Kudos to you for being able to do something like this. I hate the way I look in photos and I constantly struggle with my frustration over my weight. How are you going about losing it?

i'm investing in a treadmill in the next week or so. i'm going to do the "couch to 5k" walking plan using the treadmill, am drinking more water whenever i can (having iced tea and energy drink single-serving packets and a fridge that makes water helps immensely -- also, buying a bottle of water and then re-using the bottle makes me more likely to keep drinking as opposed to just using a glass, for some reason).

my friend ash also just told me about a somewhat-extreme-sounding diet that involves taking a droplet of a specific hormone once a day and reducing your diet to 500 calories. it's strict and you shouldn't exercise, but that's for when you just are too big and out of energy to get down to a weight where you can exercise, so i'm not sure if i'm going to go that far just yet. i think with the couch-to-5k plan i could lose enough weight on my own to get down to an energy level where i could exercuse more frequently.

i bought an elliptical machine last year, but that's really not for people who are out of shape. it's incredibly difficult and not for beginners. i learned that the hard way, so i'm getting the treadmill, and hopefully can hop on the elliptical once the treadmill has gotten me up to speed ;3

*exercuse? exercise.

sticking your diet to 500 a day isn't healthy :<
one month over summer i dropped to less than 100 a day, lost ten pounds that month but the moment i started eating semi regularly i gained ALL of it back D:

this isn't just a diet where you drop to almost nothing, that messes up your metabolism BAD. this diet supposedly uses the hormone to reset your metabolism to a healthy one, allowing you to start over with healthy food after you're done.

derp *1000 xD
and that's cool :3 i shall have to look more into this prospect

I might make a journal post about it if I look into it and it seems plausible. We were talking about healthy things one might eat to reduce a diet to 500 calories but not feel like they were starving themselves. Apparently the proponents of the diet have lots of suggestions, but I have to look into it. You can get the hormone online, but Ash didn't remember what it was called. ;3 Looking into it later.

Sounds dangerous as hell.

There are no gimmick diets that work. If you reduce your caloric intake by more than about 400-500 calories/day over a period of less than a month, you put your body into a 'starvation' state. In this state you can lose poundage but a lot of it will be water (in the first two weeks, that sudden loss) then muscle, and your fat cells will retain like crazy. some diets try to play up this state as being 'the real weight-loss state (e.g., ketosis, Atkins diet). As soon as you go off the wagon, BAM all the fat cells swell up again AND now you haven't got as much muscle mass, so your basal metabolic rate is now lower...Which means you burn less calories maintaining the level you're at, which means 'eating less' still generates excess calories that go to fat almost immediately. It's a nasty destructive cycle, best avoided. There are no super-secret hormones or chemicals that make it 'easier' to do real long-term weight loss, if there were, the big drug companies would have a corner on the market...They spend millions per year trying to find such chemistry, and it isn't going to come out of ancient Singhalese nature beans in a cheapass wonder-diet product from a no-name company.

Your best bet is to just go with your exercise plans and cut your diet by 300-500 calories a day. That amount will burn off one pound of fat per week due to diet (3500 kCal == 1 pound mass) and then the exercise will increase your basal metabolic rate and burn another couple hundred calories a day so you will probably average a pound or two of fat a week. Note that you'll build some muscle, which is denser than fat, so you may seem to 'plateau' weight-wise for a few weeks now and then, but if you keep a measure of girth of limbs and waist you'll see they are still shrinking.

that's what I said I was going to do, originally. :) I would like to include exercise in my regimen, so starving myself is not a good idea.

Okay, maybe I'm misreading here...Reducing diet BY 300-500 calories == awesome. Reducing diet TO 300-500 calories == serious medical issues very quickly.

Ash said it's to 500 calories and NO LESS, with a hormone once a day, no exercise outside of the usual daily stuff because you need to conserve those calories for energy, for 29 days. She said it's specifically to reset your metabolism. And I said I probably won't do it because I'm not that far gone.

Okey-doke. Sounds like you're aware it's somewhat scary sounding. Self-cannibalization is a terrible thing.

