Body image??

witcherkar
witcherkar Posts: 138 Member
edited December 2 in Health and Weight Loss
So I weigh around 300 pounds. But when I look in the mirror, I feel so much thinner. I only know I'm far because scales, doctors, and strangers hurtful words..most people see themselves as bigger. I see smaller so I lack motivation. What do I do?

Replies

  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    Even though you see a smaller person, 300lbs on any body frame isn't healthy (even if you are over 6'0). You want to live a long and happy life, right?

    At my heaviest I was close to 200lbs. I'm 5'11. To me, my size 16 frame didn't look that big. I knew I was larger than most, but it was ok. Until that day when it wasn't. Within the last 4 years I've maintained a weight around 150-155 (size 6/8). And now I realize just how much the mirror lied and how much better I look and feel now.

    I have to ask though, do you feel good at your current weight? Can you walk a few miles at a good pace without getting winded? Can you do a couple flights of stairs without having to stop? I couldn't. And that made me feel really awful.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
    Your primary motivation for losing weight should be getting healthy. Looks don't really matter if your health is suffering. At 300 lbs even if you are happy with your looks, your body is suffering. Since you say your body image is skewed try looking at some objective signs... take measurement, check your weight... BMI is not perfect however it works for most of us. So try to aim for healthy weight range.
  • ummmaryam31
    ummmaryam31 Posts: 5 Member
    Our goals should be to care for our bodies.
    Looking thinner doesn't mean healthy.
    The only thing that can pull you up from a motivation ditch is yourself.

    I hated my son telling me I'll get sick and die if I stay fat and so taking care of me pushed me to lose weight.
    I'm still loosing weight.
    People sometimes aren't nice but there's people out there who make comments because they're concerned for you: doctors, friends, family.

    Best of luck
  • witcherkar
    witcherkar Posts: 138 Member
    Well my tv isn't glass, no reflection. I can't exercise at all right now anyway. I attempted suicide a year ago which now has resulted in a tracheostemy, pneamonia again now, and possibly pulmonary fibrosis.i couldn't breathe if I was an Olympic athlete.
    I'm not trying to make excuses. I'm just good at coming up with reasons not to and I need help. I've never had that ah ha I'm fat and I'm not healthy moment. I go to the doctor alot. My blood work is always fine. (Until now, but ironically I attempted suicide due to depression and part of my depression is because I'm fat and I know other people think I'm fat but for some reason it won't stay in my head, hey this is bad! My mind thinks, hey you ate a tub of ice cream, sleep for 2 days and it'll counteract it and you'll be fine.)

    Goodness I'm *kitten* up... help please try...
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I was like you...I looked in the mirror and didn't see myself as obese...I was.

    I knew I was overweight/fat but didn't see it.

    motivation...health.

    You don't need to exercise to lose weight just be in a calorie deficit....start out with your profile here...enter stats and what you want to lose a week.

    Eat those calories and you will lose weight...and remember that doesn't mean no ice cream it just means reasonable portions.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
    Walking is amazing exercise! No need to do anything else...do as much as you can and as often as you can...being outside on fresh air will help you feel better too. No need to do any more of physical stuff to lose weight. Weight is lost in the kitchen after all. Put your stats into MFP, set desired weight loss. It will give you daily calories. Stick to it (weigh your food on kitchen scale for best results)... and have patience. Also talking to a psychologist might help as well.
  • witcherkar
    witcherkar Posts: 138 Member
    I'm starting a partial hospitalization program on monday so I'm hoping that will help... I think one of my other biggest problems is the only other time I've ever lasted on a diet and exercise was for 2 months in 2012. I was living with my sister and her and her family and stick and bones yet eat everything under the sun. I was embarrassed to eat in front of them so I basically only ate maybe 500 calories a day and I did my schooling at home while everyone was at work or school so in free time I rode my bike to the gym and worked out non stop for 4-5 hours straight. I lost 50-60 pounds in 2 months and was toned from adding strength training. Since I can't do that I have this black and white thinking that we'll if I can't do that I'm screwed. I hate myself.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    witcherkar wrote: »
    I'm starting a partial hospitalization program on monday so I'm hoping that will help... I think one of my other biggest problems is the only other time I've ever lasted on a diet and exercise was for 2 months in 2012. I was living with my sister and her and her family and stick and bones yet eat everything under the sun. I was embarrassed to eat in front of them so I basically only ate maybe 500 calories a day and I did my schooling at home while everyone was at work or school so in free time I rode my bike to the gym and worked out non stop for 4-5 hours straight. I lost 50-60 pounds in 2 months and was toned from adding strength training. Since I can't do that I have this black and white thinking that we'll if I can't do that I'm screwed. I hate myself.

