Those reality checks suck. Just when you think you've found the cutest top and some nice jeans and feel good...then, pop, you see a pic or video or whatever of yourself. I'm just glad there are people out there (like me) that don't look at others and see their fat!

Ive had those moments too, it sucks! One of the things on my sleeve "bucket list" is to be comfortable enough to have someone take a pic and post it on social media without me having to approve it all the time. Im tired of taking a pic and thinking to myself - suck in the gut, watch out for the double chin, hide the tires on the love handles, stand behind someone to hide the weight, smile like your having a good time when in all honestly I was miserable. Im not quite there yet but Im a hell of a lot closer than I was 3 months ago. The best is yet to come.....

Oh how I know this feeling.....and the reality always hits when you think you look good....it knocks us down but I keep remembering I am about to take permanent control of my life with this surgery and I jump right back up......this is only temporary....we will soon be on the road to feeling and looking amazing!! Stay positive, wishing you a good surgery. I am in the beginning stages.

Our photographic expectations of ourselves are so unrealistic!

And when someone just *snaps* a single photo of us we have no control at all. The reasons we look so great in our lifetime favorite photos of ourselves are thanks to professional photography, a single shot chosen from dozens of lesser pix, killer filters, great lighting, and blind dumb luck. That's true of us on our best day, not to mention a few days before we undergo WLS.

It's just one photograph. In six months you won't even recognize yourself! In a good way, of course.

You're going to look fabulous soon and those bad memories will fade!

I sure know what you mean! If we get pictures developed, I look through them first and throw away the worst of mine.
My surgery is coming up soon, May 4th Can't wait.
mams

wow I'm really glad I'm not the only one everybody tells me that it's just in my head but I know it's in the picture. it is very exciting I am now so much closer to being what I know I am. but I'm still scared and nervous I wish I could just close my eyes and surgery day would be here.

I know how you feel. I saw myself in a video my husband took of my kids. I didn't know my buttons was so big. It was terrible.

All I can tell you is that love yourself no matter what you feel you look like externally. Being healthy and chosing to live better is respectable. Irrelevant of your size you deserve to be loved and respected. Don't look at those pictures as "eww loom at me" Just say, "okay I got out of control, but this IS changing, I am beautiful, amzing and love me too much to be unhealthy" Make it a goal to have a beautiful spirit. I took bra and underwear pictures of myself before the surgery and I have a rippely butt. So I had a better looking butt in my lifetime, but I still demand love and respect and I am still beautiful! I wish you the best luck on your new journey! I pray that you love you for the amazing person you are and you seperate that from the number in the scale.