Body image issues

hummingbirdhope
hummingbirdhope Posts: 101 Member
edited November 9 in Motivation and Support
I have been diagnosed with body dysmorphia and anorexia. No matter what weight I'm at, I'm unhappy with my body. My highest was 118, lowest was 80, and in high school and now 108. I'm a 5'4 24 year old female. I hate how the media tells us we need to be "skinny".

I also hate how a certain few on here have told me to "get off the site" and "stop freaking out" when the reality of it is- people like me do exist and by acting like this, you're just feeding the problem.

I'm looking for some sort of support. How do you get over the body image issues? I was doing so well eating my maintenance calories & then got on my period & binge are about 5,000 calories in chocolate. I attempted to fast and that just created the opposite affect...

Humph.

Replies

  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    :( That is super sad. I hope you can get enough therapy and happiness in your life to feel better about yourself.
  • hummingbirdhope
    hummingbirdhope Posts: 101 Member
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    :( That is super sad. I hope you can get enough therapy and happiness in your life to feel better about yourself.

    Thank you. I've spent literally thousands of dollars the past year on therapy & doctors & no matter what still feel the same..
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    So you said that you were able to maintain for a certain amount of time. Can you just try one day at a time? You don't have to think about long term. One step. Because in the long run you are going to lose all the potassium that your heart needs to be able to function. You will slowly kill yourself. If you have a binge, it doesn't define you and certainly will not make you "fluffy" . You need to continue to try to help yourself. Even if you relapse over and over. Just don't stop.
  • Lucknawi
    Lucknawi Posts: 21 Member
    It takes time and also takes the right kind of support. I had this specific issue in jr high and high school, I yo-yo'ed in weight, rarely even ate in front of people except on special occassions but then spent a lot of time fussing oveer the fact that I had eaten food at all. I spent years making horrible choices for my body because I had a seriously complicated relationship with food and weight.

    If you need support, someone to talk you off the ledge when needed or someone that can help you feel motivated to stay on track then feel free to add me.
  • liquoricecat
    liquoricecat Posts: 19 Member
    It might not be the sort of advice you're looking for but (if you haven't already) I'd really recommend reading 'The Beauty Myth' by Naomi Wolf. It may not be for you but I have to say that it really helped me with my body dysmorphia and borderline eating disorder behaviour. I still have days where I hate the way I look but I think this book definitely helped me get a handle on it more and understand that I didn't NEED to feel that way about myself or constantly measure myself up to perfection ...

    This isn't a 'plug' or anything! Just a recommendation for something that really helped me at one point in my life. Take it or leave it :) Hope you get the help you need. x

  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
    From what I understand, and I am no psychologist so take this for what's it's worth, retraining toxic thought patterns requires faking it until you make it or in other words, flooding yourself with positive body messages even if you don't mean it until it starts to sink in.
  • hummingbirdhope
    hummingbirdhope Posts: 101 Member
    dawn0293 wrote: »
    From what I understand, and I am no psychologist so take this for what's it's worth, retraining toxic thought patterns requires faking it until you make it or in other words, flooding yourself with positive body messages even if you don't mean it until it starts to sink in.

    That actually makes a lot of sense...
  • Vananners
    Vananners Posts: 19
    dawn0293 wrote: »
    From what I understand, and I am no psychologist so take this for what's it's worth, retraining toxic thought patterns requires faking it until you make it or in other words, flooding yourself with positive body messages even if you don't mean it until it starts to sink in.

    Positive aspirations. I've used this method to help with anxiety, which was recommended by a psychologist. Fake it til you make it. It REALLY works for me. I just repeat a specific saying in my head every time I start to feel the snowball effect that turns into an anxiety attack.

    "I am happy, I am healthy and I can manage anything"

    I just repeat that over and over until I start to calm down.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    hummingbirdhope wrote: »
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    :( That is super sad. I hope you can get enough therapy and happiness in your life to feel better about yourself.

    Thank you. I've spent literally thousands of dollars the past year on therapy & doctors & no matter what still feel the same..

    Sounds like you haven't found either a therapist / doctor you connect with or a method that works for you. You aren't doomed to feel this way the rest of your life. There are ways to overcome it, but at this point you may need to find it within yourself.

    First, STOP paying attention to the media! Easier said than done, but you have to know that pictures are photoshopped, celebrities do NOT always look perfect and glamorous and many of them deal with the same feelings you do. Their lives are NOT perfect just because they may be a size 2 or 0.

    Do some reading and research on your own. Use positive thoughts, as mentioned above, but actually SAY them to yourself in the mirror and make sure you put feeling into it. Name and appreciate a body part every day: my legs carry me wherever I need to go or my hands allow me to be creative, or whatever fits for you. Be appreciative of all the things about yourself that aren't physical: your brain, your caring about others, etc. It sounds trite, but sometimes, focus on everything other than yourself. There's a great big world out there that you could be missing out on - get out there and enjoy it!
  • kk1084
    kk1084 Posts: 51 Member
    I am also recovering from eating disorders and I do find that it is VERY difficult to find a positive place from which to approach it... One day, I am thinking "I can do this!! I really can!! It will be ok!" and then I gain a pound (which is NOTHING, I know) and I freak out and cannot handle it, so I restrict, lose, the cycle starts again.... I wish we didn't have to deal and I do hope that someday I can say I am fully recovered.
  • jenifer7teen
    jenifer7teen Posts: 205 Member
    dawn0293 wrote: »
    From what I understand, and I am no psychologist so take this for what's it's worth, retraining toxic thought patterns requires faking it until you make it or in other words, flooding yourself with positive body messages even if you don't mean it until it starts to sink in.
    Good advice. around age 26 I finally- FULLY recovered from anorexia that began when I was 16. recovery is absolutely possible, so stay strong. now I look back on that part of myself and wonder how I lost so much perspective on what matters in life, what makes a person- and life itself-beautiful.
    -one thing I used to tell myself is "starve the negative, feed the positive" . With each denial of the anorexic impulse, it slowly got weaker... Each time I fed my healthy side ( positive thinking, service to others, eating nutritious food, opening up in friendships) that part of me eventually overtook the weak/sad/self-loathing/empty side.

    I like to think that I starved that anorexic witch in my head- starved her to death. ;)
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