A couple months ago, my sister left a pair of size 14/16 pants at my house. They were getting too tight for even her.
When I first started this diet, they wouldn't even go over my thighs. NOW, they are over my big butt! Okay, fine, they won't button up yet, but I think in 5-8 pounds they will!
My goal, -and what has kept me going all this time- is to fit into those jeans by thanksgiving, or, even a week before. The thursday before thanksgiving, i'm jumping on a airplane, and going to go visit my sister in Nashville, (where she recently moved with her new husband) and I'm going to be wearing her old jeans! Yeah, she probably won't notice, BUT, I think i'm going to throw it in her face! Haha

SO, i'm curious, (and very proud of my own little picture) what's the picture in your mind?

For me, I think it has a lot to do with my sister too...lol

Pretty much my entire life, she's been skinnier and smaller then me. I'm 5'8"...she's not even 5'2"...so it's not even really a good comparison...but once I was 3 and she was 5, everyone thought I WAS the older sister. There was even this one time on HER BIRTHDAY where we went to a restaurant and the waiter brought me an adult cup and her a kids cup...and she cried for hours (and of course I felt bad, but still...she's just always been smaller)..

Anyways, she throws it in my face a lot...how big I am and how big I've always been. When we were younger, she'd tell me I was fat and that I was ugly and that I'd never be as pretty as her...blah blah so on and so on...Even now, she doesn't outright call me fat, but she still will come in my room and ask "Rachel can I borrow a shirt?" and I'll find one and she's like "Oh that's WAY too huge. That would NEVER fit me!"

It just gets on my nerves, because honestly...Yeah I weigh more then her, but she's not skinny. She's got big thighs and a flabby tummy, it's just harder to tell because she's got a giant butt and wears a size 32 G bra...so it camouflages it...

I guess one of my goals is to be able to wear her clothes...the hand me downs always went from me to her, and that's just weird because I'm younger and it's not supposed to work that way...

and I DEFINITELY want to be able to walk into a room and draw more attention then she does...but we'll see.

I think I'm prettier then her, and I think that once I'm skinnier then her (not weigh less, just look skinnier) everyone else will finally be able to see that too. I won't have to be the ugly sister anymore.

I have a couple of pictures that keep me going.

First of all, I want to become a police officer. I'm in college studying criminal justice (and want to go to grad school to further my education in the field of criminal justice/leadership management/hr/sociology-I haven't decided yet). But, the big picture that keeps me going is me in awesomely cute skinny workout clothes, performing some sort of a kick from a kick boxing class. It's not even the uniform or anything, it's the ongoing exercise for when I do reach my goal! (How awesome is that?!) lol

Another one is kind of a very personal thing for me. I want to be able to wear those platform high heels and sexy lingerie for my husband (well, for his pleasure, but mostly for mine...to be able to see that yes "Dang, I look good!").

ETA: Both my brother and sister have lost a lot of weight, and now they are able to run. My sister is taking part in a 5K and my brother, who is in the Air Force, is able to train people because of his intelligence and his fitness. When I go home to visit my family, I want to be able to run a couple of miles with both my brother and my sister (they are so very supportive).

This is one of my motivations as well!

Another thing that I keep in mind is how I'll look in a bathing suit so that I can take my kids to the beach next summer. My son LOVED it the one time we went last fall (around this time). We just walked along the shore but he wanted to get in the water (it was to cold). I want to be able to be comfortable in a swimsuit and take my boy into the water that he loves so much.

Plus I am dying to look supremely hot for my 10 yr anni with DH next November!

If that's you in your avatar, you are already beautiful. Not the 'ugly sister' in the least, even without seeing your sister. I *am* sorry she takes out her insecurities on you, though. Hopefully she'll grow out of it. My sister and I have and we're very close now (we work out together and can even share clothes these days!), but I spent almost my entire life comparing myself to her and calling her 'the pretty one', so I know where you're coming from.

For me, it would be to actually take a picture of myself when I lose the weight.
Everyone: seemed so let down when I gained all the weight. Everyone seemed so hung up on it, as if I dropped the ball. My mom and dad always make comments about my weight or how good I looked before. My dad will ask me if I still look fat. When I told him that I lost a lot of weight he acted like he didn't want to believe it. Everyone lives 4 states away so I wouldn't be able to physically go there. But I do want to take a picture and send it to them.
For myself, it would be to wear my wedding dress again. I felt so sad one year that I let my daughter wear it for halloween. I felt so darn fat especially to see her wear it knowing I couldn't do it. I can't wait.

