Mom Proudly Shares ‘Before’ Weight Loss Photo: ‘My Body Is a Vessel'

Typically, the “before” weight loss photos we see on social media are more sad than celebratory. The norm? Dim lighting and a frown. But a mom of three just changed the game with her recent Facebook post sharing the start of her weight loss journey － with pride.

"’Don’t smile you’re supposed to look miserable,’ my husband joked,” Canada-based mom Brianna Bell writes. “But am I? Am I miserable? Do I hate myself and my body?”

“Sometimes,” she acknowledges.

But for Bell, the point of her “before” photo isn’t to capture a state of misery and despair. Instead, she’s proud to memorialize her postbaby body － and celebrate every little accomplishment it’s provided her as a mom.

“This is the picture that captures the woman I am today,” she says. “I want to remember my round belly that appears to be carrying a baby, but is just evidence that I carried three very large babies in my tiny 4 foot 11 inch body. I want to remember these arms. They look out of shape, but they are strong. They can carry a 45-pound 5-year-old with ease. They can lift my 35-pound 3-year-old above my head, swinging her around. They have rocked and cradled my infant many days and nights.”

Bell’s weight loss journey is beginning on a high note, and she makes a promise to herself to continue to treat herself right throughout.

“My body is a vessel, and this year I haven’t treated it the way it deserves.” she says. “I want to treat my body with respect and dignity, while also remembering that this ‘before’ picture does not symbolize a rock bottom, or lesser version of myself.”

Bottom line: “I am me and I am beautiful.”

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