Did anyone in your life contribute to any food/weight/body image issues you have?

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  • hunkofmexican
    hunkofmexican Posts: 128 Member
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    OP, ..... Eye Agree ! ...................... the way a child is raised can significantly impact their relationship with food. .... Now we are grown humans and can change that with understanding that there was something that we couldn't help till we figured the truth out, we are not the problem . But we can be the Solution .
  • samchez0
    samchez0 Posts: 364 Member
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    I'm really surprised and disappointed in all the people being completely dismissive of how those in our lives can have a huge effect on body image and how we deal with food. Of course those childhood lessons and insecurities are going to effect us.

    Yes, my mom and dad had a huge effect on how I saw myself and how I approached dieting. My mom had me start yo yo, fad dieting and exercising with her at 7 because "we" were getting too chunky. It was all about her and how she saw herself but she projected those feelings onto me from a very young age. Then we would go into the binge cycle of it all and eat until we hated ourselves again. As a preteen and teen, she often made comments about whether I should wear certain things and how maybe I should go up sizes despite mediums fitting me just fine. My dad used to grab my stomach and love handles and ask me when I got so fat. Poke my stomach and say maybe I should eat a little less. I was not a fat kid. I wasn't a twig but I certainly wasn't in even the over weight category.

    OF COURSE THOSE EFFECTED ME. It's hard to overcome habits that have been shaped since a young child. Its hard to not look at yourself in the mirror and see what everyone is saying must be true. It's hard to break out of a binge-diet cycle. Its hard to acquire a taste for veggies and fruit when those were never offered to you. I'm not saying it's impossible to overcome those things because that is what I'm in the process of doing right now. But to act like people are just using it as some lame excuse is a complete dismissal of what those of us struggling with these things are going through.

    And I can only hope that I'm being a better example for my children and giving them the proper tools to lead a healthier lifestyle into their adult lives.
  • nebulasprout
    nebulasprout Posts: 15 Member
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    I totally get where you're coming from, OP. My mom was, and is, very similar to yours. Since I was little, she constantly comments on my weight and the food I eat, and it really gave me an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise.

    I think the most important thing is not to blame the people in your life who influenced you in these ways but to recognize their influence and try to distance yourself from it.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Thank you @hunkofmexican ,@meganridenour, @samchez0 @nebulasprout for understanding the point of this post.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    My elder brother affected my body image, mostly by pushing me to stress/emotionally eat. He abused me for several years, mentally and sexually, because he got a kick out of seeing his baby sister panic and be afraid. Pretty sure looking back that I went into "get fat so he'll leave me alone" phase, which didn't work. Hitting early puberty didn't help, especially at school. I was the first girl with boobies and that brought on daily comments from certain boys along with my brother. School was no longer a "safe" place to escape. Idk what attracted the guys who cat-call for the sake of it to me, but it did.

    As for food, my mom took me to many family reunions. I went because I liked being with my mom and I was the only kid who would willingly go. The food was served buffet style with potluck aspect. Only at the reunions did anyone comment on how I ate foods. I ate (and still do) foods separately, not touching each other, and I didn't eat common things like gravy and potato salad. Desserts were the only things I'd eat without altering them. It got embarrassing to eat around my external family to the point that one afternoon I'd had enough of the nitpicking and took my chicken drumstick to the car to eat in private. Of course, when I got back, it was all "She never eats with us. What's wrong with her?" It's been a couple decades and I still have difficulty eating in public places. I always feel people are judging my eating.
  • Gioeyebrow
    Gioeyebrow Posts: 404 Member
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    Well all moms point out your flaws its their thing their to honest but when my mom told me long hair was for gurls it made me feel bad but i still knew i looked good lol u kno?
  • Chubby_bunnyy
    Chubby_bunnyy Posts: 50 Member
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    My whole family is extremely critical and conscious of weight so yes. It's a cultural thing. If you gain a few pounds, you'll never hear the end of it. And, one of my exes put a lot of pressure on me and i let it get to me.

    I think a lot of people have issues like this about their weight or self esteem. If not a person, the media surely does it.

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