Good luck with whatever you do end up doing. :) Making it a habit is the tricky part.

Of course I don't want to torture myself for 30 days and then balloon up at the end of it. :) I wouldn't do it if the hormone weren't proven to work.

I've been trying to lose weight for a while now but I keep running into snags like: Getting really sick, breaking my foot, it being waaaaaay too hot to even think about exercizing, and oh yeah...I LOVE FOOD. >.<
I just need to get off my ass, really.
I've been doing the drinking more water thing, and I get what you mean about being more inclined to drink out of a waterbottle than a glass. I dunno what it is but I do the same thing.
Mostly it's about willpower, and I fail at willpower. >.<

I fail at willpower too. it's the little things that help, I've found. even forcing myself to get up a few times a day just to do chores and walk around helps.

I will take any excuse not to work... heat being a major factor (I'm in southeast Texas!!), hurting myself during the move into the new house, needing to work, etc. But I'm hoping the treadmill will also give me a break between working on art, so I'll have a great excuse to use it. That, and I can play on the PS3. All my PS3 games have basically been left to dust because I don't want to sit on the couch and play them. So now I'll have an excuse.

I refuse to go outside to walk -- I hate bugs, heat, and strangers, and it's just not gonna happen.

I think if I lived somewhere that wasn't so sucky I'd probably spend more time outside walking. I know my dogs would love it. XP But yeah...heat, neighbors, etc. bleh

I just think of this :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mBo.....1&index=50

Cute as a freaking button :]

X3 i am doomed to never be sexy, only cute. that's okay though. :D

Cute = sexy! I always thought it was much more appealing and interesting than the usual "sexy" stereotype. :)

it's worked against me, though. i come off as younger than i am, and this was a problem when i was 21, working at ADV, and wanted to be cast in a hentai or two. most of my directors saw me as around 17 or 18 max, and i played a lot of little girls, so they couldn't even bring themselves to entertain the idea of casting me in those roles. i was so bummed!

Coool, retro pic!!!!!!!!!! <3

Santa madonna!!! :3

I think you're very pretty. I love your face and you resemble your character a lot, which is cool.

Kudos for doing something besides just sitting around not liking yourself. It's not an easy thing to do for most.

And I love your hair so hardcore in this pic :D

aww! ; ; that's really sweet. she's like 6 inches taller and a lot skinnier than me, but i did give her my hair. :D (not on purpose.)

ahaha, the ladies at the studio said if we ever wanted to get them to do our hair in barrel rolls or victory rolls or pin curls or whatever again, we can just show up and pay them and have them do it. :D So if i want to go to an event i can just bug them, which is awesome, and cheaper than a salon ($30 for hair and makeup? YES!)

I think not only the hair but the cheekbone/jawline between your avatar and this angle on the photo look very similar. ^^

And that's a really good deal, haha. Hair like that from a salon could easily run you 80+. That's a win in my book :D

*pokes*

No talkin down about yourself D=

You are a lovely lady. And never judge yourself on how 'fat' you are. You aren't fat, just a lil more snuggly than the rest :3 *hugs*

wow, more than all the rest? *haha*

lol, sorry, sounded right at the time ._. my brain isn't working well today.. <<; *looks for a hammer*

But you look good!

hehe. i'm only teasing. <3

hehe <3 ^_^

Its really great that you're taking such an active role in trying to improve your self outlook. It can be hard to even think about trying!

i agree. i've found lately that confidence is about 70%, and that's hard to learn, but it helps.

[gernic fanboy comment about how *adjective* the picture is and how *flattery* you are]

quite possibly one of the best comments i've gotten lately

I like to stand out.

Haha OI love you man <3

See? Not all guys are dicks.

Just the ones whose penises Ive seen :V

Aww you look beautiful, honestly. You have a lovely smile I think, it's sorta sassy! And you have very pretty eyes too. Well done for being part of the pin-up thing too, I hope it made you feel good about yourself. I understand how it is to hate yourself for how you look, I feel that way a lot, and I am also trying to like myself more. It's tough, but I hope it'll get easier with some time.

my eyes are my least favorite feature. X3 ahahah. i don't like them for some reason. never really been sure what it is exactly i don't like.

this was definitely a good exercise for my self-confidence. i thought i'd get the pictures and hate myself more, but i feel tons better.

