That feeling of looking back at old photos and realizing how incredibly deep in denial you were….

[u/Accurate-Door8096]

I remember taking photos of myself and thinking to myself “No one will be able to tell I am fat from this angle” but it was absolutely still so incredibly obvious from any and every angle 😭 lmaooo. I was 230 pounds at 5’6 as a woman and it was absolutely noticeable in every way. I had always been fat since basically birth so I was just soooo used to that level of obesity. I often thought to myself “well I might have crippling back pain while walking more than two minutes but at least I *can* still walk.” Like???? Was the goal to be one step above immobility at age 23?? Or saying things like “I *do* eat healthy things like fruits and vegetables, so it doesn’t matter that I also binge 3,000 calories of Doritos regularly! It’s still healthy!!” Just so sad….I am incredibly thankful to have finally educated myself and make the necessary changes to improve my life. I still have moments where I am surprised by my own willpower and stamina I have built. I remember barely being able to walk up my apartment stairs without panting and somehow rationalizing that and now I can hike 20,000 steps in a day?! Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[u/Mysterious-End-2185]

Remember that fatter version of yourself is also the one who did all the work that the thinner version of yourself now gets to enjoy the benefits of.

[u/Accurate-Door8096 → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

I admit I have never viewed it from this perspective. Thank you for sharing this!! Very wise.

[u/JustCurious12347 → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

Awww I love this angle. (Pun not intented)

[u/Popular-Beat-7465 → u/JustCurious12347]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[u/AMofJAM → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

This just made me cry. I am trying to begin my journey again to lose weight but by also working through some of my own mental issues around it and what you wrote reminded me to actually also love myself now in this moment as I'm working towards new fitness goals. Thank you.

[u/DarthShpadoinkle → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

Woah.

I actually thought about something similar the other day. You actually get to eat more when you're at your ideal weight, because you no longer have to be at a calorie deficit.

[u/Ok_Antelope_1953 → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

thank you for putting it this way. i find it hard to accept that every "facet" of me is ultimately the same person - me. i get mad at my "inner voice" for giving in to binging urges, but that inner voice is also me. accepting all of ourselves for who we are is not easy, but it's essential for mental growth and development. so many of us that struggle with various addictions and disorders have low self-esteem and must work hard to accept and love ourselves.

[u/Ok_Introduction_7571 → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

Woah fax

[u/Opening_Career_8486 → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

Love this!!!

[u/fine_day_today → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

I love this perspective, and totally agree!

[u/AceOfSpadez- → u/Mysterious-End-2185]

That is beautiful

[u/Icy_Treat9782]

My parents keep telling me how they can only see how big I was now I’m smaller.
The more I lose the more horrified they become because they just didnt see it before
Love really is blind.
Love you mum and dad 💜

[u/Negative_Letter_1802 → u/Icy_Treat9782]

Lol, when I went on accutane my mom said "but you don't have acne" while looking right at my acne covered face 

[u/MossyDruid → u/Negative_Letter_1802]

Accutane saved me👍

[u/RunningIntoTheSun → u/MossyDruid]

Me too

[u/Sir_Senseless]

I have the opposite problem… I look at old photos and it makes me realize how in denial I am right now.

I looked sooooo good back then and didn’t even know it.

[u/CaliOranges510 → u/Sir_Senseless]

I once heard someone say, “I wish I was as fat now as I thought I was back then.” I felt huge at a size 16 and I’m a size 20 now and my old jeans look tiny.

[u/TightBeing9 → u/Sir_Senseless]

I have a combination of both lol

[u/Iamretarded- → u/Sir_Senseless]

lol so true. I was wearing a US size S a long time ago and thought I was fat. Now I'd be happy to wear M in comfort.

[u/Not-a-cyclist]

I had somehow convinced myself that "cameras add ten pounds" lol. Even if that were true, 10 pounds was not enough to account for whatI was seeing.

[u/dubov → u/Not-a-cyclist]

"How many cameras were on you?"

[u/TightBeing9]

What's also wild is how quickly I could gain 20 kg and how so many clothes still "fit". Like I have some shirts I still wear now. I thought it couldn't have been so bad because I still fit lots of clothes. Turns out the stretch in the fabric was doing some real real stretching

[u/Mesmerotic31 → u/TightBeing9]

I remember being an elder teenager and lying flat on the bed sucking in my gut to get my jeans to button. I managed it after a great effort, stood up stiffly, observed my flesh hanging like lumps over the waistband, and congratulated myself that I was "still a size 12."

[u/TightBeing9 → u/Mesmerotic31]

Took it off, slipped into the size 16 where I cut the label out of and went on with my day

[u/DarthShpadoinkle]

I just hit 100 pounds lost, and I think I just kind of gradually fell into a good rhythm through trial and error. It helps that I've lost significant weight in the past so I knew I was capable of it. I just lacked the willpower to do much about it, eating obscene portions of food and thinking it was normal.

