Wow you look great :) I hope I look that good when I get down to the weight you are, though I'm sure I won't. You look a similar shape to me in a lot of your photos so I have also been taking a lot of interest in your progress - these photos have inspired and motivated me a lot. I'm sure the next 15lb will make a big difference but if they don't make enough difference you can always change your goal or tone more, etc.

I think your just being hard on yourself if you had not said what you weighed I wouldve guessed 130 at the most. You look awesome!

YOu look fabulous! I would kill for your tiny waist...whoa! Good for you keep it up!

First off, you've lost 125 freakin pounds, amazing! I'm an inch shorter than you and a little different body shape but I was most comfortable around 130, I felt and looked healthy and most important of all my body wasn't fighting back every day to regain weight on me. Fast forward two babies later, we've got a ways to go to get back there! Don't get discouraged, you look amazing - most women on these boards would kill for your body. :)

Yea I could get down to 100 pounds and never have that body so quit your complaining woman! Just kidding! But really! You look great and Im green with envie!

I personally think you look amazing. You have the kind of body I'd love to have

Thank you all for your comments. You're right, I'll just see what the next 15 pounds have in store- I'm so used to having 50 pounds be the only thing that makes a difference! But I guess it's not like that at this weight. I think I'm just struggling with those body image issues that will necessarily be part of the "awkward in between stages".
Thanks! :hug: I feel much better.

Originally Posted by kelly315:
I'm so used to having 50 pounds be the only thing that makes a difference!

Kelly, I can really relate to this. I could see small differences when I was losing, but it wasn't until I started to approach 45-50 pounds lost that I was really seeing the difference in a meaninful way. I noticed the 5 pounds between 50 and 55 lost a lot more than I thought I would and I think this last 10 or so pounds will make a big difference. BUT....it's going really slow so I'll have to be patient, I guess.

Add my comments to all the others--there are women who would KILL for your waist and tummy. Seriously.

I have come to understand it as this - you can either be happy with what you have, or be unhappy, but either way, you're stuck with it. YES, we can lose excess weight and transform our bodies. But once we get to goal and find our bodies aren't perfect... we can't change that, that's just how our bodies are. You can really look at yourself and find every single flaw about your body and hate it, or you can really look at yourself and find every single beautiful part of your body and love it; you're stuck with the same body either way, so I figure, why not choose to love it for what it is?
I still have a big stomach. I probably will still have a big stomach 10 pounds from now. But I've got GREAT lower legs and a nice face and TONS of other wonderful features. What's it matter if my stomach isn't perfect?
I still think negative thoughts about it sometime, but then I can CHOOSE to think positive ones instead. Your body is your body. You'll be happiest if you can learn to love it for what it is and see past the few miniscule flaws and see it in all its beauty instead. It's not easy but it's worth it, trust me.

You look really great! I agree with the others, the last 10-15 lbs can make a huge difference. If you still don't like the way you look when you reach goal, either change your goal or start focusing on toning up.

How much weight training are you doing? It's amazing what a difference lifting will do to tighten up our bodies once we lose the fat. Not that you don't look great, because you do, but lifting would probably help you a lot toward seeing in the mirror what you'd hoped to see, you know? A book that's recommended around here a lot is The New Rules Of Lifting For Women. It's worth a look; the program in that book is pretty good.

I'm 5' 5", 1 inch taller than you. Summer of 2007, I got down to 161, and I didn't look as good as you do in those pictures. Bodies change over time in lots of ways.

I think at the weight you are now, you'd see some really great change if you added some muscle-developing to your exercise regimen. Right now you don't have a lot of excess fat, and lifting and tightening what you do have will make a huge difference.

Edit: Whoops! That's basically what thistoo said, sorry!

I looked pretty much the same as your pics when I was 165lbs, my highest weight. 10lbs down to 150lbs made a difference of one pant size, and then every 5lb was one pant size after that. You'll notice it really fast soon!

Thank you for being so brave as to post those pictures. Keep up the great work! 125 pounds! that is truly amazing. You are an inspiration.

I think you'll notice a change if you do like the previous nice people said and weight trained a little. I'm in about the same stage as you, I noticed that when I was working out with weights a few years ago, everything looked just a little better. Although haven't done in a few years and have to start it up cause I lost all that tone and gotten really flabby :(.

but yeah, hope is not lost. We're cheering you on!

By the way, noticed the little running icon. Have you gotten into jogging/running? Do you have any advice on starting and not feeling like you're going to die from lack of oxygen?? Cause I can't seem to get the hang of it.

Everyone's body is different. I just joined this forum but I've already noticed that there is an obsession with weight here. There is so much more to it than weight. You also have to think about height, body type, bone structure, bone density and musculature. A number for weight can look incredibly different from person to person, even when they are a similar height.

Your stats say that you are 5'4". You do look like you are about 160 lbs to me. I definitely wouldn't imagine a 5'4" woman looking like you do at 200 lbs, unless they were very very muscular. Those last 20-40 lbs... is what shapes & sculpts your body to it's final form. If you lose 20 more lbs, especially if you do a lot of strength training, the results will be even more dramatic. On a very obese person 20 lbs is almost nothing, but on someone who is 160 lbs, it's a LOT.