That's really really great then! You can always look at these photos when you feel bad about yourself and remind yourself you looked fantastic during this shoot and that despite the makeup and the clothes, you are still the one wearing them.

Aww I think your eyes looks very friendly and quite striking in a way here, I tend to always look at peoples eyes a lot as they do say a lot about someone. There are plenty of bits of me I dislike but people say they're fine so it's just one of those things XD

Also that guy further down talking about rockabilly stuff... needs to sort of realise this was just a fun shoot and not necessarily aiming to be 100% accurate/authentic, it's sort of an artistic mish-mash of colour and style for an aesthetic, not an accurate representation of a certain time period of fashion genre, and as you pointed out, you were dressed that way by someone else. It's nice to be enthusiastic and show your knowledge about these things but there's a time and a place and also a way of putting it out there a bit better as I am sure you agree. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you... !

To be concise as well as polite re: the guy talking below, he doesn't seem to understand this actually was an authentic vintage shoot. ^^; I think the fact that I didn't look like I walked off the set of the film Cry Baby should have been a clue that this wasn't a "rockabilly" themed photo set. It was just 50s housewife-chic. I appreciate that he was trying to help, but what I think he was thinking I was aiming for is actually less authentic than we wanted, as we were going for actual vintage and not a punk/50s subculture thing. We wanted "Stepford Wives meets strip club" (the latter part just with the shoes), not Kat von D. There's a place for that kind of thing, but it's not on my body type regardless of what he was trying to say down there.

That said, I appreciate the comments as always. They've definitely helped, and I recommend spending the money to any girl who hasn't been feeling so hot lately. A good photographer and makeup/hair can do wonders, I now realize. I think when we are bombarded with film and magazines showing celebrities looking obnoxiously fabulous, seemingly effortlessly, it can really wear on us, but when we see that a little professional help goes a long way, it helps dispel that notion.

See I honestly haven't studied what a correct vintage look would be, though I do recognize the style and whatnot. I just recognized that you weren't made to look 100% perfect hair etc, it was like... a normal everyday girl sorta look who wasn't too fussed up and like she walked out of a movie set as you say. As you say, you were gonig for the housewife sort of look with some sexy fun thrown in and it looks great. What I meant by not authentic was by like, a perfect movie sorta look. I suck at explaining I should give up hahaha~

Yeah I should try to brave going out and shopping a bit. To be hoenst though I am always disappointed when I go shopping for clothes, they never fit right because I am really short ;o; Or because I am small in the waist compared to my hips then trousers and skirts dont always fit right either and finding anything strictly petite sized is a pain. I jsut end up getting home and crying about how nothing fits XD! I'd love to go have a sexy photoshoot though, I know it would probably help me feel better about my body and such. I have serious issues about myself that I am trying to tackle with some help, it's just going to take a long time.

Great thing about a photo shoot is they can just pin you up on the spot and make things fit long enough to take pictures <3 That dress had to be pinned in the back, and the petticoat was like 5 sizes too big and the elastic was gone, and the stockings had runs, and I was wearing another girl' strapless bra and shoes that almost killed me. Beauty hurts!

hahahaha! Oh wow... see this is the behind the scenes we don't even see in the final shots XD! I love that dress, is it covered in playing cards? I like that sort of thing, and the hot pink too. I bet those shoes hurt... gah thinknig about it makes my feet ache in sympathy XD No pain no gain eh!

<3 haha, yes, playing cards. the photographer made that dress for her own birthday party at a casino last year, and it fit me.

the hot pink in my pics is actually bright red, but i did a crazy retro photo effect on the pics! :D i think i forgot to on one of them >:D the outfit is black, white, and red.

ooohhhhh I see! Red would make sense with the dress XD But I think the pink is fantastic XD!!

