Has anyone had a hard time emotionally accepting themselves

Losing weight doesn't change the person that being overweight made you. The key to my life has been thinking less. All my youth I spent over analyzing things to the point of distraction and upset, desperate to change something inside myself... and I did... but not the way I imagined. I became an edgy recluse and tried to pin past event on everything in the present, even tried to predict the future.

Thinking less is an art form, exercising has helped a lot but in the end I had to ask myself if it was all worth it. Holding on to the past was killing me so the answer turned out to be a big no.

I really hope you feel better soon, I know things are rarely as simple as 'misery loves company' but I know how you feel.

no. I don't hate myself. I hate men. LOL - like especially Rush Limbaugh, Santorum & Boehner. We all have issues I guess. Are you still in therapy? You have to love yourself - I'm not a professional & don't really know HOW to teach that, I wish I could help you. If you believe in God, believe (he) doesn't make junk.
You are worthy of love & acceptance. Do you have children? Remember when they were born and you loved every finger & toe? Well YOU'RE someone's baby too. Love EVERY finger & toe. You're perfect, just the way you are.
We are all stardust

I didn't come out and make the connection in my reply above about you being in a relationship with your body, but that's what I meant! I also think that these days every magazine or website has people completely botoxed and airbrushed and photoshopped until a regular human body is hardly even seen anymore, much less regarded as good and normal!

I have dealt with this on my whole weight loss journey. It's easy to say that the weight is the source of a lot of deeper personal issues - and sometimes, they are part of it - but weight loss isn't a cure all. The only thing losing weight does is make you weigh less physically. Emotional weight loss is an entirely different beast. I read an article once that referred to "the lottery effect" - the common dieter's mentality that losing weight (like winning the lottery) will make all your problems go away. Some problems go away, but many remain - and some new ones are created, even.

Talking with a therapist and/or a supportive group of friends (on or offline) can be incredibly helpful with developing a healthy relationship with yourself. My salvation along this journey has been writing a blog, and the people I've met through blogging. It's so wonderful to share my experiences and read those of people in similar situations. In this, as with most things, we are never alone. ♥

I feel this way too sometimes. Before I started trying to impove my health and change my life style I was in complete denial about how big I was, about what my body really looked like. "Its not that bad" I would say, or "Im not that big". But I it was that bad and I was that big! Now that I have become aware of how badly I was treating my body by putting all that crap into it I realize just how unhealthy I really am. I am aware of the fat, and the rolls, and the bad skin, and the heartburn...I notice every little flaw now that Im not deluding myself and pretending I dont have a problem. I just keep trucking along anyway and hope that maybe one day I can learn to love myself again. I dont expect it to be easy or to happen over night, but I am making the best choices I can for myself on a daily basis now and eventually I will see the results.

The most important thing you must always remember is becoming healthy, not just by what you put in your mouth. But spiritually, and emotionally.. They too are very important part of your life. You were born with this body and you must do the best you can to care for it.

Why do people take care of their cars better then themselves. Why do you put gas in your car? Your body needs gas to keep going, and believe it or not the most important thing to give your body is water. Some people may think they're drinking enough water, but they aren't. Drinking plenty of water is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight and a nutritious diet. Water plays an essential role in helping your body process nutrients, maintain normal circulation and keep the proper balance of fluids. As a general guideline, a person should drink half their total body weight in ounces a day "Minimum"

When you diet your body takes on a completely new look this is what you do not like when your looking at yourself. What you need to do is give it a chance. I really don't think that there is anyone in this world that doesn't have an issue regarding their body. No one is perfect. By the way what is perfect?

Here's a quiz
Sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're really just thirsty.
If you think something to drink might help quench your thirst and your hunger pains, which would be the best choice?
a.- 12 ounces of lemonade
b. -12 ounces of cranberry juice
c. -12 ounces of grapefruit juice
or d.- 12 ounces of canned mango nectar

Which one do you think is the correct one?

it's like the old saying....for every 1 negative you must express 5 positives.
I approach my students and my children with this ideals and was indirectly able to love myself, as well.

