Body Dismorphia

dawnmg81
dawnmg81 Posts: 10 Member
Anyone else suffer with body dismorphia? I still have a long ways to go with my weight loss journey but have lost 60 lbs so far. I look in the mirror and see no difference. I still see the ginormous obese mommy that I was when I started this journey. I am still obese, but I ma sure parts of me are smaller after losing 60 lbs. I hear compliments from people on my weight loss but always feel as though they are just saying it to try and be nice since most people know i am trying to lose weight. I dont feel like they actually see the difference.

Is it normal to feel like this? I didnt really take any before pictures (which i regret hugely) so i cant really go back and look at comparisons between 6 months ago and now.
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Replies

  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    Yup. I actually had to go digging for old pictures for constant comparison I need them to remind me how far I have come despite how I feel.
  • sweetpea129
    sweetpea129 Posts: 755 Member
    YES YES YES. I look in the mirror and still think im huge and can barely tell a difference. But if i look at pictures i can see a big difference. However, i often tell myself that the camera must have just been good or i was standing at a good angle or something along those lines. I still think im fat even though people tell me i'm not. It messes with my head a lot to be honest. Once in a great while i will get a quick glimpse in the mirror as i walk by and realize that its me. But yes, i'm having a much harder time mentally than i did physically losing the weight :(
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    Yep. I have just now gotten to the point where I can see it. And still only sometimes, like if I look in a pic or happen to catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror when I am not expecting it!
  • redhead1910
    redhead1910 Posts: 304 Member
    I also lost 60 pounds and I spend about half an hour looking in the mirror each day and nit pick at every single thing I hate about myself. I feel you. Even at 130 pounds I still can't find anything I like about my body. Body Dysmorphia sucks. :(
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    What I see in the mirror essentially reflects how I am feeling at the moment, good OR bad. Kinda weird. The only way I get a less biased judgment is when I catch an unexpected glimpse of myself in a mirror or reflection in glass. Pictures would work too, probably, but I haven't taken any in a long time.
  • closenre
    closenre Posts: 225 Member
    Happens to guys too.. ive lost 70 lbs and even though I can see my abs I still feel like I look big.. im in a size 30 and still feel like my love handles show thru my clothes or hang over shorts when im shirtless
  • Alexandra289
    Alexandra289 Posts: 330 Member
    I'm glad you posted this - I've been looking into this disorder today. All my life my parents have been telling me they think I have body dismorphia but now I'm starting to think they're right. I was worried I was becoming super vain because I couldn't stop looking in the mirror but I think it's because I obsess over every flaw. Almost every woman I see I think 'how big am I compared to her?'. Don't like myself for thinking about appearance for so much!

    I can look in the mirror wearing an outfit and think I look OK, then I'll look in the same mirror wearing the same outfit 10 minutes later and suddenly I'll look massive - sometimes I feel like I don't actually know what I look like. I obsess over how my stomach looks and it's never good enough no matter how much weight I lose. I can see a difference in weight in pictures but otherwise I feel exactly the same.

    Wish there was an easy way to stop this but it's definitely not just you
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
    Every day. I see morbidly obese me in the mirror. Cognitively, I know I'm smaller. But eyes and my brain don't see it in the mirror. I see it in pictures, but I don't recognize the person in the pictures as me. This topic comes up a lot and it seems it just takes time. I'm hoping that's true.
  • Shr3dded
    Shr3dded Posts: 232
    Does it count if I check myself out in the mirror 10+ times a day noting what muscle insertions I'd like to pump up more?

    If so, yes. And proud of it.
  • avvalynna
    avvalynna Posts: 32
    It's funny that you posted this. I had a similar conversation last night with someone. I'm down 25lbs but see no difference. I have 3 photos and I tried to compare them and they all look the same. I finally asked someone and they thought I was nuts and then told me I looked less bulky... Doesn't boost the self confidence much but I guess less bulky is better than nothing? /sigh...bulky...
  • sweetpea129
    sweetpea129 Posts: 755 Member
    It's funny that you posted this. I had a similar conversation last night with someone. I'm down 25lbs but see no difference. I have 3 photos and I tried to compare them and they all look the same. I finally asked someone and they thought I was nuts and then told me I looked less bulky... Doesn't boost the self confidence much but I guess less bulky is better than nothing? /sigh...bulky...

    Fwiw, I started where you did (well 7 lbs heavier) & I didn't notice any difference at all until I was down 50 lbs. It suddenly became much more obvious.
  • lee91356
    lee91356 Posts: 330 Member
    Yes! no more need be said lol.

    I still feel like a "fatty bombasta" as I call it, even after losing over 120lbs. According to the BMI ticker I still have a way to go for a healthy BMI but people have already started telling me that I look so "thin" and I need to stop losing weight but I look in the mirror and wonder if we're seeing the same thing lol :tongue:

    But other days when I put on my NEW SMALL TIGHTER shirt/ skirt/ jeans/ etc. I think yah I look pretty good :wink:
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    I don't think there are any easy answers. Keep working on losing weight, and when you reach your goal, on maintaining your loss. One measure of successful weight loss is maintaining for at least five years. By that point, you may well view yourself in a different light.

    I don't believe every problem is solved 100%. A big improvement isn't bad, though.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
    I struggled with this a lot. Even now, I still feel bigger than I am, but not as big as I used to be, if that makes sense. It took about a year of being right around this size for my brain to finally accept it. I'm still shocked when I fold my clothes, though. No way can I fit in that shirt, or those pants, and jeesh those panties are tiny.
    Pictures help, but mostly, just measure yourself, and look up those numbers for comparison anytime you need a reminder.
    I was 280, am now 175 and have been around this weight for a year, and although I'm happy here, would eventually hope to reach 156. I'm 5'8.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    Give yourself a chance to adjust. Change, even positive change, can be stressful. Maybe it's taking time for your self image to catch up with how successful and effective you can be.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    My issue with myself is in pictures. I feel cute wearing something look in the mirror and think I look ok then I take a picture and it shows how fat I still am. I got a front view camera and looked in the mirror and at the camera and can see my double chin in the camera but not in the mirror. I like my profile pic because it is blurry.
  • cleanandlean2012
    cleanandlean2012 Posts: 71 Member
    Absolutely! I have lost 46lbs and can barely see a difference. I went back to my family town this weekend and received so many compliments, along side being featured in a group for weight loss success. I have gone from UK size 22 to size 14/16 and cannot see a difference.

    My solution, surround yourself with people you trust. They will tell you when you look awesome and also if you eventually lose too much.
  • lalaland82
    lalaland82 Posts: 176 Member
    I just got off the phone to my best friend an hour ago crying over this. I tried on my wedding dress with my sister and was horrified when I looked in the mirror and saw fat arms and fat back etc etc, when I said to lady in the shop well at least I know i still need a lot of work on my back she looked confused and asked me what was wrong with my back. My sis took a photo for me and its not anywhere near what I see in the mirror.
    When I was last dieting and exercising I used to think I was still massive, only wore baggy trackies and a long sleeved baggy top when I worked out so no-one would see my fat - though I have seen photos and I can honestly say I looked too thin, bones everywhere!!
    It drives me mental and I have no idea what to do about it - just wish I could see what I actually look like!
    This time I have chosen a weight target which is slap bang in the middle of normal weight for me and will just hope I can learn to love myself there :smile:
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