Is anyone really ever happy with themselves?

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I am 6lbs away from my goal, yet I still feel crappy about myself and know that when I get there, I will want to lose more. Granted, I feel better then I did before, but losing my boobs has knocked me down some. I am considering saving up for new boobs.

Anyway, I see large people who state that they are perfectly happy with their bodies and they ooze confidence. Yet I have a friend who can eat whatever she wants and looks stunning who moans about her appearance all the time.

Why is this? Are these people who state that they are happy with themselves just putting on a front? Or is it actually possible to be truly happy with yourself?

I would love to reach my goal and know when enough is enough and accept myself. The last thing I want to do is end up looking like Katie Price.
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Replies

  • lilidelafield
    lilidelafield Posts: 14 Member
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    Not many people I know are happy with their size or shape. Overweight people want to be thinner, thin people want to be bigger, if we are well endowed we wish we weren't and if we are not we wish we were.. When I was fifteen I thought I was fat ( didn't we all!) and I was convinced I needed to lose weight. I look back now on a photo taken of me then and I was like a beanpole. I think the only way forward is to let an honest friend tell you the truth....and then take their word for it!
  • moushtie
    moushtie Posts: 371 Member
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    I think you'll find the large people who say they are perfectly happy probably don't judge themselves the same way you do. They have learned to accept themselves as they are, and be happy. Maybe this is something you could learn to do too? It sounds like you're trying to attain the perfection you see in advertising.... and even the models don't look as good as they do on tv.

    Of course, some may be putting up a front, but I doubt all of them are.
  • queenpushycat
    queenpushycat Posts: 761 Member
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    oh.. no.. :P Every time I walk out of my house to go gym or work or school, skinny *****es everywhere and I got pissed. :P
  • DivaRenae
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    Every human on Earth wished they looked better in some way shape, form, or fashion, I think its built in us to compare ourselves to others, dont worry I think everybody does that, I know I do....
  • DivaRenae
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    LMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@Carolinz
  • Scoobies87
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    I think you'll find the large people who say they are perfectly happy probably don't judge themselves the same way you do. They have learned to accept themselves as they are, and be happy. Maybe this is something you could learn to do too? It sounds like you're trying to attain the perfection you see in advertising.... and even the models don't look as good as they do on tv.

    Of course, some may be putting up a front, but I doubt all of them are.

    Yeah you are right about that. I constantly compare myself to the women on TV and the glamour models my exes used to drool over. It made me feel so inadequate in comparison.
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
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    I'm happy with myself. Truly. It doesn't mean I never see room for improvement and feel that I'm perfect. It means I'm not disappointed in myself for not already having made those improvements.

    I've had many miserable years before I chose to be happy now rather than wait for some arbitrary point in time or standard I had to meet. For me, I'd be minimizing the significance of all the things I've done if I still couldn't be happy with myself after all of that.

    It's a choice. Granted, it's not a quick or easy choice, but in the same way you dedicated yourself to working out your body, you need to work out your inside as well. It's important. Why settle for making those lifestyle-changing habits just for appearance's sake? Why take steps to change your life if it's not actually going to change your life? (rhetorical questions not intended solely for 1 person)
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    I used to absolutely hate how I looked, now I am trying to embrace it. Actually starting to love the way I look, I have a long way to goal - but I am proud.
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
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    I think it is possible for us to be truly happy with ourselves. I find that people who are the happiest are those who focus on other things besides just their appearance. They are successful at work or enjoy volunteer work or throw themselves into a great hobby...you get the idea. I'm working on that too.
  • Queen_Christine
    Queen_Christine Posts: 342 Member
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    Yes. But usually in hindsight!
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
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    I don't compare myself to models -- most of them have to starve themselves to look that way and the ones you see in print are photoshopped and airbrushed. No, I see plenty of real women on the street that look better than I do and it has nothing to do with size. I've met my goal weight and have gotten pretty thin. I don't wish I were thinner, but better proportioned. I see women that are much heavier than I am that carry their weight well and have it evenly distributed over their whole body. Many of them have big boobs, big curvy hips, and a flat stomach. I'm at an ideal weight, but have small boobs, a thick waist and lower belly pooch, super skinny arms and legs, and no hips. Being thin doesn't always mean having a good figure.
  • nsimportant
    nsimportant Posts: 170 Member
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    Omg Yes definitively. Every week when I go to the gym and do my workouts I give my 110% and I can see how my body changes and gets stronger.
    I actually only compare my monthly pictures and my workout sheets and damn I love how they progress.
    If I want to look like anyone its what i see in the mirror and I think yep I like what I see.
    I dont how other people feel but in a short amount of time i learned how my body reacts to certain food, exercise and especially when i need to give my body a good rest.
    Bottom line I love how my body reacts to stuff i throw at it how cant I be happy about myself then.
  • Iwillshyne
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    The fact that I have lost 17 pounds since June has built my confidence in ways I could never imagine. I am nowhere near my goal but I feel like I'm already there! Enjoy this ride called life girl!
  • Scoobies87
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    I think it is possible for us to be truly happy with ourselves. I find that people who are the happiest are those who focus on other things besides just their appearance. They are successful at work or enjoy volunteer work or throw themselves into a great hobby...you get the idea. I'm working on that too.

