A Fat, Ugly Bride-to-be

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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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.