Anyone still struggling with body image pre or post surgery? Or did the surgery (or pre op phase ) boost your confidence exponentially?

I'm curious to hear both sides

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I'll confess I do have trouble looking in the mirror. What I see is not the me I want to see. I would not believe it is possible to be tall and dumpy. Yeah, I knew I was big but it's not a healthy big Now. I have to remodel the exterior to match the sweet but spunky thin and valuable person inside. I constantly ask Tomkitten "am I as big as that person? Do I look as old and unhappy as that one?" because the myth of the jolly fat person is just that, a myth. A lot of us go around with a frown or grimace, we hurt too much to smile.[emoji27]Well at this point I hurt physically and emotionally I have to move forward with this surgery to regain myself. I pray it is not too late to make this change. I see my own mortality ahead and it is frightening to comprehend.

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I'll confess I do have trouble looking in the mirror. What I see is not the me I want to see. I would not believe it is possible to be tall and dumpy. Yeah, I knew I was big but it's not a healthy big Now. I have to remodel the exterior to match the sweet but spunky thin and valuable person inside. I constantly ask Tomkitten "am I as big as that person? Do I look as old and unhappy as that one?" because the myth of the jolly fat person is just that, a myth. A lot of us go around with a frown or grimace, we hurt too much to smile.[emoji27]Well at this point I hurt physically and emotionally I have to move forward with this surgery to regain myself. I pray it is not too late to make this change. I see my own mortality ahead and it is frightening to comprehend.

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I think I had a few unreasonable expectations, I thought I would instantly have boundless energy and my silhouette would reshape itself. I'm just the same mellow yet slightly smaller version of myself, but I'm not complaining.
I guess I'm wondering if everyone goes in and comes out the same person (aside from the new diet )

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Honestly, you will struggle on both sides. I struggled with how I looked before because I felt like I was dying in my body. I avoided mirrors.

However, after surgery, I became way more confident and I started looking at myself in the mirror. I have days where I feel like the old me and look like the old me.

The best way to judge your progress is in photos. Take full body before pre-op diet, then the day before surgery. Take one every week to track your progress. Then do a side by side comparison. It literally helps you put things into perspective when you are having bad days or having a stall.

Honestly, you will struggle on both sides. I struggled with how I looked before because I felt like I was dying in my body. I avoided mirrors.
However, after surgery, I became way more confident and I started looking at myself in the mirror. I have days where I feel like the old me and look like the old me.
The best way to judge your progress is in photos. Take full body before pre-op diet, then the day before surgery. Take one every week to track your progress. Then do a side by side comparison. It literally helps you put things into perspective when you are having bad days or having a stall.

I agree I should have taken more full body pre op photos I have like 2. I may start documenting with photos starting now

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4 minutes ago, Tealael said:

I agree I should have taken more full body pre op photos I have like 2. I may start documenting with photos starting now

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I only have like 1 when I first went to see my surgeon. 1 when I started my pre-op diet and then all after. Now that I lift, I take pictures after every workout because I like to see the gradual changes.

You can reshape your body with weight training. The picture to the Right, I was 189lbs in August. The picture to the Left, I was 195lbs. These pictures give me renewed hope when my scale has stopped moving.

i agree . the body image feels now like the old me. one new struggle is with creapy skin which constitues struggle with the new body image .

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I only have like 1 when I first went to see my surgeon. 1 when I started my pre-op diet and then all after. Now that I lift, I take pictures after every workout because I like to see the gradual changes.

You can reshape your body with weight training. The picture to the Right, I was 189lbs in August. The picture to the Left, I was 195lbs. These pictures give me renewed hope when my scale has stopped moving.

OK you just gave me hope

I'll going to google lifting and create a plan get when further away from 200lbs , I can't stand cardio anyway

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10 hours ago, Tealael said:

Anyone still struggling with body image pre or post surgery? Or did the surgery (or pre op phase ) boost your confidence exponentially?

I'm curious to hear both sides

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Well. I am super confident when I am out, Because pre surgery I was invisible, now I constantly get attention and people are so much nicer to me now. People constantly say I dont realise how pretty I am and its nice people being attracted to me.

But its all superficial when I go home and I am on my own, though I know i have changed it all feels FAKE, I still feel I look the same sometimes apart from when I wear my old clothes. So I find how people are towards me odd.

Since the weightloss though I love dressing glam but I sometimes want to be ignored at the same time lol

I dont like the saggy stomach/boobs but better than being sick and unwell and bigger.

