Yesterday I was hot. Today I'm fat and gross.

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Lindsay_the_great
Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
in Motivation and Support
I hate the seemingly arbitrary fluctuations in my body image. They can be so demoralizing. I know I'm not alone in this. Let's commiserate.
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  • tinamatteson
    tinamatteson Posts: 125 Member
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    I have an obsession with my chin and neck area - I have a double chin and when I'm a few pounds overweight, it's a lot worse. Years ago when I was in college, someone said to me, "where's your chin? You don't even have one!!" (What does that even mean...?!) I've never really gotten over it. Anyway, some days I feel like I look nice, and other days I just cannot stop seeing this awful, fat double chin in the mirror.
  • Lindsay_the_great
    Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
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    Ugh. I'm sorry someone said something so ludicrous to you. People never think about the long term effects of their callous remarks.
    My obsession is the size of my thighs and guess what my uncles called me when I was little? Thunder thighs.
  • tinamatteson
    tinamatteson Posts: 125 Member
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    That's so incredibly mean! Like you alluded to, a stupid comment can hurt someone for the rest of their life! At any rate... I understand what you mean about fluctuations in body image. One day I can wear an outfit and feel like I look great, and then another day that same outfit looks awful! What in the world? Also... when I leave the house I may like the way I look, but later if I'm at an event where photos are taken, when I see the photos of me I hate how I look. What's up with that!?
  • Lindsay_the_great
    Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
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    It really doesn't make any sense. I mean I know some times we retain water and whatnot but I really don't think that's my issue most of the time. I'm pretty sure it's all in my head. That understanding doesn't help my confidence any, though.
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,363 Member
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    Your profile indicates you have 6lb to lose...you are not gross neither is anyone else with weight to lose regardless of how much they have to lose.

    I know sometimes our perception of our own body image is sometimes out of kilter, but we need to keep things in perspective.

    Be kind to yourself.
  • Lindsay_the_great
    Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
    edited February 2015
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    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    Your profile indicates you have 6lb to lose...you are not gross neither is anyone else with weight to lose regardless of how much they have to lose.

    I know sometimes our perception of our own body image is sometimes out of kilter, but we need to keep things in perspective.

    Be kind to yourself.

    How a person feels about oneself is not indicative of how one views others. We are often our own harshest critics. You do not know me or how much I've lost or what it's taken to get here. My statement was not judging anyone but myself so there's no need to crusade.
  • ndulgetoday
    ndulgetoday Posts: 25 Member
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    tinamatteson wrote: »
    That's so incredibly mean! Like you alluded to, a stupid comment can hurt someone for the rest of their life! At any rate... I understand what you mean about fluctuations in body image. One day I can wear an outfit and feel like I look great, and then another day that same outfit looks awful! What in the world? Also... when I leave the house I may like the way I look, but later if I'm at an event where photos are taken, when I see the photos of me I hate how I look. What's up with that!?

    I totally agree! I'm a makeup artist and everyone tells me that I'm pretty or that I have a great complexion when actually I often feel completely different. I dislike taking full pictures at events...when I tell people how much I weight they're always shocked and say I carry it well...that's because I've learned how to hide it......through the MFP tool I'll get back to where I want to be. Its a day to day process but I'm learning that it's all about mental toughness.
  • karen_fitzgibbon
    karen_fitzgibbon Posts: 736 Member
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    As a child is got called chicken. Due to my legs looking like drumsticks. Fat thighs skinny shins but beautiful ankles lol.
    I hate my thighs, I hate days where I feel fat. Thin days feel few and far between.

    I totally understand your body image perception thingie. It sucks and we are always so mean to ourselves.

    I will say though that I think you are really pretty. But that of course is my opinion :)
  • Lindsay_the_great
    Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
    edited February 2015
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    karen_fitzgibbon wrote: »
    As a child is got called chicken. Due to my legs looking like drumsticks. Fat thighs skinny shins but beautiful ankles lol.
    I hate my thighs, I hate days where I feel fat. Thin days feel few and far between.

    I totally understand your body image perception thingie. It sucks and we are always so mean to ourselves.

