eating problems/body image

jody1974

Hi! I am a stay at home mom of two small girls. My oldest will be 3 tomorrow on 02/03, and my youngest will be 1 on 03/05. That is also my 36th birthday. Well I tried just to eat the 1200 cal diet but was having a hard time of always feeling dizzy so I changed to 1530 cal. Right now I weight 99.5lbs and am 5'4" tall. Both times when I got pregnant I was 105lbs. I am having a hard time about my weight since my body changed so much- had c-sections both time. I want to weigh what I was before I had the kids but am having a hard time with my body image. I feel so fat and I look worn out all the time. Any ideas on what I can do to change how I feel about myself?

Oompa_Loompa

Wait you only weigh 99 pounds?? I hope you mean that you want to gain weight..??

Sunsh1ne

Jody, looking at your profile picture I can tell you that you are a beautiful woman and you do not need to lose an ounce. Looking at the numbers you gave, however, I'm worried about you. 5'4" is small, and you have a small frame, but it's not 99-pounds small. Your weight is dangerously low. Please, before you try to lose any more weight, talk to your doctor about what weight is healthy for you. If you don't want to do so for yourself, please think of your little girls. They will look up to you and want to be like you, so you need to be a healthy role model for them.

As for feeling tired, I'm willing to bet it's because you're so thin that your body doesn't have the energy reserves it needs to heal properly. Please, talk to your doctor or another medical professional about this. Ninety-nine pounds is not enough weight.

DeniseJohnsonTremblay

Hi there,

I've been there so many times. It's a vicious circle however not impossible to manage those negative thoughts. You have to really focus on what's positive not only about your body but your life.

It's so easy to forget about yourself when you have kids and it's easy to obsess over something that we know we can control which is our weight. My advice/suggestion would be to be patient and work your way to your goal in a healthy way and don't rush it because that is dangerous territory for negative thoughts and bad habits. It's not that we can't get back to where we were it's just gonna take a lot more dedication and hard work.

sincerely,
D

Kath712

I agree with Sunsh1ne.... think of the example you are setting for your girls. Girls have so many outside influences telling them what their bodies should look like. Please be the great mom that you can be and tell them that they are perfect just as they are. But I think in order to do that, you need to believe it about yourself. I completely understand your situation. I have two girls of my own, and I want nothing more than to raise them with good self images. Not just their bodies, but their personalities, intelligence, everything. I grew up with a very poor body image (slightly overweight, but not obese). I wish someone would have told me (even just once) that I was fine just the way I was. It took me 30-35 years to finally figure it out.

Please, please, please work with your doctor, a nutritionist, whoever you need to see (I went to a Psychologist) to help you feel good about yourself. It's hard work, but SO worth it in the end! I promise. If you need to chat, I'm here for you.