LOL. I guess he didn't feel like replying back to me. His profile page and journal header/footer are full of some seriously antagonistic language, so I don't think I feel a need to continue the conversation anyway. A lot of people came to me in private to express their disagreement. I understand why no one wants to ever reply directly to someone in my threads, but I'm glad when they at least tell me how they feel in person.

The number of Hot Chicks™ on FA is approaching critical mass.

lol... I think that some of us don't see ourselves how others do... it's a very difficult subject as well really on what's hot and what isn't. So many varying tastes and whatnot.

I view all people as having redeeming features as much as I can, I tend to be drawn to peoples eyes and faces in general and how friendly/approachable they seem to look.
Dont worry I know your comment was in jest, I am just throwing some thoguhts in really! X3

:D To keep it positive, I think Calaver may have been trying to point out that while many girls on FA who are even remotely attractive often have body/image issues, observers of their photos are often quite willing to point out their merits, and it's worthwhile to listen to that positivity. At least, that's how I read it! There are indeed quite a few girls on FA, much to my surprise, and many of them are well within "quite cute" range. I think a lot of us come from backgrounds where we've felt disconnected from local social circles, and that can wear on one's self-image. I'm always happy to see a young lady on FA post a photo--not out of desperation for attention, but out of bravery--and for her to be rewarded with a little validation for her courage.

This goes for guys, too, of course!

X3 I totally understood he was being positive about it. I was sort of trying to say that I think on FA particuarly, a lot of body types and personalities are attractive. This community is one of the most accepting and laid back in this sense (in my personal experience anyway, I am sure there are the nasty people being jerks on here too). It has changed even MY views on what is attractive to the general populous... made me feel a bit better about just being myself, and not having to live up to some skinny, big breasted PERFECT fictional beauty or whatever. I grew up as a teenager understanding the world was a always after eprfect bodies and faces etc when in reality it isn't like that. It's horrid that we are all herded into categories and such by the mass media... I feel the pressures of looking slim and perfect all the time, moreso it's that feeling of never being good enough and it hurts your self-esteem/confidence a lot.

I find it really stressful when people compliment me, particularly about how I look. There's an odd reason for that, especially online, because I don't want people to tag me as one of "those girls" who likes flirting or showing herself off (which I really don't do) and to become the typically "popular" girl who can draw and sing etc. I hate it when people tip toe about saying they "can't beleive I replied to their comment because im watched by so many people". I dunno, I don't want to be looked at as someone who isnt approachable, you know what I mean? When you get more and more "popular" people seemto think you don't care or have time for them anymore. (Ok I went on a bit of a tangent here I know XD)

Honestly I wasn't being negative in my comment at all, I was more trying to expand on what he said in my own way. I guess it might have dsounded a bit argumentative O.o? I don't know, it really wasnt intended at all I can assure you.

Oh no no, hon! I was just gushing over the line, really. I got into rainbows and puppies mode.

I totally agree with everything and sympathize with all of these points -- you pretty much took the words out of my mouth, particularly about worrying about being approachable, and about not wanting to appear like I post pictures for approval. I never want to look like the girl who is worried about getting accepted online enough that she'll post photos for that purpose, but I was proud of these so I finally decided to share. *cuddles*

Hahaha ooh rainbows and puppies XD I am getting that feeling now, it's nice to chat about something with someone like this X3
I'm all for showing yourself to the world in whatever way you feel happy to. I stumbled across an artist my friend asked if I watched the other ngiht, so I go visit her page. First thing I notice? Her ID photo is of herself in a TINY shirt with the buttons undone around her pushup bra showing her cleavage to everyone. Now, each to their own but... uh... That actually put me off even looking through her art, because it gave me that bad vibe about her and personally I don't care for that sort of thing, specially on a site geared more towards being creative (no, a snapshot of yourself with an amateur camera in revealing clothes like that is not creative, it's just geared to make people fave/watch you because that's what is important to you to be accepted by the masses).

Honestly, I dont go around telling people they look very slutty or whatever. Waste of my time and theirs really. I used to feel pressured into doing the very same thing myself when I was surrounded by lecherous men all the time on another community site I grew up on. It isn't good or healthy though, and I feel sorry for girls who think that this is how to get popular. In the end it will just probably make them feel hollow and distrusting of people anyway.

