Oh my word - tell be about the photo that made you lose weight.

[newrecruit]

I've just been looking through some photos taken a Christening. I thought I looked great.

However, now I see the photos I'm shocked at how I actually look. I'm a size 16 and about 2 stone heavier than I would like, although I've been this size for years.

However I look much bigger than in my head. I rarely have my photo taken but from the side (which obviously I never see) I look huge.

I'm feeling a bit weepy. Something must be done.

Was there a photo that did it for you?

It was while I was at Uni. There was a girl in my class who was overweight. On a class night out my friend took loads of funny drunken pics of us. In one of the pictures was me from the back - but friend said 'oh Gemma (not her real name!) must've been in the club too cos that's her' but it was me. It did look like her - and black trousers / denim jacket combo was similar. I had no idea that I was that size. I was genuinely gobsmacked. I didn't correct my friend. I then quietly started a year long healthy eating / exercise plan and lost nearly 5 stone.
They was all about 15 years ago - and most of that weight has crept on over the years - but I know it this time! I'm not totally oblivious to how I look anymore

June 2013. At my friend wedding. Felt I looked good as hsd spent ages choosing a nice dress, did did my hair but when I saw the photos after I realised how big I looked. I actually looked about 6 months pregnant and tired. I realised I didn't want to be her any more and felt I had to change my lifestyle so I have. It wasn't easy but have lost nearly 6 stone and feel so much healthier and like 'me' again.

I had that moment 2.5 years ago - was on holiday somewhere lovely and tropical. Had the chance to go paddleboarding and DP took some photos. I thought I looked athletic and confident so was horrifed to see this bloated, clumsy 40something in the photos.

So when I got home, I vowed to lose weight. Stood on the scales and faced up to the weight I was. However, there is a twist...

A few minutes later, I got the long-awaited bfp I thought would never happen. Put on a ton of weight and struggled to shift it after DD was born. A year ago, I finally got down to my pre-pregnancy weight but was then stuck again as the fat paddleboarder (2st overweight).

In Feb this year, I started doing 5:2 and have lost 20lb now. I'm still a bit overweight but it's very manageable (bmi in healthy range and am a 12-14). I am also now the fittest I have ever been in my life!

Good luck OP - I hope you find something that works for you.

Eagleray, what a lovely story.

I'm glad I'm not alone. I lost some weight a few years ago low carbing but it's all crept back on again, plus a bit more.

This has really given me the motivation to sort myself out.

Not a photo, but a jumper.

I was given a jumper for Christmas and it looked like a duvet cover with sleeves. I felt quite offended that they thought I'd need a top anywhere near that size.

Anyway, put it on and it wasn't big on me. I sat on the bed feeling very unhappy and then saw myself in the mirrored wardrobe door and I looked like a big pink barrel with a head on top.

I was in a very unhappy marriage and that was the moment I knew that I needed to lose the weight and gain some confidence if I was ever going to leave.

I lost five and a half stone in about eight months and left XH a month or so after that.

I was given a photo from another mum that had been taken at our music group.

I looked absolutely massive. Puffy, pale and unhappy.

I'm now at slimming world and have lost 1.5stone!

Feeling much better and have the photo on my fridge!

Mine was an item of clothing too. I was clearing my wardrobe of clothes that just didn't fit anymore having bought new ones.

A new pair of trousers that fitted well were laid on the bed side on (showing the width of the leg IYSWIM). I put an old pair of trousers next to it and the waist width was the same as thigh width. I was now as think side on as I used to be front on. I dropped my unhealthy eating habits and lazy ways to get back to a size 10.

Mine was a photo taken with DH in front of our Xmas tree in 2012. We were all dressed up for a black tie do. I'd had to rush out at the last minute and buy a new dress as I couldn't fit into any of mine. I also purchased some very unsexy suck it in underwear.

Despite the restrictive knickers I looked huge I barely recognised myself, huge podgy face with 2 wobbly chins.

So I started 5:2 in January 2013 and lost 2.5 stone and happy to say I've kept it off

Ooh well done Aimlessly that's amazing! The pink barrel description did make me though.

There are a few things

A photo dh took of dd1 sitting beside me on a boat but the photo also includes (just) my neck and chin. We were on holiday and I thought I looked the bomb at the time, lol. Chin and neck clearly belong to someone overweight/obese

Last Christmas, my mum bought me size 16-18 clothes. I remember opening them and thinking WTF??? Are these meant for someone else? Is my mum being a Nasty cow and implying I'm fat or something? Meeee??? Rang my sister to rant and it dawned on me that she was quite surprised at my reaction. (I was spilling out of 14s but refused to wear/buy 16's).

Nurse putting me on weighing scales and telling me my BMI was 30. Obese. I didn't need a photograph to tell me that but I was shocked

This Christmas, size 12 will be loose on me

I was feeling truly awful at my heaviest weight (over 15 st, large size 16), I knew I had to diet AGAIN but after 20yrs of yo yoing I just couldn't summon the energy and the weight kept piling on... On my birthday DH wanted to have some bedroom fun while the kids were at school and I cried cos I didn't want him to see me in the daylight. Day after my birthday I took naked 'before' photos, from side on my tummy hung so low it was revolting, so even when I knew i was fat and had that moment the day before, it was the photo that brought it crashing home... I looked like a mini version of those people who get cut from their homes to be taken to hospital etc.

That was a fortnight ago, I'm 6lbs down and I look at that photo every day... 50 weeks til my 40th and I will be trim and terrific!

Kiwi, I know exactly how you feel. I can't bear to take that photo!

It's about 40 weeks to my 40th so let's hope we're both confident and fabulous by them.

A combination of a photo (side view taken unawares - I looked twice the size I imagined I looked) & realising I could no longer squeeze into a size 16 & one day literally having NOTHING to wear except tracksuit bottoms & DH's t-shirts

3 stone off on SW & wearing a size 12 with 10lbs to target

Another perspective came last night as I was putting a photo book together for my parents, they lived here for six yrs and went back to NZ in summer, the photo book is exclusively of them and my DC/their DGC's... Looking back over six years I can see how two years ago I looked great (massive effort to slim before a NZ trip) and how progressively over last 2yrs the 2/3 stone has piled on. I looked really nice then and so it shall be again! I'm aiming for 3stone / 20kgs before Oct 2015 hopefully at least 2stone by SILs wedding in August.. then its my 40th... then DH's... then my brothers wedding in Hawaii... not short of motivation!!!!