Negative self image a hindrance or a help?

Lounmoun

kae612 wrote: »

Do you find thinking negative things about yourself motivating or detrimental? Why or why not?

I did not find it motivating when I thought negatively about myself. When I was negative and hating myself I did extreme things to punish myself. For example, exercise was always about punishment and pain. Eating was about giving things up and restriction. I would quit what I was doing when I didn't get the result I wanted and then hate myself again. I would also be more negative and critical about other people.
When I approach myself with a positive mindset I feel good about what I am doing for me and want to keep doing it. It is like I'm giving myself a gift. I feel like I am adding to my life, strengthening my health and body, deserving to feel good. I think it has been much easier to achieve lasting results and work through problems with a positive attitude.

jgnatca

I firmly believe that body transformation must come from a place of self-love if it is to at all be sustainable. How many hours, days, weeks, months or years are you going to waste hating how you look? Instead, be your biggest fan and cheer your successes. Do you see any football teams dragging their rears on to the field, kicking themselves for their past losses? Or do they charge out of the field, every time, acting like winners? Can't feel like a winner if in your heart you won't believe it.

This fitness coach, Johnny Straw, says the same thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP_5poQaKQo

kshama2001

jgnatca wrote: »

I firmly believe that body transformation must come from a place of self-love if it is to at all be sustainable. How many hours, days, weeks, months or years are you going to waste hating how you look? Instead, be your biggest fan and cheer your successes. Do you see any football teams dragging their rears on to the field, kicking themselves for their past losses? Or do they charge out of the field, every time, acting like winners? Can't feel like a winner if in your heart you won't believe it.

This fitness coach, Johnny Straw, says the same thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP_5poQaKQo

That was good, thanks for sharing.

(For others, it gets going right before the 3 minute mark.)

Spierce02

I never really thought about how I felt about myself impacting my new healthy lifestyle aka dieting. Even when I was 120#s I thought I was fat and hated how I looked. Now, I still don't like how my body looks or even my face half the time. But I've been going strong and have lost 10#s now and plan to keep going. I know the way I see myself is different than how others see me. i was bullied for being too skinny or too fat almost my entire childhood so I think it's just stuck in my brain that I won't ever look good enough. But the way I feel hasn't made me go binging or starving, it's just one day at a time of smart eating. I'm succeeding!!

emmycantbemeeko

I think it's possible for self-hate to be temporarily motivating for some people, which can make it a hard habit to kick- if they only time you've successfully lost weight is by channeling self-loathing, it can feel like you HAVE to hate yourself to succeed.

But that's a miserable way to live. And if you are at all successful using that method- if total disgust is the thing keeping you on track, and then you manage to change what you hate about yourself and stop loathing yourself- you'll lose that drive and go back to the habits that eventually triggered the self-hate. So it's a vicious cycle, kind of an emotional binge and purge.

You don't have to love yourself in the sense of being totally satisfied with where you are and how you feel- if you were, why would you even be here? But you do have to have some kindness to yourself. Some understanding that your physical self is not a marker of your worth as a human, and that the weight problems that the majority of people in our culture struggle with are not worthy of hate.

Sustained success comes from appreciating that even when it doesn't look the way you'd like, your body is a marvelous machine that can do incredible things if you treat it well and practice good habits with it.

Lucy1752

I grew up with negativity. I grew up believing I was unworthy, did not measure up, could not possibly be good enough.
After a bumpy journey (including an ex husband that for 18 years reinforced that unworthiness) and at the age of 42, I met a man who saw and continues to see, more in me than I see in myself.
Now, 3 years later I am mentally healthy enough to begin this journey.
Negativity cannot be part of my journey. It cannot even have a toehold.

tomteboda

My negative self-image allowed me to ignore and willfully deny just how out of hand my weight had gotten. I'm pretty sure that's not uncommon. Psychologists have told us repeatedly that girls who are insecure and have poor body image are more likely to be overweight as adults, regardless of adolescent weight. They're also more likely to drop out of school, put up with abusive relationships, and make less money than their peers. My guess is that boys and men encounter the same negative cycles of self-hatred leading to a lack of self-care or even overriding self-preservation instincts.

HealthCoachRau

Negative self talk is detrimental to your health and usually stems from deep-rooted causes. Long lasting, healthy and balanced lifestyle changes should come from a place of self love.

knelson095

Does it have to be one or the other? I don't hate my body, but I don't really love it either...Overall I tend to be more positive, though, I don't feel that negativity is good for you in the long run. Mostly I'm just trying to learn how to respect and appreciate my body instead of taking it for granted. I've also had to stop comparing and just try to treat the body I have the best I can and work to my own strengths instead of just wishing I could look different.

To answer OP, self hate might get you where you want to be, but you probably won't be happy when you get there. When you start that spiral of negativity it's not like you are likely to be able to just switch that off when you reach the magic number on the scale. If you are referring to outside negativity, well, I can only speak for myself, but that kind of 'encouragement' has never worked for me and only made me feel bad.

mamadon

Personally, I don"t believe that anyone who uses negative talk about themselves, (either internally or externally) can ultimately be successful at weight loss. It's harmful and only causes people to give up.