Body Image Issues?

[Flammie91]

Anyone on here ever have issues with body dysmorphia and/or eating disorders? Ive struggled with issues like this for the last ten years, Ive always felt really self conscious about my appearance and my athleticism, although I havent always been active. For me its a sort of compensation for issues which I have a lesser degree of control over, such as my lack of social life, poor social standing, etc. Ive read people on the spectrum are more likely to have these problems, have you had any experiences with it?

 

[Dan Dan]

I've had exactly the same problem. My body issued come from being chubby at school. When i left school i lost the weight and gained lots of muscles through working out at home. But im still not happy with my self and i dont think i ever will be. Its hard.

 

[Chance]

I'm only a little self conscious about my appearance. No one has really ever made fun of me for how I look. Its what I do or say (or don't say) that gets me in most my messes. I suck at face to face communication when in an unfamiliar settings. I'm more worried about my actions, or body movements, and if I am getting tired I get totally fearful of Tourettes (thats when it gets to show its ugly side).

So yes, I have deep "Image" issues but more on the controlling things to not appear to be some freak. Its not even about "acting normal" as it is to just fly under the radar and not let someone sense that I'm sort of messed up on some things.

Like going into WalMart (gag)... I instantly start getting shaky feeling and sort of sick inside. I hear the lights. I hear the buzzers and beeps, and all these people... Some are getting too close, they wont give me room to breathe. Things get blurry, all these mass of sounds just run together into this awful roar. Its hell for me. On the very few times I do go there when I get back to the truck... Sometimes I just kind of wilt for a little bit. I don't know what it is about those stores but they are like torture chambers.

Its not that I cant do it... Its that I get so close to feeling out of control in these instances I just sort of picture myself freaking out and worry that people can possibly notice it, but so far I think I hide it well.

 

[fairy_girl]

I'm not really that concerned with my body image except when my pants are far too tight. If that happens then I change the way that I eat and exercise to fix it. I make sure that it doesn't become an obsession because I know what the warning signs are.

 

[Flammie91]

I've had exactly the same problem. My body issued come from being chubby at school. When i left school i lost the weight and gained lots of muscles through working out at home. But im still not happy with my self and i dont think i ever will be. Its hard.

I was chubby for a few years in school as well, then I got chubby again once I became qn adult and my metabolism disappeared. Ive worked out in the past but only sporadically, although for the past 8 months Ive been pretty hard at it. A few people have commented on the way I look, especially on dating sites, lol..

 

[Flammie91]

I'm not really that concerned with my body image except when my pants are far too tight. If that happens then I change the way that I eat and exercise to fix it. I make sure that it doesn't become an obsession because I know what the warning signs are.

Theres nothing worse than when I my pants or undies cut into my waist and stuff hangs out over, Im working really hard to mitigate that though, Ive actually made a lot of progress over the last year, but theres still a little fluff on my lower back when I wear anything with elastic in them.

 

[fairy_girl]

Theres nothing worse than when I my pants or undies cut into my waist and stuff hangs out over, Im working really hard to mitigate that though, Ive actually made a lot of progress over the last year, but theres still a little fluff on my lower back when I wear anything with elastic in them.

Oh good no don't wear anything elastic, it just shows everything because of the elastic pants. Try wearing the high rise jeans and a loose t-shirt that will float your waist.

 

[Bolletje]

I'm self-conscious about my appearance, but not to the extent where I've developed a disorder.

 

[Progster]

I don't have full-blown anorexia, but I did used to have some very rigid behaviour around food and eating. Always having meals at set times and strictly adhering to it, eating a particular type of food each day without variation, walking a lot... I lost a lot of weight, and my family thought I had anorexia. I have quite an obsessice personality, and it is linked to that. I nearly dropped out of university, and had therapy - but no diagnosis.

It had nothing to do with body image, it was all about wanting to impose control over myself and my environment to as a coping mechanism for stress and depression, and came from a feeling of loathing for myself and wanting to punish myself, like a kind of self-harm.

