How much of it is body dismorphia?

ExistingFish

I am fine with my body, I haven't had any issues.

I still haven't adjusted to my face, it doesn't feel like mine in pictures. I'm used to my chubbier face now. I don't have many pictures of my face, almost none post weight loss. I had to force myself to take some because I needed a snapshot for work. Anyway, I don't like those pictures, to me they don't look like "me", I'm sure it will come in time. I've been at the top of the healthy weight range or overweight my entire adult life.

I should look at pictures of me in high school, I'm back to that weight. Maybe it will help me identify with my face now

aokoye

alondrakar wrote: »

Interested in your thoughts - are there people here who will never been happy with their appearance no matter the progress made? I thought about this during my walk yesterday. I was looking at my arm and it seemed so slim/skinny. It was as though I was looking at someone else's arm because in my opinion, this arm I was staring at did not match the body that I see in the mirror every morning. So I wonder, even if I lost the other 10-15 pounds, will it be enough?

Are there people who will never be happy with their appearance? Yes. Is that body dysmorphia (body dysmorphic disorder)? In most cases I suspect it's not.

ginnytez

I will still think of myself as 220 (and now more like 144). I think I am doing better though. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think "I would think that person is thin/lead if they didn't have my face." That is happening less. Also, in a couple of recent pictures I have been in for work, with people of a wide variety of sizes, I looked at myself and thought "Yep, you look pretty thin." Think I will be going into maintenance soon.

seltzermint555

ginnytez wrote: »

I will still think of myself as 220 (and now more like 144). I think I am doing better though. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think "I would think that person is thin/lead if they didn't have my face." That is happening less. Also, in a couple of recent pictures I have been in for work, with people of a wide variety of sizes, I looked at myself and thought "Yep, you look pretty thin." Think I will be going into maintenance soon.

I agree, photos of myself with other people - especially other women - help me to see my size in relation to others. I am fairly tall at 5'8" and most of my girlfriends are either 5'2-3" or 5'10", so I was used to looking like The Hulk for years in photos with my shorter friends when I was 5-6" taller and 100+ lb heavier than them. It's strange now to see myself just looking taller, and maybe wider in some ways, but not drastically bigger all over. It's also strange, yet cool, to see myself in photos with women who are around my same height/weight and realize that I am actually a similar size to them, because in my mind I'm still much bigger.

nooshi713

Maybe I do have body dystrophia or just different opinions on what fat is. I don’t think I’m fat but the media would say I’m fat. Anything over a size 2 is fat to some people. I see many women on here trying to lose weight when they are already skinny imo.

shunggie

Right now I'm in a weird place because I've lost 48 pounds and can see the difference (most of the time) but all I can concentrate on is my stomach or my bat wings. I can almost see muscles in the top part of my abdomen but the bottom is all flab. My legs probably show the most change. Where they were once disgusting bags of fat and cellulite they are now muscular and the fat is all on the side. It's just so weird. I know I'll get used to it but I'm so glad to find lots of folks have the same issue.

o0kody0o

I’m also interested to hear others views on this. Having started out in February at 184lbs, I was the biggest I’d ever been. My original goal weight was 147 but once I got there, I still wasn’t happy. I set a new goal weight of 128lbs. I’m currently around 140lbs and whenever I look in the mirror, I can’t really tell that I’ve lost 44lbs. I still see a fat belly and big thighs. I can see the difference in my progress pics but the mirror tells me different.

When I go shopping for clothes, I still pick up “big” sizes because “No way will those UK10 jeans fit me yet”...but they do. I worry that when I reach my GW of 128, that I still won’t feel satisfied. Will i still tell myself “You’re huge!”? Will I want to lose more weight? Friends and family can see my weight loss but I don’t see it like they do.

It’s definitely a little concerning and I really hope my brain catches up.

steveko89

When I came upon the site back in 2012 my starting weight was 178, within "normal" BMI for a 6'1" male but I was unhappy with my body. I lost weight down to as low as 159 in mid-2013... and was still unhappy with what I saw in the mirror. Since then I've gotten into lifting weights and noticeably improved my body composition... and while less unhappy with the mirror, I'm still not satisfied over seven years later. Call it body dysmorphia or continuous improvement/changing expectations.

HoneyBadger302

There's a really wide range between "completely happy with your body" and "body dysmorphia."

I've been content with my body before, even generally happy with it, but still wishing I could change a few things/improve certain things.

Right now, I'm actually not that bothered by what I see in the mirror, I'm appreciating how I'm looking as I lose weight - right up until I see a photo of myself. THEN I am reminded that I'm still a good 15-20 pounds overweight.

There are times I see things (say, during a workout) that I think look great, but I don't see them the rest of the time (say, a muscle that's really developing and looking good while lifting).

J_NY_Z

What's amazing is this discussion reflects the ratio of women to men who experience dysmorphia. I don't know where it comes from but I will never be happy with how I look. Last year I shed 20 pounds and I took before and after photos. It was so depressing. I know I did hard work, I know there was a tangible loss. But here I sat picking apart the photos looking at all the flaws. I have set a weight goal for the end of this year and it will be interesting to see how my brain processes the loss. Its exhausting...