I clearly remember how much I loathed having my picture taken when I was morbidly obese. Actually, I didnt mind having the picture taken, it was seeing the picture of the sad fat lady that bothered me. I suppose most of us are that way.

After experiencing massive weight loss with gastric bypass surgery many patients embrace having their picture taken because we see a person weve only dreamt about being in the photo. Here are some hints for looking gorgeous in after photographs.

The best advice for a great after photo - wear form-fitting clothes instead of blousy ones. Form-fitting clothes show off your new shape where blousy clothes make you look bigger. Didnt we spend enough time looking bigger and we all know the camera adds 10 pounds. Next, select a flattering neckline whether it's a V-neck, scoop neck, or boatneck. And stick to darker shades; they tend to recede in photos, having a slimming effect. What to avoid: Bold, bright prints.

Next let your happiness show with a genuine smile. Rather than focusing on posing the perfect smile think about all the good things in your new life. Appreciate and glorify in how far youve come. Let your eyes sparkle and your happiness radiate naturally and unrehearsed.

Finally check your posture. Avoid facing the camera straight on this can be unflattering. Position yourself in a pose so youre facing the camera at an angle. This pose will show off your new waistline and healthy body and make you look sexy and svelt!

Kaye Bailey 2005 - All Rights Reserved

Kaye Bailey

An award winning journalist and former newspaper editor Kaye Bailey brings expertise in writing and personal experience with gastric bypass surgery to EzineArticles.com. Ms. Bailey developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a teenager she found writing her feelings about obesity helped her cope in a world that is often cruel to overweight children and adults alike.

Ms. Bailey says she found out she was fat in kindergarten when another child told her she was fat. “I didn’t even know what fat was but I could tell it was bad and I didn’t want to be fat. Until that day I had been unaware I was different. But there I was, a five-year-old girl sitting cross-legged on the floor learning a new word that would define me.”

At age 33 she underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. For the first time in her life after multiple failed diet attempts she lost weight. She said the decision to have surgery took courage, nerve, and a little bit of plain old faith. But she learned surgery was the easy part. Dealing with newfound emotions, struggling with food choices and fighting to keep from regaining weight were unexpected bumps in the road following massive weight loss with surgery.

Having spent most of her life overweight Ms. Bailey is strongly empathetic toward the obese, particularly overweight children. This compassion compelled her to found the website LivingAfterWLS.com, a fast-growing resource of information, understanding and support for the weight loss surgery community. While weight loss surgery is publicly perceived as an easy fix to obesity Ms. Bailey maintains the struggles after surgery challenge the vigor of even the most dedicated individual. As WLS becomes more readily available patients are finding there is a lack of long-term aftercare and support from bariatric centers.

The LivingAfterWLS.com site is complimented with daily blog. The blog, livingafterwls.blogspot.com offers readers the chance to comment or leave feedback about fresh content added daily. This site contains success stories and recipes as well as general information and WLS inspired topics. Complementing the site is a monthly newsletter titled “You Have Arrived” available exclusively to people who subscribe through the website or the blog. The path forward includes community forums, nutrition and fitness tracking tools.

Ms. Bailey makes her home on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains with her husband of eight years who has been her consort in life after WLS.