 

[Selfdiagnosed&confirmed]

Someone made a comment about my outie belly button (due to the way the DR tied it and how much they left when cutting the cord) It's not badly shaped or just a buldge, but I noticed as a child how it was different and kids don't act well towards difference. Since then I was obsessed with maintaining a flat stomach and having some muscle appearance and a strong core my whole life. As a child I was told I will have a metal rod in my back before 30. 34 now and haven't had a back operation due to keeping my core and not carrying weight on my stomach. I struggle to sit without support though or sleep without stuff under my legs. It's something I focus on most is my physical body appearance and having muscle mass, even though I weigh less than 70 kg's and even lost some weight due to an ex relationship issue and work stress.

 

[Flammie91]

Oh good no don't wear anything elastic, it just shows everything because of the elastic pants. Try wearing the high rise jeans and a loose t-shirt that will float your waist.

My underwear have it though, and theyre joe boxer, so I cant get rid of them, lol. I just have to get my body fat a little lower, I wear form fitting t shirts all the time but I havent had a problem with those.

 

[Flammie91]

I don't have full-blown anorexia, but I did used to have some very rigid behaviour around food and eating. Always having meals at set times and strictly adhering to it, eating a particular type of food each day without variation, walking a lot... I lost a lot of weight, and my family thought I had anorexia. I have quite an obsessice personality, and it is linked to that. I nearly dropped out of university, and had therapy - but no diagnosis.

It had nothing to do with body image, it was all about wanting to impose control over myself and my environment to as a coping mechanism for stress and depression, and came from a feeling of loathing for myself and wanting to punish myself, like a kind of self-harm.

The desire for self control is another common aspect of it, when Ive had negative experiences or falling outs with people in the past I was even more strict with my diet and I exercised harder to repair my self image.

 

[Suzanne]

I call it: my anorexia brain that kicks in. This happens when either my food in take has been restricted, due to medical necessity or because of not feeling hungry. Logic does nothing for the inner voice that whispers: you don't need food; it is bad for you. Look, if you don't eat, how good you will feel about yourself? It is pigs who eat and you don't want to be classed along side pigs do you? Weak people eat and so forth. But happily the inner voice is not continuous and hunger does arrive and I love food anyway and know that it benefits me and thus, this anorexia has never taken over.

I am deeply ashamed of my tummy and just long for it to go flat. It has dimished greatly, but still not as much as I want it to.

Until fairly recently, ashamed of how I look. I discovered that weight gain makes me look like birth mother and having lost weight, I saw a candid photo of me and was shocked that I did not find myself wanting to delete and even more so, because despite being 48 now, in this photo, I looked 20 and been told that I look very young.

But in generally, I am not comfortable being me, which is hard to live with, because I am rather stuck with me.

 

[Flammie91]

Someone made a comment about my outie belly button (due to the way the DR tied it and how much they left when cutting the cord) It's not badly shaped or just a buldge, but I noticed as a child how it was different and kids don't act well towards difference. Since then I was obsessed with maintaining a flat stomach and having some muscle appearance and a strong core my whole life. As a child I was told I will have a metal rod in my back before 30. 34 now and haven't had a back operation due to keeping my core and not carrying weight on my stomach. I struggle to sit without support though or sleep without stuff under my legs. It's something I focus on most is my physical body appearance and having muscle mass, even though I weigh less than 70 kg's and even lost some weight due to an ex relationship issue and work stress.

I often feel self conscious about my weight as well, I dont even know how much I weigh now cause Im so afraid it wont be enough. my past experiences with dating were a motivating factor for me as well, to make myself more desireable so that they'd regret what they did, some of the guys Ive dated tried to monkeybranch back to me after I got in better shape, felt so good to block them... ^_^ It was also due to shame because of being treated badly or being bullied by people. I hope you never have any complications that are that bad though, I can imagine having mobility issues and not being able to exercise..

 

[Flammie91]

I call it: my anorexia brain that kicks in. This happens when either my food in take has been restricted, due to medical necessity or because of not feeling hungry. Logic does nothing for the inner voice that whispers: you don't need food; it is bad for you. Look, if you don't eat, how good you will feel about yourself? It is pigs who eat and you don't want to be classed along side pigs do you? Weak people eat and so forth. But happily the inner voice is not continuous and hunger does arrive and I love food anyway and know that it benefits me and thus, this anorexia has never taken over.

I am deeply ashamed of my tummy and just long for it to go flat. It has dimished greatly, but still not as much as I want it to.

