After joining this site I looked and looked for photos of myself before the surgery - you know what I discovered? For a big girl, I was really adept at being invisible to the camera. It has been very difficult for me to find photos of myself at almost 300 pounds - I apparently was like a photo-lens ninja - if one came out - I disappeared.

It dawns on me that there are probably hundreds of thousands of people like me. We're were pretty invisible to the photo world - and I can't tell you how many times I just deleted images of myself out of other people's cameras.

I think about that now and I shake my head - I was so worried about how I looked that I deleted myself. That's terrible.

Just thinking aloud - hope everyone is having a great weekend.

- Simone

Mmm hmm, me too. Or I'd crop pictures so you could see my face but not my body (like in my avatar picture over there <------)

I was very camera-phobic before surgery. If someone did manage to get a shot of me you could tell I was very unhappy about it. It's getting better now, but I can't wait to get to the point where when someone takes my picture I'm not thinking "Ugh, I hope my face doesn't look fat" or "This picture is going to show off my enormous gut."

I was so bad before surgery that I refused to be in my brother's wedding pictures. So sad! I am looking forward to the day I feel good about pictures.

I too, hated pictures. I wouldn't allow photos to be taken of me, and if my kids snuck one in, I would delete it. Four days before my surgery was Thanksgiving and my husband's family was snapping pictures like crazy, and I couldn't delete them off of their cameras I am now thankful that they took them because that was my starting point, and now when I look back, I can really see a change. My only regret is not taking a picture every month to document my progress, time just flies by and I kept forgetting. Good luck to everyone on your journeys

I totally understand that feeling, as well. I would crop mine as well, if possible. but usually if it's a group pic that I would be in, i tried to get to the back so that my body (or at least most of it) was hidden behind others. My friend found a pic of me when I was at my highest weight of 289 and gave it to me (a year or two ago) because she knew I had come a ways from that. I am still down to 250 at this point, although I had gotten down to 215, so I have definitely been on that rollercoaster of just that part of weight gain for 2 or more years now. I refuse to ever get back to that weight. Pictures can be a wake up calll, for sure.

I also avoided photo's as much as possible, I am a scrapper and very few photo's with me in would find their way into my scrapbooks.

However.

Now that I have lost weight I love having my photo taken. I think I am making up for all those wasted photo ops. It feels really good to look at yourself in a pic and think wow I look pretty good.

Head shots were fine, but body shot-no way!! My Hubby is a big guy (6'4) and I always tryto tuck half of my body behind his for any pics!

I've always been the same way. I even tried to refuse to let lap band center take a before of me. Now I'm the complete opposite. If there's a photo op, I'm in. Today is my BF's birthday so we went to a ball game. (Anybody who knows me knows that's how I celebrate everything from April to September!) The fan photographers were out in force and we were all passing around our cell phones taking each others pictures. I'll post a couple of them on my profile if anyone wants to see them! My willingness to smile for the birdie is one of the best parts of weight loss!

I've always been the same way. I even tried to refuse to let lap band center take a before of me. Now I'm the complete opposite. If there's a photo op, I'm in. Today is my BF's birthday so we went to a ball game. (Anybody who knows me knows that's how I celebrate everything from April to September!) The fan photographers were out in force and we were all passing around our cell phones taking each others pictures. I'll post a couple of them on my profile if anyone wants to see them! My willingness to smile for the birdie is one of the best parts of weight loss!

Oh my gosh! I tried to get the Lap-band surgeon to not take my picture either. They told me I would be grateful later.

Oh my gosh! I tried to get the Lap-band surgeon to not take my picture either. They told me I would be grateful later.

...and they were right!

Wow. such a good topic. I guess I'm not the only one! My inlaws take pictures of EVERYTHING and I tried so hard to hide. Sometimes they would catch me. It was my son's graduation from middle school on Saturday and I HAD to be in the photos. I was so upset after. I've lost 28 lbs total (since January) and I have been feeling much better about myself. But when I saw the photos that a family member put on facebook I just cried. I have so far to go still and it bummed me out because I felt so cute and slim that day in a new dress. But the camera doesn't lie. My only consolation is that I know I'm on the way DOWN not up.

I did the surgery first for health and secondarily for ego/pride/appearance. And my health is improving already....I know eventually teh appearance will too.

It doesn't help when my mother in law (who lost 90 lbs on the lapband) made a comment like this:

Well I see you've lost ONE of your rolls. Once we you've lost the weight we have to work on your skin.

Now I had to go off antibiotics for my skin to have the surgery and my skin broke out like crazy. The surgeon wanted me to stay off the antibiotics for a little bit after the surgery as well. I've just started back on them this week.

But did she really have to say that? I mean geez. She's no super model, either.

Sorry this is turning into a vent/rant. Guess I needed it.

Well I started out at 250 lbs and am now at 164 but for some reason I still look in the mirror and see a fat girl. I'm not yet where I want to be but I'm still trying. I still don't like my picture taken and can't figure out why. People tell me I look good but I just don't see it yet. I guess I need to work on the mental part of all this. My boyfriend tells me I'm obsessed with dieting and that I will never see myself looking like I want but I don't know. This is still the hardest thing I've ever done!

Wow. such a good topic. I guess I'm not the only one! My inlaws take pictures of EVERYTHING and I tried so hard to hide. Sometimes they would catch me. It was my son's graduation from middle school on Saturday and I HAD to be in the photos. I was so upset after. I've lost 28 lbs total (since January) and I have been feeling much better about myself. But when I saw the photos that a family member put on facebook I just cried. I have so far to go still and it bummed me out because I felt so cute and slim that day in a new dress. But the camera doesn't lie. My only consolation is that I know I'm on the way DOWN not up.

I did the surgery first for health and secondarily for ego/pride/appearance. And my health is improving already....I know eventually teh appearance will too.

It doesn't help when my mother in law (who lost 90 lbs on the lapband) made a comment like this:

Well I see you've lost ONE of your rolls. Once we you've lost the weight we have to work on your skin.

Now I had to go off antibiotics for my skin to have the surgery and my skin broke out like crazy. The surgeon wanted me to stay off the antibiotics for a little bit after the surgery as well. I've just started back on them this week.

But did she really have to say that? I mean geez. She's no super model, either.

Sorry this is turning into a vent/rant. Guess I needed it.

Do we have the same MIL? Gosh, what a B****

I totally understand about the photos, but I was a camera wh*re until about 3 months before surgery. I was tagged in everyone's Nascar weekend pics on FB and untagged myself because I truly didn't realize how bad I looked and was mortified. But alas, look at all the examples we have to go back to to say "Dang, I look HOT now!!"

This post reminds me of a couple of years ago. My sister in law posted some pics and tagged me on Facebook from where our family. (Girls.) Had gone off Christmas shopping. We had rented acondo and I was standing at the stove when she called my name. When I turned , she snapped the camera. I saw that pic when I looked on facebook with My blackberry ( at the time) and was horrified to see it. I had previously lost weight just to gain most of it back. I was so devastated Ivwas in tears. I could not get to work fast enough to sign on FB and remove it. I didn't care if I got fired or not. I agree that a picture doesn't lie.I was ok with a few others cause our bags were hiding my body and a lot of the weight wasn't in my face. One day we will All like the camera ok again.

Me too there are very few pics of me. I always pick them apart.... too fat, red eyes, blotchy skin, bad hair day .......

The sad thing is that now I've lost over 100 pounds and went to a couple weddings since and hate the pics of me at those events.