Body Dysmorphia??

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zainabsmfp
zainabsmfp Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello fit buddies!

Last summer, I weighed my highest I'd 255lbs. For my height, I was morbidly obese. I cried nearly every day about my body and often stayed inside out of embarrassment or fear.

I've lost a little over 60lbs since summer and I feel great...however, I can't get beyond the image I see in the mirror. There are often times I look at myself and still see the girl that weighed nearly 260lbs. I can't shake it. I see rolls, a protruding stomach, fat face...everything. Because of that I often find myself obsessing over what I see in the mirror and not my actual progress.

Does anybody have any tips or encouragement? I know I'm probably not the only one who feels like this. I know I'm making progress and I feel great! But then there are days I look in the mirror and see no change at all.

Replies

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    First of all, it often takes time to really see the difference and to not feel like you are still that big. One of the most effective things that helped me was to take pictures and compare them to my before pictures. That side by side comparison really does show how far you have come.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    Time. I also went from 250-255 down to 130 and I still have some funny fluff. I'll ask my partner if what I see if actually there, because I honestly don't know.

    But you're making AMAZING progress. Keep going and enjoy your body as it changes, you'll wake up one day and see your progress.
  • GrayRider61
    GrayRider61 Posts: 337 Member
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    60 lbs. is amazing. Just keep working and having fun with it. I can tell that you're a pretty girl. :) Be proud of your accomplishment!
  • kassierodriguez1
    kassierodriguez1 Posts: 357 Member
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    zainabsmfp wrote: »
    Hello fit buddies!

    Last summer, I weighed my highest I'd 255lbs. For my height, I was morbidly obese. I cried nearly every day about my body and often stayed inside out of embarrassment or fear.

    I've lost a little over 60lbs since summer and I feel great...however, I can't get beyond the image I see in the mirror. There are often times I look at myself and still see the girl that weighed nearly 260lbs. I can't shake it. I see rolls, a protruding stomach, fat face...everything. Because of that I often find myself obsessing over what I see in the mirror and not my actual progress.

    Does anybody have any tips or encouragement? I know I'm probably not the only one who feels like this. I know I'm making progress and I feel great! But then there are days I look in the mirror and see no change at all.

    I have been there. I'm 5'1 and was once 210 after having my daughter. It took me about 3 years but I am very happy with where I am now. I'm 132 lbs. I know what it's like to make progress and look in the mirror and still be unhappy with what you see. I did that too. Let that fuel you. Dont see what you are currently but let yourself see what you can be. Whatever your goal is, know that it is possible to accomplish your goals. It just takes believing you can do it. Knowing it will take time, it will take effort, but it will 100% be worth it.
  • fubarfornow
    fubarfornow Posts: 40 Member
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    You're not alone. I have lost about 80 lbs so far, and I still think of myself as the 'fat girl.' Some days I can really see the difference in the mirror, and other days not so much. I think it takes human brains a while to catch up to our new shapes in the mirror. Sometimes I will equate my weight loss to the weight of something else, to give myself a better gauge in my head. For example, I have lost almost 4 car tires (88 lbs), and I have lost a little more than two big bags of bird seed (the ones I can barely lift). I think about those comparisons, and what it would feel like to lift, or try to lift those things, and it seems to help me change my mental image of myself. So you have lost almost 3 car tires, or 1 and a half bags of bird seed, or a little more than an entire dalmatian dog, or 2 gold bars, or 5 cans of paint. That's a lot. I would struggle to lift those things.
  • isabellapanzica9387
    isabellapanzica9387 Posts: 68 Member
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    The thing that helped me get to see the weight loss changes in the mirror was a tape measure and the websites

    http://bodyvisualizer.com/

    and

    https://web.archive.org/web/20160330024156/http://www.marisota.co.uk/shop/freeformat/page.action?pageId=7758

    Both websites show what your body type looks like based off of measurements and can give you a better perspective of how you look with your current weight loss.

    Bodyvisualizer gives you a 3-D body model of your body after you plug in you measurements from weight, height, chest, waist, hips and inseams. It is interesting to look at but not very accurate since it only has those six measurements to go off of. So the model wont look exactly like you but will give you a better picture of what you look like at your current weight.

    Then the second website has you pick which body type looks the most like you then it has you plug in your measurements. Then at the end it shows you what body type actually looks the most like you based off your measurements. This website is the best of the two and is a real eye opener.

    By seeing the body types that my measurements told me I look most like using these two sites I felt that I had a better grip on seeing my actual self in the mirror rather then my heavier self. I hope this helps you see your progress better. Losing sixty pounds is a amazing accomplishment and you deserve to feel confident, happy and proud of your progress every single time you look in a mirror.

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