Until fairly recently, ashamed of how I look. I discovered that weight gain makes me look like birth mother and having lost weight, I saw a candid photo of me and was shocked that I did not find myself wanting to delete and even more so, because despite being 48 now, in this photo, I looked 20 and been told that I look very young.

But in generally, I am not comfortable being me, which is hard to live with, because I am rather stuck with me.

You can escape other people, but not yourself.. I have that 'voice' as well at times, but now its important that I eat as much as possible to gain muscle mass, i just try to eat the healthiest food possible when I do.

 

[Tom]

I was pretty self conscious for most of my life. Some is not bad. Its lessened with age. But I have known some people who had serious problems with it and it can get very serious/life threatening. Just talking sometimes isn't enough, and medical intervention is required I believe. Even then not all make it.

 

[SchrodingersMeerkat]

I always felt like I was born the wrong gender but I never identified as trans because I didn't feel like I was male either. I just wasn't society's expectation of a female. I had bigger problems feeling like I was born the wrong species. I never felt truly human. Just like I was stuck in the body of one. But people who claim they were born the wrong species are usually laughed at and ridiculed instead of taken seriously. I'm not saying I want species reassignment surgery or something like that, or that I want to run around in a mascot suit all the time, just someone who takes me seriously about feeling born the wrong species.

 

[Flammie91]

I always felt like I was born the wrong gender but I never identified as trans because I didn't feel like I was male either. I just wasn't society's expectation of a female. I had bigger problems feeling like I was born the wrong species. I never felt truly human. Just like I was stuck in the body of one. But people who claim they were born the wrong species are usually laughed at and ridiculed instead of taken seriously. I'm not saying I want species reassignment surgery or something like that, or that I want to run around in a mascot suit all the time, just someone who takes me seriously about feeling born the wrong species.

Ive always felt like I wasn't quite on the same plane as everyone else, sometimes Ive even wished I was something other than human, like some sort of fantastical creature, partially cause they resonated with me, but also so I wouldnt have to try to 'be human' anymore cause I wouldnt be one. Just remember people laugh because it doesnt require effort, its automatic, and they do it to detract attention from their own shortcomings. Understanding requires critical analysis, not everyone has the time for that unfortunately.

 

[Siobhan]

I feel alternately gigantic or tiny depending on my mood even though I'm objectively medium-sized, and sometimes I don't really recognize myself in the mirror. I need to get excercise because I'm starting to feel sick and tired all the time but I'm not sure how to get around my strong aversion to excercising around people. I take walks and have a bike, but live in a climate that's so rainy for half of the year that excercising outside isn't a solid way to plan physical activities. I can't stand the gym, and I freeze up whenever I have to practice something like dancing when I know someone is watching me. Im not sure if that's a tangent from body dysmorphia but I know that some of the days I feel huge and distended I start to feel more normal if I get up and move around. I often don't feel human either but I can't tell if that's a body feeling or a head feeling.

 

[Flammie91]

I feel alternately gigantic or tiny depending on my mood even though I'm objectively medium-sized, and sometimes I don't really recognize myself in the mirror. I need to get excercise because I'm starting to feel sick and tired all the time but I'm not sure how to get around my strong aversion to excercising around people. I take walks and have a bike, but live in a climate that's so rainy for half of the year that excercising outside isn't a solid way to plan physical activities. I can't stand the gym, and I freeze up whenever I have to practice something like dancing when I know someone is watching me. Im not sure if that's a tangent from body dysmorphia but I know that some of the days I feel huge and distended I start to feel more normal if I get up and move around. I often don't feel human either but I can't tell if that's a body feeling or a head feeling.

Could you try doing exercises at home? Thats what I do, I dont have a gym membership, i have a set of dumbbells if I want to do upper body or squats, all you need for abs is the floor, im also gonna get a resistance band to train my calves, your a girl (im assuming) so if your worried about becoming too bulky dont worry, you probably dont have enough testosterone, plus the muscle you gain will raise your metabolism and will burn fat just by being there. You could also consider getting an eliptical or treadmill, or a set of raingear when its rainy. Fearing people watching you isnt always related to body dysmorphia though, as for not feeling human id say its more to do with your social life than your body, at least thats how it is for me. Hope this helps!