You know how when they do those makeovers of the homely girls with glasses and turn them into stunning supermodels?

Well, i wear glasses. And I decided recently that I'd make an effort to wear my contacts more often because I see the world around me much clearer.

Well, my glasses make me look skinnier. It's a matter of perception- I see better with the contacts, so I guess the glasses put something of a slight frosty old fashioned movies look on my life. I have had my eyes checked, the perscriptions are okay and current on both the contacts and glasses.

This is driving me crazy. I like being able to see better, but I hate the way I look (damn those cottage cheese thighs) with the contacts in. I feel better about myself with the glasses on, but the contacts are safer for driving/working, ect.

How do deal with negative body image? How do you feel better about yourself?

I feel better when I wear an outfit that looks great on me.... something that isn't big and loose (when I'm home alone during the day, I will wear my BF's fubu and tommy hilfiger tshirts just to lounge around in, since it's just me, the baby, and the cats!)... I have some shirts that emphasize my waist, without clinging to my fat hips! And the result is shapely. So when I've done my hair, put on makeup, have on one of my great shirts, and my dark blue jeans that fit perfectly, that's when I feel better about myself. I feel like a sexy momma.

Right now, with a dude's t-shirt on, black cotton pants I wear as pajama bottoms, my hair in disarray and mascara smudged on my face from not removing it at night, I feel like a fat dumpy housewife.

So, you could take a trip to a salon, get a great new haircut, highlights perhaps, go to the makeup counter at a department store and get a makeover, get a great new outfit that emphasizes your better features and deemphasizes ones you don't prefer so much.

Archie, I can relate, somewhat. I never bothered with contacts, the thought of something in my eye just creeps me out. But I only wear my glasses when driving or at the computer for any length of time. I should wear them all the time as my right eye is blurry. Of course, I can switch which eye I use! (I've got a lazy eye, but my eye dr. says Its truly not lazy since I can use it. If i try using both together, I see double! And trust me, seeing some things just once is enough!

By basing your self-esteem on the choices you make and on what direction you're headed (you have control over these things!), not based on your past choices and where you are now (you cannot change these things).

How about a pair of glasses just for fashion's sake - plain glass lenses, or barely tinted sunglasses? Or if you're really whacky - just pop out the lenses and wear them without.

I add the later only because a couple years ago, I saw a woman in the Walgreen's wearing lensless glasses. I did a double and a triple take to make sure I really was seeing what I thought I was seeing. Yep - no lenses in the glasses. It was a "cool" look, but it still had me stumped.

For some reason my quote feature isn't working, so I'll do it manually:

"How about a pair of glasses just for fashion's sake - plain glass lenses, or barely tinted sunglasses? Or if you're really whacky - just pop out the lenses and wear them without."

This is a perfect idea!

Yeah, but it's not the glasses themselves that make me feel skinny- it's that my vision is different from my contacts to my glasses- my glasses are like magical rose colored glasses that make things look better. My contacts mess with my depth perception- so things don't change, but I feel fatter with my contacts in.

Whenever I'm feeling down on myself I try to concentrate on things I am able to control. Did I get my exercise in for the day? Am I eating on plan? Are all of my chores finished for the day? Man, if I can accomplish all of those things, the rest will fall in line.

And when all else fails, I just stream K-Love over my computer. Never fails that the perfect song comes on reminding me the God loves me and has a plan for me.

Kara

Is there a difference in prescription?

I think you are dealing with negative self-image here and not vision. There's no logical explanation if the prescriptions are the same for you to see yourself more clearly with the contacts. Contacts will increase your peripheral vision, but it's extremely unlikely that there's an actual perceptual difference "head on". What I mean is that someone with your exact vision prescription would not see you as skinnier when they wore their glasses than they would see you when they wore their contact lenses.

For myself, I've worn glasses and contacts most of my life, and never noticed a difference in my perception of myself between the two at any weight.

I think it's more a psychological difference, not a visual one that you are perceiving.

It's actually quite common for people to believe that they are "more exposed" to others without their glasses. That you and others can see you "more clearly" without the glasses to "hide behind." It's why many schizophrenics wear dark sunglasses - to "hide" their thoughts from other people (it's a "normal" feeling that they've interpreted in a much exagerated and literal way).

I don't think you are imagining things. I wear contacts most of the time but have a pair of glasses (exact same perscription as the contacts) that I wear at home when I'm giving my corneas a break. When I put the glasses on, I look downright tiny - but then my regular dinner plates suddenly look small and oval too I found out is has to do with the strength of my perscription. I am really, really, really nearsighted and in order to avoid having to go to lenses a foot thick, they grind them from a composit material that does distort things (to the point where I won't drive if I'm wearing my glasses)

Maybe go the other way - wear your contacts most of the time until you get used to seeing yourself that way, then when you put your glasses on, you'll have a pleasant surprise

Perhaps. My vision is dramatically different between the two- I can't read a sign at a certain distance with the glasses, but I can read it like a hawk with my contacts. they are supposed to be the same perscription, but my depth perception is messed up too. I can't walk straight. I'll hopefully get used to it. In the meantime, I'll make an optomotrist appointment.

I do have self image problems. Some days I'll be feeling like I'm the most beautiful creature in the world, and I have more confidence than anyone. Other days I think I look like crud. But I think that's pretty normal.

I think sometimes that all my image problems will be solved once I'm thin. Or rather, all my problems will be solved once I'm thin. I know that's not healthy. And I also know I'm thinner now than I've ever been. I've made HUGE progress. I can jog now for 4 minutes straight. I'm down from a size 20 to a size 14. My blood pressure is in healthy ranges. I look at my wedding pictures and I'm much slimmer.

One step at a time, right? I'm doing this for health reasons, not necessarily for aesthetics. And I'm doing great!