    Yes I agree. I have graduated from University and I am living back home with my rents in the middle of nowhere (very difficult to see my friends now) and I have no job (which I am working on!) Also split from the bf so it's safe to say I have a lot of time on my hands!! Health and fitness and my appearance are now my motivation. The trouble is with nothing else going on it is easy to get fixated with.
  • sandislim
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    I think you'll find the large people who say they are perfectly happy probably don't judge themselves the same way you do. They have learned to accept themselves as they are, and be happy. Maybe this is something you could learn to do too? It sounds like you're trying to attain the perfection you see in advertising.... and even the models don't look as good as they do on tv.

    Of course, some may be putting up a front, but I doubt all of them are.

    Yeah you are right about that. I constantly compare myself to the women on TV and the glamour models my exes used to drool over. It made me feel so inadequate in comparison.

    This is why I don't watch tv. I feel a lot happier with myself now I don't. I won't ever be perfect - but neither are those people on tv, they are caked with makeup wear body stockings for body shots and use body doubles.
  • SarabellPlus3
    SarabellPlus3 Posts: 496 Member
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    I think it is possible for us to be truly happy with ourselves. I find that people who are the happiest are those who focus on other things besides just their appearance. They are successful at work or enjoy volunteer work or throw themselves into a great hobby...you get the idea. I'm working on that too.
    I agree with that! Im not saying that I wouldn't magically make my body look more like, say Christina hendricks', true, but I feel good about myself. I think it is because I just don't put AS much concern into my physical appearance as I used to. I feel good about who I am, and though I feel pretty good about my body/looks, I just feel like that's a pretty small part of "who I am."
  • kalexander2005
    kalexander2005 Posts: 223 Member
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    IMHO, what you are talking about is not true happiness, but contentment. Can a person be content with their body? The answer is a resounding YES! However, to become content is a choice and an exercise we do just like exercising the body. You must CHOOSE to be content with the way things are. Even if you plan to make changes, or are in the process of making changes, contentment is crucial because it says, "I can be happy even if nothing changes." As far as the droopy boobs goes, I recommend getting on bodybuilding.com and learning some new weight bearing exercises to help firm up your chest. And remember, STRONG GIRLS STAY SLIM.

    All the best!!
  • Xtina_Beba
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    I think it is possible for us to be truly happy with ourselves. I find that people who are the happiest are those who focus on other things besides just their appearance. They are successful at work or enjoy volunteer work or throw themselves into a great hobby...you get the idea. I'm working on that too.


    I totally agree and feel the same way about myself. I am truly happy with myself and it's not wrong for me to want to improve my health and assets.
  • Molly_Louise
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    I know that whatever my weight is, I'll never be happy with myself.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    I am finally happy with my physical self. It's been a three year plus transition, but it can be done.

    It's astounding to realize how much mental energy I used up on thoughts such as, "I hate the way I look" "I feel so fat right now" I'm so uncomfortable" "How does this outfit look?" "That person looks better than I do" The comparisons to other women were endless.

    I've always been pretty happy about myself as a person, but I used to be consumed with feelings of inadequacy regarding my physical appearance. So even though I knew I was a good person, I always felt bad about myself. That led to depression, and emotional eating. See: vicious cycle. Once I found MFP, it gave me the tool I needed to break the cycle.

    Now I've come so far and almost reached my goal, and I can honestly say that it is possible to change and come to a place where you like yourself. For me, it started in a place of liking myself one the inside. Then when my outsides caught up, now I like my whole self.

    You're worth the effort this will take.