A Fat, Ugly Bride-to-be

cherrypeach1
cherrypeach1 Posts: 30 Member
edited June 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm officially engaged. At 35 years old...it's about freakin' time. I'm happy to be engaged to a wonderful man, BUT, I'm dreading the wedding process. Why? Because I'm old, fat and ugly. I'm not looking forward to taking engagement/wedding photos. I'm not looking forward to buying a size 14 wedding dress (I'm 5'10")--so I can look like a cow wrapped up in lace. I'm not looking forward to looking back at my wedding photos and remembering how terrible I looked during what should be the happiest time in my life. I wish I would have gotten married when I was in my twenties--i.e.: 30 lbs lighter and loads prettier.

I was talking to my friend today and she was asking me about engagement photos and I told her I didn't want to have any memories of looking like this because I'm fat, old and ugly. And her response to that was: "You're not old."

In other words, I am fat and I am ugly.

I can't do much about the ugly...but I (theoretically) can do something about the fat--not for the wedding, but for myself. I'm so tired of feeling ashamed of my appearance. I'm so tired of feeling miserable everyday because I can't stand the reflection in the mirror.

Things I plan to do starting today:
1. Learn to love myself for who I am--regardless of my appearance
2. Work on having a more positive attitude
3. Weigh/track everything I eat and stay at or under my calorie goal
4. Exercise 5-6x per week (running, weights, yoga)
5. Stay consistent and don't listen to the excuses my mind makes to fall off track

Any other feedback will be greatly appreciated.
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Replies

  • Zella_11
    Zella_11 Posts: 161 Member
    Excellent goals! Learn to turn down the volume on the part of your mind that only has negative things to say about you and your appearance. Good for you for recognizing that you need to make changes and lose weight. You are capable of reaching all of your goals!
  • cherrypeach1
    cherrypeach1 Posts: 30 Member
    sarahlifts wrote: »
    Say good things about yourself until you believe them!
    Is this really possible? Any tips on how to go about doing this? Books or websites that can guide me? I would love to TRULY believe that I am beautiful and worthwhile...that would be so amazing! :)
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I'd work on the self esteem issues before any weight loss goals if I was you, or you've got a very miserable next 50 years to look forward to!

    All of this.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    sarahlifts wrote: »
    Say good things about yourself until you believe them!
    Is this really possible? Any tips on how to go about doing this? Books or websites that can guide me? I would love to TRULY believe that I am beautiful and worthwhile...that would be so amazing! :)

    Actively work on those things that bug you about yourself that you can improve, and let those things about you that you cannot change go. None of us are perfect and very few are models. You obviously look attractive to your fiancé and others. Perhaps there is something deeper that may be worth fixing via therapy? Not trying to Internet head shrink but it's something worth asking yourself.
  • cherrypeach1
    cherrypeach1 Posts: 30 Member
    I'd work on the self esteem issues before any weight loss goals if I was you, or you've got a very miserable next 50 years to look forward to!

    I totally agree...the first 35 years have already been pretty miserable, no need to add anymore years to the tally. Sigh.

    You suggest working on my self-esteem before working on my weight loss. Do you think working out and eating right would hinder my ability to work on my self-esteem? I would think that eating right and exercising would help me to feel better about myself, which would in turn help with my self-esteem issues. Or are you more saying that my focus should be on self-esteem with weight loss being a secondary goal? To me they seem to go hand-in-hand.
  • jwcanfield
    jwcanfield Posts: 192 Member
    I'm officially engaged. At 35 years old...it's about freakin' time. I'm happy to be engaged to a wonderful man, BUT, I'm dreading the wedding process. Why? Because I'm old, fat and ugly. I'm not looking forward to taking engagement/wedding photos. I'm not looking forward to buying a size 14 wedding dress--so I can look like a cow wrapped up in lace. I'm not looking forward to looking back at my wedding photos and remembering how terrible I looked during what should be the happiest time in my life. I wish I would have gotten married when I was in my twenties--i.e.: 30 lbs lighter and loads prettier.

    I was talking to my friend today and she was asking me about engagement photos and I told her I didn't want to have any memories of looking like this because I'm fat, old and ugly. And her response to that was: "You're not old."

    In other words, I am fat and I am ugly.

    I can't do much about the ugly...but I (theoretically) can do something about the fat--not for the wedding, but for myself. I'm so tired of feeling ashamed of my appearance. I'm so tired of feeling miserable everyday because I can't stand the reflection in the mirror.