ITA! I always think you are beautiful whenever I see your avatar!

I have two pictures in my head that keep me going....

The first one, is me crossing the finish line of a half marathon, all the pride and overwhelming happiness from being able to do it! That and for my next picture i need to be able to RUN...

And secondly, me in Air Force blues graduating BMT.

I can't wait to make those pictures in my mind real. I will show them to all of you when I do!

Thanks guys...It's really nice to hear that, especially because today (so far) has been one of those low self-confidence days for me...

and thistoo, I don't know if my sister and I will ever be close....she's just a rude and inconsiderate person and she doesn't understand how the real world works...she's always had her head up in the clouds. I just can't manage to see eye to eye with her, so every conversation we have turns into a fight...HOPEFULLY some day we'll be able to get past it, but right now I'm guessing that day (if it ever comes) will be in the far off distant future. =/

My "picture" would just have to be looking awesome in a picture with my bf. He is alot shorter than me and I feel it always makes me look "bigger" and I really want to see myself as the girlfriend and not the "giant woman" in the picture.

I've always been very curvy, but when I was 16/17 I weighed 124 pounds. I got so much attention from guys, but never noticed. Now that I think about it, it is kinda gross because men used to whistle at me from their cars when I was on the street. Part of me wishes I was more aware of how good I looked so I could have made the best of it and not let myself get this way.

So whenever I look in the mirror, I picture me with that great thin body again, and how great I'll look with my curvy hips and big boobs (haha). I think about how I won't be restricted to the clothes I wear.

I bought a belt yesterday, the only one that fit was a 44 inch waiste one, the large ones at stores don't fit me. I want to buy a belt without finding a store that carries a size bigger than large. I also want to get a coat that's just a large, the larges are a little tight on me still. I want to look great this winter! Without wearing just a puffy coat that hides everything!

I can't wait Another thing that drives me is the obesity in my family, I can see how the women easily become overweight. My aunt and my mom are not overweight due to the fact my aunt boxes, and my mom works out everyday to maintain her blood sugar as she's a diabetic. I want to fit into my mom's size 6/8 pants ( cus I'm sick of her stealing my clothes! she likes baggy clothes )

Grey skinny jeans. I'm currently a size 16, but the smallest affordable pair I can find comes in a size 12. My admittedly ambitious goal is a size 10, but that is some time off!

My picture has changed recently. Until I got pregnant this time, I pictured myself at goal, in cute workout clothes finishing a race. (5k.. 10k... didn't matter... just running in a race and finishing) THEN I found out a couple of weeks ago that I'm pregnant again, so now my mental picture is what I DON'T want. I ended up gaining 45 lbs with my last pregnancy, and I remember how I felt afterwards, when none of my old clothes fit. I don't want to go there again.
DivineFidelity I have sister too, and one of them is always in competition with me. It's frustrating. :hugs: BTW you truly are gorgeous!!!

A picture me walking up to school on my son's first day of kindergarten and feeling confident. Not worrying one bit that someone will tell him his mommy is fat.

I have two; the first doesn't put me in a very good light, however.

My best friend was a size 5 when we started hanging out (2005) and has put on a lot of weight since then...I think close to 100 lbs. And she blames me for it, despite the fact that it was our combined bad choices that led to both of our weight gains AND that she put the last 40 on with me being 200 miles away. Regardless of these facts and her own lifestyle choices, i know she sees me as the reason she gained so much weight.
So, I have the picture in my head of finally being thinner than her. I don't have to be a size 4, just smaller than her, healthier than her and feeling better. As a sorta "if I can do this, its clearly not my fault you're fat" retaliation. Its mean and bitter and I hate myself for it...but I can't wait. And I might be there this Thanksgiving and then I can start to forgive myself for being so cruel.

And the second, I want to look amazing in a wedding dress. I refuse to let my three year relationship turn into an engagement until I'm at my goal weight...because I want those pictures to look amazing, i want people to think I look beautiful and I want my wedding dress to not be a plus-sized gown.