Despising some of these Before/After pictures

Mar 09, 2009

When I look at my BEFORE pic, I smile. 
I am not miserable.
I do think I'm attractive in my BEFORE pic.
When I see that picture, I see a success.
I see a wonderful work-in-progress.
I see a person who has a great personality.
I see a person who attracts great people.
I see a person who got a degree.
I see a person who is cute, physically and emotionally.
I also see a person who was intelligent enough to make the decision to have bariatric surgery.
She is not someone else.
She is me!

I only say this because I don't like how I've been encountering quite a few people who speak on this site as if their BEFORE picture was a representation of someone else, as if it weren't them.  When in fact, as an obese person they made the wise decision to have the surgery in the first place.  That shows you were smart and encouraging as a big person just as you are as a smaller person.

I can understand when I read people's pages and they say something like diabetes is ruining their health, and therefore, under their BEFORE pic they write "I look and feel terrible."  But if your self-esteem is damaged because you think being obese is unattractive and put "miserable" under your BEFORE pic, and "I look beautiful and happy" under your AFTER, then just make sure you understand what happiness and what beauty really is. 

Beauty is an idea!
It's the most important idea of what you think of yourself! 
And very little of it has to do with the physical you!
Your choice to have bariatric surgery was bold and beautiful in itself!

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