** Dont get me wrong though my true friends are still my true friends from when I was bigger, keep your eyes open with newer friends

Well. I am super confident when I am out, Because pre surgery I was invisible, now I constantly get attention and people are so much nicer to me now. People constantly say I dont realise how pretty I am and its nice people being attracted to me.
But its all superficial when I go home and I am on my own, though I know i have changed it all feels FAKE, I still feel I look the same sometimes apart from when I wear my old clothes. So I find how people are towards me odd.
Since the weightloss though I love dressing glam but I sometimes want to be ignored at the same time lol

I dont like the saggy stomach/boobs but better than being sick and unwell and bigger.

** Dont get me wrong though my true friends are still my true friends from when I was bigger, keep your eyes open with newer friends [emoji6]

Exactly what I'm feeling

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14 minutes ago, Tealael said:

Exactly what I'm feeling

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Phew i read it back and I was not sure how it came across lol

Phew i read it back and I was not sure how it came across lol

It was absolutely authentic

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I've been having a rough time with this lately. Probably because I've been in a stall for a good while now and haven't been getting to the gym like I should. Even though I've lost well over 100lbs since I started my journey I still feel that I have the exact same shape. Just less of it. I seriously need to throw out some old clothes because they're too big and the way they hang on me give me a serious case of "fat days" where I just don't feel comfortable in my clothes. It also doesn't help that I'm still in between sizes. Some XL stuff fits me perfectly, other brands it's still too small. Days like that where something doesn't fit right coupled with having that same shape makes me feel as frustrated as I did prior to surgery.

Honestly glad I don't have to worry about dating anymore because I'd probably obsess about it more than I already do. I feel so much better than I did 1+ year ago, but still fighting the same demons from time to time.

I've been having a rough time with this lately. Probably because I've been in a stall for a good while now and haven't been getting to the gym like I should. Even though I've lost well over 100lbs since I started my journey I still feel that I have the exact same shape. Just less of it. I seriously need to throw out some old clothes because they're too big and the way they hang on me give me a serious case of "fat days" where I just don't feel comfortable in my clothes. It also doesn't help that I'm still in between sizes. Some XL stuff fits me perfectly, other brands it's still too small. Days like that where something doesn't fit right coupled with having that same shape makes me feel as frustrated as I did prior to surgery.
Honestly glad I don't have to worry about dating anymore because I'd probably obsess about it more than I already do. I feel so much better than I did 1+ year ago, but still fighting the same demons from time to time.

I'm also in an awkward stage that places me in between size ranges and have trouble finding clothing

It's a struggle. Sometimes, I think I had more confidence being larger. Now, I don't want the attention. And it's hard to comprehend. It's like my head hasn't caught up to the weight loss. I'm down to a size 6 yet I don't feel it. And when everyone compliments me, I just want to say if you only knew... the girdle with the compression tank over it to smooth any skin that the girdle pushed out?... And with the skin and fat remaining, it's hard to feel slim. But some days I'll have "wow moments" where I fit clothes or do something I couldn't do before that make me [emoji16].But I try to remember, I did this for my health and pain relief. I'm still broken in many ways?. But just being able to stand without hurting or being out of breath in just a few minutes is a blessing itself. And I do feel better than before and some things have improved. And I know more will continue to improve. Surgery may not be a magic fix all... And there's still struggles in different forms... But I don't regret my surgery a bit. Best choice of my life.

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7 hours ago, BrandiceLeSha said:

It's a struggle. Sometimes, I think I had more confidence being larger. Now, I don't want the attention. And it's hard to comprehend. It's like my head hasn't caught up to the weight loss. I'm down to a size 6 yet I don't feel it. And when everyone compliments me, I just want to say if you only knew... the girdle with the compression tank over it to smooth any skin that the girdle pushed out?... And with the skin and fat remaining, it's hard to feel slim. But some days I'll have "wow moments" where I fit clothes or do something I couldn't do before that make me .But I try to remember, I did this for my health and pain relief. I'm still broken in many ways?. But just being able to stand without hurting or being out of breath in just a few minutes is a blessing itself. And I do feel better than before and some things have improved. And I know more will continue to improve. Surgery may not be a magic fix all... And there's still struggles in different forms... But I don't regret my surgery a bit. Best choice of my life.

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Sums up how I feel. I freaking hate the loose skin & remaining fat on my arms. I'm to the point where I want to wear long sleeve shirts all the time. My short sleeve shirts feel like the sleeves are too short so I'm always worrying about how much of my arm is showing. Last night sitting in my chair I just felt like a blob due to some bloating. It feels insane to have lost like 120lbs now and feel EXACTLY like I did when I was at my heaviest. Even though I've gone from wearing size 46 jeans to 36 there are those days where it seems as if nothing has changed. It's annoying AF

Edited February 15, 20188 yr by orionburn