    Things I plan to do starting today:
    1. Weigh/track everything I eat and stay at or under my calorie goal
    2. Exercise 5-6x per week (running, weights, yoga)
    3. Work on having a more positive attitude
    4. Learn to love myself for who I am--regardless of my appearance
    5. Stay consistent and don't listen to the excuses my mind makes to fall off track

    Any other feedback will be greatly appreciated.

    Sweetie! At the very least one man does not find you fat, old and ugly! And when I saw your smiling face I didn't see anything like that either! I don't know your height, but unless you are a dwarf size 14 will not make you look like a cow dressed in lace. If 30 lbs is all that stands between you and the size that you want to be, then you definitely need to be kinder to yourself. Don't spoil the joy of this time - for you OR your fiance - by being ashamed or miserable. I got married at 31, was a size 12 which is awfully close to a 14, and look back at my pictures and wonder what in the world was I so worried about! They're beautiful! And it will be the same for you and your husband.
  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
    aub6689 wrote: »
    I think learning to love yourself should be your number one goal. Right now your self talk is very negative and I worry that if you aren't 100% on your eating and working out that you are going to beat yourself down further about it. Find confidence and focus on the things you like about yourself. Start working out and focus on what you can do and start building yourself. Appreciate the strength or ability of your body even if you aren't positive about how it looks. Glad you found someone and congratulations on your coming marriage.

    This.
  • KristaPerseveres
    KristaPerseveres Posts: 87 Member
    Girl, you are gorgeous. Just remember what you tell yourself, your conscious and subconcious ultimately believes. Stop the negative self-talk, you are awesome, you are beautiful, you are amazing!! Your fiancee chose you out of all the girls in the world. He sees your beauty inside and out. The above posters are correct, start working on loving yourself, and accepting yourself as you are. Your body is a pretty amazing thing, it's time to love it, nourish it, and accept it. No one is perfect, not even the models you see in magazines. You are gorgeous, and it's time you start telling yourself that every flipping single day!! Congratulations!!!!!!!
  • cherrypeach1
    cherrypeach1 Posts: 30 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    I used to really berate myself like that... But think about it slightly different... How do you feel about your fiance? Is he ugly? fat? old? If one of your friends talked about him like that or called him stupid or an idiot, would you not "correct" her immediately - or would she still be your friend at all? So.... given that it is doubtful you would stand for someone to talk badly about someone you love, would you put up with it if it were your fiance talking about himself that way? If he constantly talked about how fat, ugly, stupid, old he was? How would you feel knowing that you were with someone fat/old/ugly/stupid? What if he asked you all the time "how can you be with someone so fat/old/ugly/stupid? you could do better. why are you settling for me?!" If you wouldnt let someone else talk that way about him - someone you love, why would you put up with it just because it was him saying it?

    So... everytime you call yourself names like that, and talk bad about yourself, you are insulting a person your fiance loves - why should he put up with that from you? I bet he wouldnt if any of his friends said those things about you. Why would you constantly shove in his face that he could do better than you?

    Its hard to turn off those thoughts about yourself, but for heavens sake dont say them out load while you are working on getting control of them. You are inviting issues that dont exist for him, and for yourself. Talk about yourself the way you would talk about your best friend - be honest, but KIND especially when giving criticism. And remember, you are talking about someone that other people love - they shouldnt have to hear that.

    All of this is just AWESOME...and helps me look at things from a whole different perspective. Thank you for this post. :smile:
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
    When are you getting married? When are you planning on buying the dress and having it fitted?
  • cherrypeach1
    cherrypeach1 Posts: 30 Member
    edited June 2016
    tryett wrote: »
    When are you getting married? When are you planning on buying the dress and having it fitted?

    We just got engaged last week. No date has been set...but we're thinking March or April of 2017. Not sure where the dress buying/fitting will fall on the timeline.
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
    CONGRATULATIONS on your Engagement!
    You are Beautiful! Add some personal development to your list because girl, the negative hurts. you're Beautiful, you're as young as you will ever be, you're at a great point in your life. ENJOY! Don't look back and hate where you are!

    you have great goals and that is AWESOME. Also LIVE TODAY! You're a brand new Bride to Be! Embrace the LOVE! Obviously your fiance loves you for who you are.

    Congrats!! :)
  • OfficiallySexyVal
    OfficiallySexyVal Posts: 492 Member
    All I can say is that when I got married last year I was 5 months pregnant and a size 22 I am 6'0 tall and my gown looked amazing on me! I didn't look like I was pregnant or fat at all. There is a perfect wedding dress for everyone, there are different cuts and designs that can flatter any body type you just have to find it. As far as feeling ugly, I can't help you with the way you feel about your appearance but I will say finding the right makeup artist for your wedding can also help in making you feel beautiful as well. Good luck with everything.