Sometimes I feel like there is no point.

you said "look bad"

What image do you have that is "good".

Often body image issues has nothing to do with our shapes, but everything to do with mental health. ( exactly what you said)

Working out and getting healthy isn't only about what the body looks like, but how it feels and how you feel physically ( more energy etc)

I think you need some time to reevaluate why you are doing this. Maybe talk to someone about your body image issues.

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. I've seen all shapes and sizes suffer from not liking their shape.

Sorry if this sounds too oversimplistic, but the only way I could accept my body (which looks like a deflated balloon sitting on two popsicle sticks, to be honest) is to accept it. I'm never going to look haut in a dress (hell, I may never find a dress that looks good on me), but I can rejoice in what weight loss *has* brought me: size 8 jeans, more energy, a feeling of accomplishment that I did something good for myself.

I'm going to second the suggestions to hash out your body perceptions with a professional neutral third-party. Even if you pay for plastic surgery and fix the box shape, it wouldn't address the bigger picture challenge of accepting and loving you for who you are; talking it out is much cheaper, too. Good luck!

ktekc wrote: »

coreyreichle wrote: »

Stop worrying about your appearance, and focus on your health. Apple, pear, whatever, guys generally don't care as long as you're not carrying an extra 15% of body fat.

You are right she should focus on her health. But however worrying about if guys care about it shouldn't matter. If i based my mental happiness with myself on if guys would approve i'd never leave the house.

^^ True story!

I loathed my lower half for many many years. Now I just don't care, and I have to like or love what I have been given because I can't just take pieces and parts of other bodies and put them on mine.

I do have the power to construct or transform my body if I choose to, but moreover the way I feel now is way more important and exercise comes with the gift of better health and a plus, I look better.

@abrazame ...Don't give up! Whatever you think you look like, someone will think it is different. Attractiveness is subjective and if you work on mental health and wellness you will naturally lose more weight as your body becomes happier. Every time you show up and login to this site, you are doing a little more to work towards your goal. Nothing is easy and maintaining or lowering body weight or fat content takes a lot of time to do right.
I myself suffer with anxiety and other mental health symptoms and for people like us (assumingly), we have to work a lot harder than most people to achieve the same goal. Keep motivated, you can do it. Everything is achievable, but again, there is no easy way... Keep it up, good luck

There's so much to unpack here it's hard to know where to begin...
First of all, how is it ever 'not worth it' to reduce the strain on ones heart & joints, avoid blood sugar imbalance or hypertension, move more freely, and be more fit overall?
Secondly, just because you personally don't 'love' your natural body type doesn't mean someone else won't. Focus on what you love in others. Your passion & authenticity will attract people to you.
Thirdly, it sounds like you have some real body dysmorphia driving this, and I suspect it's from too much time spent in the 'Victoria's-Secret-sports-Illustrated-Kardashian-Komplex' world. Familiarize yourself with a better group of notable women. Start looking at Olympic athletes, serious stage actresses, professional dancers & musicians. You'll encounter lots of different 'types ' of bodies, each at their own personal physical peak. That fake little world people like the kardashian girls are selling is a stupid and reductive place anyway. You are so much better than that.
Finally, on the most superficial level of all, we don't all walk around naked all the time... Clothing choices can be made that maximize favorite features, minimize others, and create the illusion of a classic 'hourglass' shape on any reasonably fit body. Immerse yourself in that very real fashion discipline if you are so inclined. It can be very empowering.
Best wishes! xo

You know, that hourglass shape really isn't all it's cracked up to be either. Even when I'm overweight, I have a visible waistline but due to their size, my boobs started to go south when I was still in my teens. And even when I'm in "normal" size range, getting things to fit over my hips is no walk in the park. Neither my excess weight weight nor my saggy boobs nor my considerable hip/*kitten* region has ever stopped people from loving me both inside and out.

Some days I manage to love myself, sometimes I struggle. But that's the same for people of absolutely every size, shape, colour.

I am the classic hourglass - that's good, right? However, it's on a short, stumpy body and I'm curvy to the extent that even at an ideal weight, it's easy to still look like I have a few pounds extra. It sucks - but nobody ever said life was going to be fair. Thankfully, I have a long and lean DD - I can admire her body whenever I need When she was little, I used to joke that she was my dress-up doll....I could put on the most awesome outfits on her, stuff I could never in a million years wear myself.