    I will say though that I think you are really pretty. But that of course is my opinion :)

    You are so sweet. And pretty ankles are worth all our weight in gold. I know someone who has ankles thick as knees even when she's slender. You got lucky on that one. :smile: Also small calves means you can wear boots! Even now close to my goal I can't zip a boot over my calves.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited February 2015
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    The worst for me is trying on clothes.

    My body proportions are *not* in vogue for women's clothing right now, either in terms of sizing or in terms of fashion. All these cute retro waist-nipping full skirts make me look like a dumpy blob, especially once I get into a size that can fit around my torso (my waist is an entire inch smaller than my bra band and I don't really have hips). Trying to find dresses in particular is the single fastest way to take me from "wow, I'm in really good shape" (I have visible abs) to tears.
  • dontjinxit
    dontjinxit Posts: 82 Member
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    I'm fine until I sit down and my belly magically grows by about 3 times.
  • HulaHoopLou
    HulaHoopLou Posts: 2
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    I get this so bad. But it literally is all in our heads and you can work on training yourself not to think negatively about yourself. I'm still working on it....but telling myself I'm hot as *kitten* every morning (even when I don't believe it) definitely beats being paralysed from doing anything because I feel fat.
  • winterWind341
    winterWind341 Posts: 24 Member
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    My biggest problem is my thigs and my arms. Those are the 2 areas where the fat just wont go away :neutral_face: And there are days where I'll be like 'oh its not THAT bad' but there are more days where I just feel like crying when I see the size of my limbs. At least I have a nice stomach and booty so I got that going for me which is nice...
  • fairweather2
    fairweather2 Posts: 24 Member
    edited February 2015
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    dontjinxit wrote: »
    I'm fine until I sit down and my belly magically grows by about 3 times.

    Hahaha this is so me!!! All confidence until someone gets a photo of me sitting down :joy:
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    Bah im proud of my belly it's proof I enjoy life. I think it looks better than the loose skin I would have if I lost the rest of my fat anyway. And I can still run a 10k in under an hour which I think is respectable for a 240lb man with a 40inch waist XD
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
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    I thought I was okay till I caught my reflection under a fluorescent light in short tights doing pilates- ugh Cellulite city. Is there really any hope of it going? I'm skinny fat!
  • mpeters1965
    mpeters1965 Posts: 370 Member
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    We are so tough on ourselves. I have always had big thighs and I too was called "thunder thighs" when I was young. It was painful. Over the years I started listening to the other things people were saying too. That I have a small waist. That I have nice skin (or did for a long time anyway :smile: ) That I am very smart. Most importantly for me though is that I married a man who LOVES my thighs and I listen to him too. When I have some extra weight to lose, I don't worry about my thighs, just the weight. So listen to the other posters here and listen for the positive in what others say around you and just ignore the negatives the best you can. Some days it will just be harder than others.
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
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    I get like this, too. Especially if I go off the rails and start shoveling in food. The next day I look in the mirror and know perfectly well I haven't gained visible fat (though my face does bloat if I eat junk) but I still see a hideous lardbeast in the mirror anyway.

    I'm working on it. I'm working very hard to think of my body as what it can do and not just what it looks like. I appreciate it a lot more when I remember how far I ran or biked or how I gracelessly landed on my butt trying to rollerblade and didn't get hurt. Finally, a good use for a little saddlebag!
  • Lindsay_the_great
    Lindsay_the_great Posts: 209 Member
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    Jolinia wrote: »
    I'm working on it. I'm working very hard to think of my body as what it can do and not just what it looks like. I appreciate it a lot more when I remember how far I ran or biked or how I gracelessly landed on my butt trying to rollerblade and didn't get hurt. Finally, a good use for a little saddlebag!

    I love this so much

  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
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    big_lindsay wrote: »
    Jolinia wrote: »
    I'm working on it. I'm working very hard to think of my body as what it can do and not just what it looks like. I appreciate it a lot more when I remember how far I ran or biked or how I gracelessly landed on my butt trying to rollerblade and didn't get hurt. Finally, a good use for a little saddlebag!

    I love this so much

    Thanks :)

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