But yeah sorry... I talk too much haha~ I really think it's great you can feel comfortable and I sense some pride there too. Nothing wrong with that, these photos show you off to be very attractive and you should be happy about them being viewed by people respectfully. I am glad to see no crude murry purry comments on these photos also which is even better for reassuring you that you're looking great :)

I can think of a few examples on FA wherein it was clear that a girl's willingness to show next-to-naked photos of themselves gave them a lot more watches and popularity than just having decent artwork, but a long time ago, I realized that other badness tends to follow. I used to be a little jealous, but now that I see kind of what happens to those ladies in the long run, I'm more than happy to avoid camwhoring for FA.

I think you're lovely!

^_^ i think anyone can look nice with good hair/makeup/wardrobe and a patient photographer. and photoshop. bahaha.

This strangely is what I imagined you to be.

that's a good thing, right? ^_^

Yep

Before I say anything, I'm not being mean so if anyone gets angry, piss off. I'm rockabilly, it's what I wear daily and it's been my style for a while, so I'm just throwing out my 2 cents. Anyways, I think you should go with a different hairstyle. That one seems a bit... messy for what the picture was aimed at. Not messy ugly, just messy. Rockabilly pinup (which it seemed to me like you were going for) is clean cut and almost looks doll-esque. If you wanted some options for what I mean, I could show you some pictures of what I think would work well with your face and body type. One of my really good friends is working on being a model for rockabilly and has some photo shoots done. I personally think you could pul it off beautifully.

PS. The best thing about rockabilly is that it's very forgiving for those of us who aren't model thin, and that's why I wear it. That, and my friends got me into it and now it's my lifestyle, lol. ^_^

"Piss off?" :/

This was just a 50s, Varga-style pin-up shoot. Not "Rockabilly". I was dressed, made-up, and photographed by a studio. Elf make-up, actual vintage clothing, nylons, plus the wacky shoes which they tend to throw in there for spunk. None of these choices were mine.

I appreciate that you feel like you've got a say since this is something you view as "your thing", but you came off really haughty.

After a brief period of meditation on the subject... :)

You opened your comment about my pin-up with an aggressive, "don't even bother disagreeing with me", and even invited my viewers to "piss off" (really!) which led me to feel that you knew your statements were going to be somewhat pushy or even hurtful. There are nicer ways to warn that what you have to say may be painful for someone to hear, and they don't involve pre-emptively silencing dissent with threatening language.

The way I see it, I have here a handful of professional photos that I had a blast taking with a studio that's been doing this for years (and who I've followed for as long)—pictures that I'm quite fond of and that have boosted my self-confidence in a time when motivation to appreciate myself is somewhat sparse. What I got in your comment was brash, unsolicited criticism from a stranger with no proven experience—stepping in to tell me, with bluntly-stated authority, how my supposed choices don't meet with their approval.

I appreciate that you wanted to get involved and think that you might have been helping, but I'm incredibly happy with the results, and leave it up to you and your friend to enjoy styling yourselves and your own photo shoots however you like best. ^_^ I'm sure it'll be wonderful.

i reckon you look freakin fantastic in all the pics, but you know this *nods*

Like this one the best out of the 3

for the record, I do love the vintage styled pics(saw both of them) and well, you're doing great getting rid fo teh weight from quitting smoking (I had to, and am still working on weight management).

I like your cheeks!

...

ok that came out way wrong ^^;

er nice pics! *flees*

^_^ there are three pics on FA :D i didn't know if i should post the other few because i didn't want to overrun people. <3

aww... my cheeks are chubby but i guess they're just a part of my face. literally. ;3

Yes, yes they are. =3

And you didn't overrun, three pics isn't that bad in truth. If it was thirty, then there might be a concern.

Mad cute.

Stay healthy.

I gained 30 lbs when I quit smoking two years ago as well. Gotta love how its like "Oh I cant smoke? WELLllllllll Ill just eat this candy than!"

EITHER WAY, your smokin' lady! .............no pun intended.