    You don't have to do that just follow your calorie deficit and the weight will come off.
  • KorvapuustiPossu
    KorvapuustiPossu Posts: 434 Member
    There is not need to go on a 'diet'- diets are not successful. You need to get control of you portion sizes and try to make healthier choices when possible. No need to cut out anything completely! Portion control is key to success. Start at a smaller deficit of calories and go from there. At your weight even walking really burns a lot of calories so you should try to give that a go as much as you can. Be patient, take it slowly, and put your health first.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I didn't see myself as fat either when I started. It was really more about the knee pain, not fitting in airline seats, that kind of thing. Oh, and my uncle dying young of a heart attack.

    It's funny... if I stop tracking and let my weight creep back up to ~170 lbs, I feel way more fat than I did when I was 240lbs+. Even at 140 lbs, I didn't feel "thin." I guess I'm saying, find motivation besides how you "feel" you look. You may never "feel" like the size you really are, no matter what weight the scale says.

    For depression, setting attainable goals and realizing you can accomplish them can help. Maybe set a goal to walk/run a 5K in the next 6 months. Then, the weight loss and exercise won't be about weight, but instead will be about that fitness goal. The weightloss will just be a byproduct.

    Also, if you lost 50 lbs in 2 months (6+ lbs per week!) please understand moving forward that that is probably not the road to a healthy, long life filled with joy. Losing 1lb per week is a perfectly acceptable rate of loss for long-term health and mental well-being.
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    Being obese is as healthy as being a smoker. It catches up to you.
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
    You need to find out why you are here and then you have your focus.

    You did so much in 2 months you know it's possible and that's an amazing result. You can do it again and more.

    Ask your doctor what is possible with for you and make your diet fit around your exercise capabilities.
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
    Are you seeing a therapist? is that part of your hospitalization program? Based on some of your comments in this thread, I think that would be of great benefit to you. Body image and mental health are complicated, more complicated than strangers on an internet forum are equipped to advise you on.

    Wishing you luck and health.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    witcherkar wrote: »
    So I weigh around 300 pounds. But when I look in the mirror, I feel so much thinner. I only know I'm far because scales, doctors, and strangers hurtful words..most people see themselves as bigger. I see smaller so I lack motivation. What do I do?

    I get what you are saying. Much like those that have been fat all their life sometimes see a fat person in the mirror after losing weight, I saw a thin person in the mirror because I was thin for most of my life.

    Pictures don't hide anything though. If you can't believe the scales, doctors, strangers and your clothing size, pictures might do the trick.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    witcherkar wrote: »
    I hate myself.

    I think you need to work on this first of all. Don't tie your self worth to weight. You are so much more than fat. ::flowerforyou::
  • kimwitt2009
    kimwitt2009 Posts: 24 Member
    Good luck to you, be sure you spill out all of these feelings to your counselor. Start with small changes with food as well as your focus on life in general. Find a hobby to fill your time, I enjoy coloring. Find some indoor walking videos on YouTube, even for 10 to 15 minutes a day will benefit you. I started MFP back in February but didn't really use it until May. It has helped me so much. I have never done the calorie counting route before, but it is the easiest plan ever! I used to be a big WW fan, but I like this much better and it's free! If I want to go out with my husband and have Olive Garden, I do, I just fit it into my calories for the day! It has showed me just how much I was actually eating in a days time! I kicked it into gear in May because I am having my knees replaced in September and October and have to meet a weight guideline fir insurance to pay. I have about 5 more pounds to meet that goal. But I plan to keep on going! I can't exercise a bunch due to the current knee pain I have, but I try to do small walks a few times a week. Feel free to friend me if you want. God Bless.
  • Jeebles604
    Jeebles604 Posts: 16 Member
    This is fascinating. My entire life I've felt massive, and I'm currently 117lbs. When I look in a mirror, I only see fat. Do we have the exact same issue? Or is it different?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited June 2016
    It's great that you don't have any body image issues, but at 300lbs your health is at risk. So regardless of you being comfortable with who you are, you need to think about the future and getting to a healthier weight or you will have health problems.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited June 2016
    witcherkar wrote: »
    So I weigh around 300 pounds. But when I look in the mirror, I feel so much thinner. I only know I'm far because scales, doctors, and strangers hurtful words..most people see themselves as bigger. I see smaller so I lack motivation. What do I do?

    Look at pictures not mirror images

    Remove your head from them

    Judge them objectively against healthy body sizes not media / what you see in the street - our eyes have become accustomed to obesity in every day life ..

    eg (not the best just a quick google) - healthy BMI is 20 - 25

    0802739f1.gif

    healthy body fat %

    20141019224125uid1.jpg

    I am also positively body dysmorphic, having lost my weight it just means I am intensely confident, and get positive reinforcement from strangers, friends, doctors etc

    In your head you know that 300lbs is morbidly obese and your avatar does look around the highest level of BF in the picture above
This discussion has been closed.

Categories