Anyone else, or am I just crazy

iangelbailey10

Does anyone else have a more negative view of themselves when dieting? What I mean is I feel less confident now than I did before I started my diet journey (again) three months ago. I think I focus more on the way I look now than I did before is maybe the reason. I'm not sure. Does anyone else do this?

Gisel2015

No!!!

2011rocket3touring

Nope. I look better, I feel better and I'm extremely proud of myself for making the changes I've been making.

_Waffle_

Nope. Not at all.

emdeesea

Maybe at first, but I had quite a bit of weight to lose to start off with. So I would glare at the spare tire on my gut in the mirror and think "I'm doing all this work so THIS can just sit there and not move - why bother..."

But these days, no, I feel pretty dang good now, and the spare tire is shrinking. So it's working.

JustMary82

I feel like I am more conscious of my body and watching it slowly change, I am much more aware and thinking about it more. Yes, that includes the negative thoughts along with the positive. Especially when dealing with a plateau.

That being said, you need to figure out the underlying issues that are leading to the negative thoughts, bc I guarantee if you don't then you won't be happy no matter what the scale shows. Best of luck!

genpopadopolous

I actually feel better about myself.

I've still got a ways to go- but I went to the gym with some friends who "go all the time". I usually do FitnessBlender in my basement.

And I KILLED those skinny chicks. I could lift more, do longer intervals, hold longer planks, recover quicker.

I'm starting to really appreciate how hard my body works for me and it deserves more credit than the 43 extra pounds it carries. It's shifting my focus and I like it.

whmscll

No! I feel good that I am taking steps to improve myself.

JeromeBarry1

I am not pleased with my appearance yet. I don't expect to become satisfied with my appearance, but I'm not doing this for my appearance. I'm doing this for my health. Healthy is sexy.

Fursian

iangelbailey10 wrote: »

Does anyone else have a more negative view of themselves when dieting? What I mean is I feel less confident now than I did before I started my diet journey (again) three months ago. I think I focus more on the way I look now than I did before is maybe the reason. I'm not sure. Does anyone else do this?

Not just you.

It is almost like my eyes developed magnifiers...

CattOfTheGarage

No, I feel way better about myself, because I feel like I'm taking action. I can say this for definite as I have recently got back on the wagon after a considerable spell of doing nothing about my weight and getting steadily heavier. I feel way better now.

amusedmonkey

I kinda do. I was very big, and I was used to it and I actually liked it. I didn't have a care in the world, did most of the things I liked to do, wore all the things I liked to wear, went as crazy extroverted or as crazy hermit as I wanted, I was loving that freedom. People usually assume fat people are insecure when they withdraw, and that they are trying to compensate when they go all out, so anything I did, wore or said was excused. It was actually amusing to see that look of pity in some people's eyes while thinking "if only they knew"... and then I got diagnosed with prediabetes and my whole world changed...

Now I'm smaller. I kind of didn't feel like myself at first, but I'm slowly starting to get used to it and liking it. People's expectations of me changed. Now I'm expected to be more people-pleasing, wear clothes people feel are flattering, and do things a non-obese person is supposed to do, as if a person's presumed emotional issues magically disappear when they lose weight. It kind of made me insecure at first and very inwardly focused. An obese person is just obese, they are not supposed to look a certain way, but someone who is trying to slim down is expected to magically look a certain way without going through those inbetween ugly duckling phases that are so common when you lose a lot of weight. I'm often successful at turning it around and observing the changes in bemusement as if I'm watching things happen from the outside, but I have to admit the feeling of insecurity sucks. It was a rare feeling for me, and now it's become more frequent. I'm usually able to brush it off, but who knows what the future will bring as I lose even more weight. It's one of the reasons I have my goal weight set at a slightly higher BMI than normal to not lose even more of myself, but still be able to live healthily. It's also one of the reasons I will never be posting a success story. I Liked myself back then, and I'm certain I will come to a point of liking myself now, so a success story of showing "how far I've come" showing a life's low compared to today makes no sense to me. I'm still me, but smaller. My health has improved but that's about it.

Don't get me wrong, I love some of the changes like being able to do things I wasn't able to do before like hiking, fit into seats at places I've always wished to visit or clothes shopping being easier. I love how I discovered running and how much I enjoy it, I love many things.. so that's what I'm trying to focus on.

I've asked other people who successfully lost weight about it, but it appears my experience is unique, so maybe yours is too. Don't let it get you though. Although our reasons may be different the experience itself is kind of similar. It is possible to overcome this with time. I'm doing much better now on that front than I did a year ago.

tbilly20

I get this way. Especially if I have a week where I gain. Last week I gained 4 pounds on the scale. This was despite hitting all my numbers throughout the week. I know in my head that my body is retaining water from being sick, but I still felt bad about myself.

The strangest part is that I surpassed my original weight goal years ago. Even a four pound gain is still 10 pounds less than I had ever wanted to be. Yet I felt sluggish, slow and heavy. I even reached for looser fitting clothes to "hide" my physique.

When I am not actively counting calories, these fluctuations never really bother me.

Once you begin to analyze something critically, you become your biggest critic. Make sure to find things you can show yourself to make you proud. I keep one XL t-shirt that used to fit me well, and I put it on when I feel down about weight. That sucker fits like a circus tent (I'm a medium now). Always brings a smile to my face!

zyxst

No. I'm still the same effed up person I was 176# ago. Losing weight didn't change how I view myself.