My journey to get fit is so I can be active and healthy (and to look better in clothes LOL!) And like a PP said - t's best to just get on with it and focus on all the awesome things a thinner, healthier body can do. I love doing so many active things and I hate how my extra pounds have been holding me back.

On the plus side, since I stopped worrying so much about how dumb I look - I have sooo many more fun things I love to do. A few years back, my DH finally coaxed me to learn tennis. Uncoordinated me took about a year to learn how to serve the darn ball and I looked completely stupid throughout the learning process. But I learned and although I'm still not particularly good, I have a lot of fun on the courts.

"I genuinely looked bad either way and I was about 10 pounds from my goal."

So you thought you looked bad heavier, and you thought you looked bad thinner. I don't think that's particularly unusual. Pick the thinner one for health if nothing else. Start working on your image of yourself. Experiment with different styles of clothing - maybe you're stuck in a rut and need a change to appreciate the thinner you. Also work on not focusing on your physical appearance so much - like others have said, you're undoubtedly your own worst critic.

I'm not a female, but as a Marine and bodybuilder I have hit many, many goals over the years in terms of my body, weight, or fitness goals. I completed an Ironman and a marathon after nearly losing my right leg and gaining 80 pounds during my recovery. Bottom line, YOU have to want it. If you're wondering what the point is, you've already given up. Buckle down and get your diet right. If that means throwing out all your *kitten* foods and pouring out soda or whatever then do it (step one - like a junk food alcoholic!). Buy a bunch of Tupperware and take a day to get all your meals ready for the week and organize your fridge. Measure your foods, use MFP to keep yourself honest. If you cheat, log it so you can visually see it (yeah, shame yourself a little bit, it builds character and strength just don't allow somebody else to do it to you no matter how hard they try). It may be hard at first but once you settle in to a routine it becomes second nature. One of the only cliché's in fitness I believe in is that it's a lifestyle, make your diet your lifestyle and the rest will fall into place. Don't follow fad diets - use your brain. I literally just read an article saying not to eat fruits or you'll get fat. Have you ever seen a guy get fat from eating too many apples???

I'm blunt because sometimes if you're desperate or have lost hope you shut down, you give up, and regress. It sounds like you're at that point, if not past it. Sometimes you need someone to give you a nudge you when you can't push yourself. *kitten* motivational speeches and all the 'you can do it' pep talks. Where's that gotten you? You're quitting! Change your attitude, get rid of that 'there's no point' *kitten* and attack your workout like it's a battle and punish yourself. Leave the gym with nothing left but a smile on your face from killing it. Dig deep and find that discipline to stick to your diet plan. Don't worry if the girl next to you is doing better, don't worry what people think. Use it as motivation and some day soon somebody will be looking at you for it, I promise. When you don't think you can do one more push up, one more mile, or one more minute dig deep and do two.

I'm a pear on toothpicks wearing skis myself. I don't have the ideal body shape and I never will. What I've had to learn to do is accept how I am and learn to work with it. Losing weight helped, even if I still don't have the ideal body type because it helps accept who I am when I look in the mirror. Don't compare yourself to models or anyone else; compare yourself to yourself. I don't look in the mirror and see a failure to look like a famous person. I look in the mirror and see how I look now vs. three years ago and that makes me feel good.

Focus on losing weight and getting yourself healthier. Add weights so you can tone up, and focus on what you look like now vs. when you started. Take monthly pictures if it helps. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing; this is for you, not anyone else.

I've never noticed what fruit shape any woman I've ever been with is...all seem pretty silly to me. I'm chalking this up to yet another weird thing a lot of women tend to torture themselves with...

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I've never noticed what fruit shape any woman I've ever been with is...all seem pretty silly to me. I'm chalking this up to yet another weird thing a lot of women tend to torture themselves with...

Hourglass shape = Larger chest/breasts and hips, small waist.
Pear shape = Smaller chest/breasts, larger hips, waist that isn't much more narrow than the hips.
Apple shape = Larger hips and waist, chest/breast isn't much smaller than the the hips and waist.
Box shape = Hips and chest area are the same size, waist is very close to the same size.

Aside from using those terms to define what types of body men like, it's also used when determining what kind of styles look best on a particular body type. Can make it easier to shop for clothing that fits properly.