Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Self-Portrait | September 2012

Usually I wait until the middle or the end of the month to take my self-portrait so I can create a photo that will capture what was going on in my life that month.  Only this month, I already knew what was in store for me so I took the photos on September first, and I've spent the time since then trying to work up the nerve to actually post them.

So, what is September's defining event?

I joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of the month, and I've made a commitment to lose the extra weight I've been carting around for the past two years.

My story is probably similar to most of the females out there who have struggled with their weight:

When Kevin and I started dating about 4 years ago, I weighed 25 lbs less than I do now.  I had gained a little weight while we were dating, but buckled down when we got engaged and managed to lose the majority of it by the time we got married.  But then our wedding day rolled around, and we had the most amazing wedding cake I have ever tasted!  After a year of constant dieting to fit into my dress, I took one bite and gave up every ounce of resolve I had been holding onto.  It sent me spiraling head first into an eating binge that I didn't put a stop to until now.

Oh, I have reasons (or should we say excuses?). I was busy. I was stressed. You've heard it all before.

But enough is enough.

When I weighed less I was healthier and happier.  Period.  (Not to mention that I had a much larger wardrobe.) 

So, for September's self-portrait I decided to take some "Before" photos of myself. I am more bothered by the appearance of the extra weight in my face and neck than in the rest of my body.  I considered only posting one close up photo of my face, but then that sort of felt like cheating for a before weight loss photo, so I included a few full body shots as well.


I've always known that I carry more extra weight on my left thigh than my right one, since sometimes I will try on clothing that is too tight on my left but fits on the right. However, I didn't realize just how pronounced the difference is over my entire body until comparing these photos side by side. From now on, I'm going to make sure my right side is the one facing the camera at all times!


Stay tuned for some "After" photos in the future. My unofficial goal is to early 2013, but I don't have an exact amount of weight I want to lose or a time frame to do it in. My plan is to lose weight until I feel content and can fit into my clothes again and then call that my end point. Please, wish me luck!

Did you miss some of my past self-portraits?  Clicking here will take you to all of my self-portrait blog posts. Clicking here will take you to my self-portrait Facebook album.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

2 comments:

  1. What a great birthday gift to give yourself to get back to the weight where you feel good. I think your wedding was an undoing of weight control for many of us. I know I weigh 10 lbs. more and have been really battling. Looking forward to cooking and eating W.W. when we visit. Hopefully I will get inspired!

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  2. Good luck! I've always struggled with my weight as an adult.

    I took the depo provera shots for awhile and gained weight very quickly. It got to the point of me eating very little and then making myself vomit afterwards and I was STILL gaining weight! I haven't been able to get it off since and have pretty much given up. I wish I could motivate myself to work on it again.

    I did lose 5 pounds over the summer. I didn't think anyone would be able to tell, but someone at work said my face looks slimmer. I didn't do anything to lose it though, so I'm sure it'll come back on pretty quickly.

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