Body image

Happyoceangirl
Happyoceangirl Posts: 1,993 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Wondering who else seems to have a fluctuating body image - and any ideas on how to keep it positive?? Usually I focus in how far I've come but then there are days when it seems I have so far yet to go. Tips and tricks for staying positive and seeing strength vs weakness are welcome. (hmmm ... Maybe this should have gone in the motivation thread!)

Replies

  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    I have trouble with this myself. Going to check back in the morning hoping some folks have posted tips for me to try out!!
  • abra526
    abra526 Posts: 213 Member
    I am totally with you. Some days (usually my successful weigh in days), I'll feel so good in my fresh from the dryer jeans that aren't tight anymore. Not a muffin-top in sight! Then, there are days when I get a glimpse of my butt-dimples in the mirror, and I take a few steps backwards on the self confidence wagon. Or, I'll go 30 calories over my daily goal, and feel like I failed myself. It's all how we perceive our journey as a whole, and we have to stick together and support each other!
  • SeaShell33
    SeaShell33 Posts: 141
    I had one of those days today! I just keep telling myself its forever...it will happen. =)
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I struggle with this too. I don't tend to see how far I've come - I tend to see only what I'd like to change. Then I start to .. well, almost obsess over the flaws that I see in the mirror vs the success.

    I still tend to buy clothes that are too big and I end up having to take them back. I just can't seem to wrap my mind around a size 8 or 10 sometimes. I think some of it is I don't want people looking at me and thinking "Why is she wearing THAT? She looks hideous in that!". I tend to "hide" under my clothes which seems to annoy people who are close to me. They'll tell me "You look great! Wear stuff that fits and shows off your hard work!" and I'll still buy a tshirt that is too big. I don't know how to change the way I view my body.
  • ObviousIndigo
    ObviousIndigo Posts: 382 Member
    bump
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
    I am the queen of low self-esteem :tongue:
    Self-affirming statements are helpful. At times I catch my critical side thinking self-loathing thoughts. What I do is pause and re-examine what made me think that. Then I re-phrase what I meant to say to myself, with an optimistic spin.
  • mzbrandyluv
    mzbrandyluv Posts: 103
    Perhaps if you kept one of your largest articles of clothing....be it pants or shirt or whatever, and on the days where you feel "Blah" or that you have too far to go...put it on. it's one thing to think of where you were, but perhaps that visual, or the feeling of just how loose that article of clothing now is, could help? :) Or you could always just come here and get some encouragement from those who are right there with you! And just remember, tomorrow is another day with new perspectives :)
  • cng1117
    cng1117 Posts: 225 Member
    i dont think it's something that is going to be overcome easily. I think our "old" selves are permanently burned into our memory so when we look in the mirror we see what we remember and not what we are. sometimes i look in the mirror and see where my double chin is shrinking and where cheek bones are more prominent and notice where the fat in my eyebrow doesn't smoosh over my eye lids anymore (it sounds stupid, i know) and am pleased when my old faithful elastic waist jeans are too baggy and "hang" when i put them on but then i'll go to the store, and catch a glimpse of myself in the door of the freezer section or in the glass on the way out and all i see is the big huge fat roll still hanging at the bottom of my stomach, or the pudgy roll under my chest and i think "Who the hell am I kidding, i look like a freaking cow..." and then the rest of the day is terrible. :sad: i think for a lot of us on here half the battle will be our own selves because even when we finish losing weight we'll still be fighting with our minds to accept it. that's probably a lot of what it is, getting our brains to accept the new "us". A lot of the negative things we've experienced will stay with us for a long time. A life time (or half a life time...) of negativity isn't going to magically erase itself from our minds with a couple months of thinness. Each day we'll have to just take it as it is, enjoy the good days and when the bad days come, sit back and say "whoa!" and like one poster said, re-analyze our feelings and more or less counsel ourselves on why we feel this way today. least you know there are plenty of people here who understand how you feel :happy:
  • tigertchr23
    tigertchr23 Posts: 418 Member
    You are definitely not alone. I am in counseling and currently working on this myself . . . as well as other things. Some weeks I am beaming and can see my progress in the mirror. Then, a few days later I swear I look 10-20 pounds heavier and I notice every single flaw on my body. *My husband took away my scale and hid it from me back in February because the scale was my total focus and determined my mood for the day*

    I constantly *feel* like people are judging me about my weight . . . I have always been a person who fluctuates very easily with weight. I work hard every day and I am always trying to improve . . . both emotionally and physically. I hope to one day be completely happy with myself . . . inside and out . . . and never look back . . .

    Feel free to add me. We can try to work at this together. :flowerforyou:
  • Noctuary
    Noctuary Posts: 255
    I could give you a bunch of motivating hooya like love yourself blah blah. But I'll tell you what worked for me.
    I faked it till it was real. Act like you love your body and are a-ok with every jiggle of it. This will make others comfortable around you and start seeing you this way. Because they REACT to how you make THEM feel. If you are insecure they get anxious and then it's all weird time. Fake it till they start treating you like you are fabulous. Then before you know it..you start feeling it.

    I was a Torrid Gal for 8 years.:wink:
  • punkrawkcutie
    punkrawkcutie Posts: 439 Member
    This is actually an area of interest of mine as I have suffered from low self esteem most of my life. I actually have a blog about it and stuff, would love to have peoples comments and suggestins for it!
    www.sarahs-closet.blogspot.com
  • FJMilner
    FJMilner Posts: 407
    bump.....just going to work but this is definitely something I need help on too
  • escadachic
    escadachic Posts: 395 Member
    All I can say is, it's just hard when you're a women, as it seems no matter what we do, we are never totally happy, we always can find fault somewhere and damn celebrities don't help us in gaining an positive and confident self image.

    Just remember who you are on the inside, as that's the most important and eventually it will reflect on the outside :-D
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
    It took me almost 14lbs to bite the bullet and buy some new trousers (even though I could take my old trousers off without undoing the zip!!)

    Some days I feel great - I now fit into a pair of jeans that I haven't since 2008!!! I am also pretty much at goal weight.

    However I still have days when I feel bloated and sometimes I feel guilty if I am not working out enough...
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Kind of. I have days when I think I look fat and days where I think I look thin, neither of which bear much resemblance to my actual size.
  • cklbrown
    cklbrown Posts: 4,696 Member
    I've lost almost 30 lbs. I am thin for me, but I'm still fat compared to everyone else. I can't see my accomplishments and when someone says that I've lost a lot or look great my first reaction is that I have so much more to go. Changing self esteem is just as difficult and as slow of a process as losing weight!
  • punkrawkcutie
    punkrawkcutie Posts: 439 Member
    Changing self esteem is just as difficult and as slow of a process as losing weight!

    ...maybe even harder!
  • jdm_taco
    jdm_taco Posts: 999 Member
    fresh from the dryer jeans that aren't tight anymore.


    I used to DREAD washing my clothes :laugh: Too funny, I know exactly what you mean.
  • Happyoceangirl
    Happyoceangirl Posts: 1,993 Member
    Thank you for your answers, I agree with what was said and relate. What's interesting is that I have had more or less a "breakthrough", in the past 2 years I have come to really feel comfortable with my body, I have come to truly like and respect myself for all I can do and all that I am. I would say a good 90% of the time, I'm so much happier than I used to be. But then, out of nowhere, I will have a day with, shall we say, a different perspective.... and in those moments when I see all the flab, the evil voice tells me that that other 90% of the time, I'm just delusional. I guess I just need to be glad it's only once in a while... .and be prepared the tell that voice to shut the *kitten* up next time it tries to get my attention. :bigsmile:
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