LOVE YOU first...

Here's a quiz
Sometimes when we think we're hungry, we're really just thirsty.
If you think something to drink might help quench your thirst and your hunger pains, which would be the best choice?
a.- 12 ounces of lemonade
b. -12 ounces of cranberry juice
c. -12 ounces of grapefruit juice
or d.- 12 ounces of canned mango nectar

Which one do you think is the correct one?

Can't say which is the CORRECT choice. But since I only like one of those I'll go with A. I hate cranberries, I have grapefruit, and who the hell invented the mango? GROSS!

I totally understand having a hard time with acceptance. It was easy for me to ignore what was in front of me...I have a husband that never complained, so the pressure didn't come from that direction. Regardless of how we got here, it is about walking towards the cliff with our eyes closed, for whatever reason; knowing it is there, but choosing to ignore the reality of it. I know I am fat, but I have glimpses of HOW badly I have let myself go...especially when there is someone that takes a picture of me. I avoided those like crazy.
But here is the thing. Although I am still trying to change my lifestyle and relationship with food and my self-image, it was a tragedy that made me look at everything in a different way.
We lost our daughter in a freak car accident this last Mothers Day. It was not untilwe lost her that I realized that I have VERY FEW captured moments between us, there are very, very few pictures of me with my daughter. Why? Because I am fat. And I loathe to see myself in a photo.
MY WIEGHT, has forever created a loss in my fife that I can never reclaim. I chose to REMOVE MYSELF from what was in front of me. I did not fully engage. And now I have forever lost the chance to capture our relationship.
I have gained 30+ pounds since the accident.
I have lost, then gained back, 13 lbs.
But I can not quit.
I have a long way to go, and even though I have "fallen off" I have have to get back on. I have realized too, that when you start this journey, taking stock (a true hard look) is not such a bad thing, but it is a hard thing. We have taken off the blinders and taken a look at where we are, right now. And sometimes the reality of how long that journey might be, triggers anger, sadness or is overwhelming.
But we are like a chunk of rock, waiting for our form to take place, over time, to chip away at the extra pieces. The beauty is all there and the process is long and thoughful and you have to stand back from time to time to see your progress.
Although I have not done as well as I had hoped, I am here to keep working on my journey and learn to accept the process, accept myself and try to focus on the excitment of the emerging form.
Even though there is an image of what you want to discover inside, REMEMBER that every rock was chosen because of the beauty in its starting form and the mystery of what is contained inside.
So though I do not have a lot of PHYSICAL changes to show for my work, it has made me look at myself...and the changes are taking hold inside.
It is a long process, but look at the small victories, and forgive the setbacks.

Yup, food can be one's drug-of-choice to quell emotions and quiet stress. We all know that ultimately doesn't really work. I've found that when you start craving the pizza, chocolate or whatever - ask yourself what's going on in your head? Think! You may find that you're tired, bored, stressed, frustrated and therefore, you can utilize other non-caloric means to deal with your emotions in positive ways that yield good results. You have to follow the mental trail back to its source and deal with it accordingly.

As for body image, like some posters have said, I have experienced that as well and, as mentioned, I do think it may be partly because we're really looking at ourselves more critically than ever. I also think it may be physiological as I don't think we generally loose the fat first where we want it gone the most! I've heard it said that in the process of weight loss - a large pear shape will becoming a decreasingly smaller pear shape. An apple shape will be a smaller apple shape. I think that may attribute to our frustration and may contribute to our not seeing the progress we really have made. The problem areas still seem to remain. We still see the "ugly" belly or the bottom or the thighs we've always wrestled with. (That said, I do think that adding a toning regimen will aid in our attaining the best shape we can be in. I don't want to make anyone here depressed! Lol!)

I've found regularly measuring myself has been a great help in the process. You can't argue with the cold hard facts of inches lost!

Remember, it is a process and you must purposely focus on embracing and accepting the little victories on the way to the big goal.