Sunday, April 19, 2009

Thinspiration - not the anorexic kind

So I have a new hobby. I search the web looking for peoples "before and after" photos. Inspiration, proof of the greatest feat a fat person can achive, becoming a thin person. There is certainly no lack of these kinds of photos, countless people seem not only happy to post pics of their new gorgeous selves but also the pics that are not so flattering, those which display their gut rolls, flabby upper arms and their two extra chins. Who can blame them for wanting to flaunt their new figures? And even to put up the "before" pics to show exactly how good a job they have done, how far they have come. That takes guts, not the kind of guts that hangs over your pants either, courage real courage. Here are a couple of courageous, beautiful women.


My Weight Loss
Originally uploaded by LittleRedCera


Weight Loss Comparison 2
Originally uploaded by &Tracee

I don't know if I will ever have the courage to post "before" pics. But then I can't imagine myself ever looking as good as some of the people whose pics I admire. Like I have said before, I've lost nearly 10kgs (for my American friends there is a kgs to lbs calculator at the bottom of this blog) but I see no difference, when I look in the mirror I see still a huge fat person, logic tells me that 70kgs isn't that huge but that is what I see. I hate how I look, I hated it 10kgs ago and I still hate it. It's different with other people though, when I look at their pics I see not just someone who has lost weight but someone who looks "just right", with toned arms, a flat tummy and a butt that is in proportion to the rest of their body. I don't think I will ever be like that, even many years ago when I was a size 10 I had a disproportionately huge butt and a flabby tummy and I believe that if I manage to get to a size 10 again I will still have a huge butt and flabby tummy and I will still feel fat.

To my Hubby's disgust I am seriously considering liposuction once I get to my goal weight. I want to fix the bits of me that I have always hated no matter what size I am and which will never look good no matter how strictly I diet or how much I exercise. Does that make me vain? Or stupid? Realistically unless a miracle happens and we become independantly wealthy I will probably never actually get liposuction. There will always be something that those thousands of dollars could be better spent on such as a new car, a holiday, new furniture, school fees, but I can dream. I can dream of a body that I am happy to be in.
Posted by Belinda at 10:41 AM

6 comments:

  1. CarlosApril 19, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    plastic surgery is a touchy subject. but i kinda feel that if modifying your body makes you feel good about yourself then it can't be all bad...

    ReplyDelete
  2. BelindaApril 19, 2009 at 11:44 PM

    I feel the same way Carlos. Part of me says that we should all be happy in our own skin and that people need to be more accepting of "imperfection". In a way I feel any kind of surgery just plays into societies pressure for everyone to be a size zero blonde with blue eyes and a huge inflated rack, and for that reason more than anything I feel I should resist.

    But we both know it's far more complicated than that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KirrilyApril 20, 2009 at 4:24 PM

    Belinda I am finding the before and after photos so inspiring at the moment. The Weight Watchers website has some great ones, with some great stories!
    Congratulations on your weight loss so far!

    ReplyDelete
  4. BelindaApril 20, 2009 at 7:37 PM

    Thanks Kir, I'll be sure to check out the ones on the WW site.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousApril 21, 2009 at 3:50 AM

    Hi Belinda! I'm the first pictures you posted. I hope that you reach your goals. I have to tell you, I'm proud of what I've done, but I'm still going to be picky about my arms and stomach and thighs. I think that society is telling us conflicting things, first they say we should be happy with ourselves and then they tell us that we're not good enough and shove the photoshopped models in front of us.
    Plastic surgery is a very personal issue. I hope that when you reach your goal you won't feel that you need it, but I know that I won't judge you if you decide that you do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BelindaApril 21, 2009 at 10:55 AM

    Hi Cera. Thanks for visiting. I get what you are saying about conflicting messages, it certainly feels like the "be perfect" message is far more common than the "be happy with who you are" message though.

    ReplyDelete

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