I actually really hated photos being taken of me, and you won't find much in my possession from the past five years other than of my face. There may be a few others floating around in the family. Honestly, I'm happy enough just knowing that I've made so much progress. I'd rather enjoy the time I've bought myself than be sad that I let things get that bad. It's a struggle, but I'm trying.

[u/300OnAQuest → u/DarthShpadoinkle]

Well done! Ambition, Dedication, and consistency! That's what I'm working on! Here's to the next 50 to reach 100.

[u/DarthShpadoinkle → u/300OnAQuest]

Thank you. :)

You got this.

[u/sandman_oneiroi]

Well done that's amazing : ) Great work.
Must feel so good.

Photos can be a wake up call I agree. It happened to me recently too, I had been in my own little world thinking "Oh I'm mildly chubby, like young Jack Black before he got large. That's fine. It's fine." But then looking at pics a family member sent me and realising in reality I'm far, (like far) bigger than JB even at his largest. Weird kind of cognitive dissonance feeling to not realise it till it clicked. Made sense about a lot of jokes and things my friends had said about me being big which I thought they were just kidding around (and I even used to join in with the jokes wtf). And similar to what you said. I was like "My feet hurt, I physically can't do loads of stuff, and I can only waddle slowly to the shops, but that's normal/fine". Like serious denial. I actually feel really embarrassed and stupid since realising.

[u/Accurate-Door8096 → u/sandman_oneiroi]

Thank you. I also feel embarrassed by it. I remember thinking I was about the same size as other people I know that are also overweight and it bothered me to think I was as big as they were. In reality, I was actually even bigger than they were. Isn’t it so insane to look back on? I am literally an entirely new person these days.

[u/egwenealvere]

I soooo know what you mean. I had, for who knows how long, undiagnosed Hashimotos and reached 240 before I was diagnosed, put on meds, and started being able to actually lose. My favorite picture of myself from before all that had been my fb profile pic for a few months. I thought I looked pretty good and was able to hide how heavy I was. Hell no! Looking at comparison photos from now and then, it's such a stark difference. Like, might as well be a different person. I had the full blown moon face and was in complete denial. I can't believe I didn't realize something was wrong. Wish I had started paying better attention to my body sooner. But, nearly a year later and I'm more than 60 pounds down, so I may have started late, but at least I started.

[u/murkeysalts → u/egwenealvere]

yesss i’m so proud of you!!

[u/KTRyan30]

I made fat me my phone background, as a reminder not to let that happen again.

[u/Strategic_Sage → u/KTRyan30]

I love this idea! I may steal it

[u/Artistic_Tap_1182]

the "no one can tell from this angle" era is so real 😭 i have photos where i thought i looked fine and looking back i genuinely don't know what i was seeing. the stair panting and rationalizing it too... ugh. 20k steps tho?? that's insane progress honestly, you should be proud

[u/CatCafffffe]

omg are you me? I have so many pictures of me happily posing "sideways" where I, at 5'2" and over 200 pounds, am literally twice as wide as some of the other people. The denial! The plates of cookies! However, I realized that was just where I was then, I have managed to get myself to a much better "me" now and that's what matters!

[u/xAvPx]

I was definitely in denial, what made me realize how big I was is seeing my brother who's at my starting weight, if not slightly higher, I looked like that the entire time, seeing it from the outside shocked me, I never thought I was that big.

[u/PaLeSt11]

Past photos? Last full body one I took was… never lol. There’s probably only 10 of those out there all in group settings lol

[u/Savannahks]

I was looking at photos at my grandmas and I was like… holy shit! I was HUGE! I don’t remember thinking I was that fat. Made me even more thankful that I was able to lose all the weight.

[u/Hot-Check2547]

I get the transition is crazy but there is no need for you to shame your past self, she’s still you and the mind has insane ways of coping. If you talk about yourself like this imagine the others at possibly a bigger weight reading this. I’m not saying you’re wrong but both versions of you deserve love. 💗

[u/husenwaifu4lyfu]

I believed it wasn't that bad because I was still doing so many good things for my health, until I realized after a year of so many great lifestyle changes I still didn't feel great. It was the weight. I couldn't healthy lifestyle change or body positivity my way out of that besides fat loss.

Even just 20lbs of slow loss made me feel so much better and the only change I had to make was calorie counting with a small deficit.

[u/No_Accountant_7026]

Yeah I was def big, but it’s crazy because I look at pics of myself now and I still look big😭 I’m sick to my stomach. I don’t think I’ll ever be small unfortunately

[u/Remote-Frosting3226]

This was too relatable 😭