelope of pictures of myself that I have saved because I think I look nice in them. Yes, they are all from when I was at least 75-90 lbs lighter. I do look at them from time to time but don't feel like I torture myself with them. They give me hope that I can look that good again.

One thing though, as you get older...I'm 43, I know that even if I get as thin as I was when I was 29, I will not look like a 29 year old. I can look thinner but losing weight isn't going to turn back the hands of time. My skin texture is different, I am getting wrinkles and have inherited my mom's family's lovely jowls, my hair is graying, my boobs aren't where they used to be...LOL.

Mary. Please take it from me. You have NOT BECOME anything other than the person that you are.

Separate yourself from your weight. You are the same beautiful person inside and out, but now you are battling a weight problem, which is a FIXABLE problem.

If you want to take the weight off, you will!!!!

I don't think it's quite fair either- in the first two pictures you are posing, whereas the last picture is from a bathroom mirror with worse light, less flattering angle, etc. Even skinny people have unflattering pictures taken!

Thanks ladies. I am going to try and use them for motivation. Michelle, I have experienced some grief over exactly what you mentioned and I am trying to accept that I won't be 29 again! I am 38 and I do have some gray hairs. One of my fears about after the excess weight is gone is that I will look older than I am. I am also worried about loose skin, but I will find a way and make a way for surgery if I need it! LOL

i do, my picture my "avatar" is me.. in 2004-2005

also for greys dont feel bad! i'm 23 and i've got a few

i have looked back at pictures from when i was in highschool.. and was like damn i wasnt as big as i thought i was.. seeing those kind of pictures.. makes me realize how distorted my perception of myself was... its an eyeopener.. and dont worry in time you will get back to where you want to be

Now that you mention it - FAT was exactly how I felt in those two pictures. The first one I was on a diet when it was taken. I can't believe what a distorted perception I had because I would LOVE to look that way again. Strangely, when I look in the mirror most days now I don't see the fat person that I see in that third picture. I have the reverse problem now. Photos are what jolts me to reality.

I never see the same person in the mirror as I do in pictures. And I did the exact same thing from high school pictures - I thought I was so overweight then, and goodness, I'm 40 pounds heavier than that now. I saw a picture of me doing my best to cover up in a swimsuit about 8 years ago, and remember how self concious I was then, and now I see that I had ABS then!

What I always say to myself when I see a problem or something I want to change: "Okay. You see it. Now what are you going to do about it?"

See the problem. Make a change. Live a better life. You can do it lady!

I've always been fat but I always thought I looked good in high school. And thanks to facebook, I didn't! Even though I have gained half the weight I lost, I still look SO SO much better.