Has anyone turned themselves around completely - image wise?

[lulu41]

Has anyone managed to turn themselves around ie. lose weight take more care of appearance. I am now 45 and for the past 5 years have been "letting myself go" big style has anyone out there done an extreme makeover of themselves - would love to hear from anyone with advice tips etc feeling really low about the way I look - used to be quite attractive now look a bit like a bag lady -

I'm sure i's not as bad as you think. I thought the exact same soon after giving birth to my second baby.
I was sorting through photos and realised I always looked really glossy, healthy and quite stylish. Then compared it to my current unwashed hair, old lothes, and lack of make up.

I know it is all down to becoming a mother for me, i focused too much attention on them, and noe on myself.

Small things make a big difference. Try to exfoliate, do face masks/ hair conditioning as often as possible, get yourself a blender and drink a smoothie at least twice a day, buy clothes online if you find it hard to go shopping (I buy allsorts, then return the ones that aren't suitable)
If you need it buy a home teeth whitening kit. Nothing too extreme. Boots sell a wand that is almost like nail varnish,very low in ammonia etc, but makes a big difference.

But confidence is the key really!

Yes - used to look young and cool, now look like shit warmed up!

Walbert I was going to say I used to be thin and now I'm not.

Ah yes, the flobberdobber clothing ranges are familiar to me! I agree with seamonster! Bigger waist, smaller purse!!

Wise words. Not only do you have to buy baby stuff but a whole new 'wardrobe' too. Seriously though. After my third I worked quite hard (not obsessively mind) eg pilates and lots of walking and ate sensibly. I requested straighteners for my b'day so I could choose between curly or straight, got my hair done regularly and actually bought some new make-up (not that I wear it much mind!).
At xmas I was able to request money/vouchers for new (smaller) clothes again.
All that's now down the drain as I'm pregnant again....
Keep your chin up and make a decision to change a little bit at a time, not too much at once or it will be overwhelming.

Well I can't say I've done a whole makeover on myself but the thing that has been brilliant is having a change of hairstyle. I've had mine cut really short and I love it. Instead of just hanging there and doing nothing for me at all, it now always looks as if it's at least in a 'style', like I mean it!

So easy to take care of too.

If you can afford it buy some new clothes but the BIG thing for me is laying out what I'm going to wear the next day, before I go to bed. I always make better choices then rather than in the morning when I'm staggering about trying to cope with being awake and immediately being expected to play cybermen with ds.....[zombie emoticon]

The other thing I have done is get proper skincare for the first time in my life. I've gone for Liz Earle and it has made a great difference, I feel my skin looks glowing most days which believe me is a BIG change for me! It smells lovely and is botanical based so I actually WANT to use it rather than seeing it as a chore, which helps.

i still have to tackle wearing make up and perfume every day, haven't quite got that far yet, so will be watching this thread with interest. I just seem to run out of time before I get to that stage and don't like the overly made up look...

Thanks for all your tips keep them coming - gonna try the diet today (again) and try to spend a bit more time on myself - thanks