I have a constant struggle with the mirror! I can wake up feeling great and thin, energized and proud of myself. I get ready for work and look in the mirror and feel disgusted! Or feel great most of the day and then by the afternoon/evening feel huge.

Sometimes when i look in the mirror straight forward I think I look good and can tell I have lost weight, and then I turn to the side and feel like I look to big...like my stomach is out there still!!??? How can looking straight forward vs. to the side be so different? Anyone else have these kind of problems or similiar ones?

I was talking to my boyfriend about similiar things one day and he said that I look great. The otherday I was feeling good and had on an outfit that was more fitted and he was so happy I wasn't wearing something baggy, but then that night we were meeting up with friends and it took all my courage to not change into a baggy sweatshirt! My bf says that I can't make dissions on how I look anymore, because my mind contorts things and its not accurate. Could that be true?

I also see people that are close to my height and weigh what I do and more and think they look amazing.. and I think to myself that I wish I looked that good, but I just can't see it in myself.

This thread became kind of a venting session, sorry. But how do you deal with these issues?

Have you heard of "body dysmorphia"? It's when what someone sees when they look at themselves is very different from what someone else sees. In extreme cases, it can be a serious problem. People think they are "too fat" when in fact they are skeletal and starving...

But it sounds like you are just overly critical of yourself. You're used to thinking of yourself as "fat" so that's what you see.

We can always find something we don't like about our body. But hey--it's the only one you get, and at least it's working well at this point, right? So forget the baggy clothes! Keep in mind that no one is looking at you and making critical judgments except you yourself! And give that up!

Do you exercise? Being physically active can help us look better and feel stronger.

Good luck!
Jay

I have not heard of that. I agree, I think I am too critical, I just came seem to stop it though.

I don't have a regular exercise schedule right now, but that is on my to do list. When I worked out more I do feel better, its just a matter of getting myself to the gym though!!

Thanks for the comment.

I am exactly the same way, club. And it makes me think over the past times that I felt "good," and think that I was diluted about that. It can be very frustrating and encouraging.

I read an article that said if you are encouraging to yourself and say positive things to yourself and look at your body in the mirror and say "I LOOK GOOD" even when you don't know that you believe that, it helps you get thinner.

It makes you happier, that's for sure.

I somehow look thinner from the front too, because my fat likes to store itself on my front and back and not the sides so much. It is hard to not be super critical of yourself, and I find that thinking about weight and body stuff too much can make you more critical than you have to be. I agree with Lahlem about just telling yourself you look good is helpful, and maybe try to think about some things you're good at or some great things you've achieved.

Take some pictures. Our minds can distort how we really look but pics don't lie. Take a pic of yourself in the form fitting outfit, I bet you look great in it.

I swear gravity plays a role too. Even my husband has made the same comment about himself. We both admire ourselves in the mirror when we first wake up but by the time we've showered and dressed, we suddenly see something different.

I have also been struggling with this lately. I lost 55 pounds over the past year and have been maintaining for 2 months. I'm not at goal yet, but I'm taking a breather. Anyway--a guy friend and another close friend finally said, "Hey, have you lost weight??" last week, so I know I'm looking slimmer. I was filled with confidence, and went to a party over the weekend where there was a camera ::::shudder::::. My nemesis! Pictures were taken and beer was drunk. All was well, until I saw the pictures. Hello, double chins. Welcome back, pendulous, matronly breasts. Nice to see you again, thunder thighs! I feel like I look the same in pictures as I did 55 lbs ago! I am still having trouble adjusting my image in my head, and when I look at pictures I think that I probably need to lose another 30 pounds instead of the 10 I was thinking about.

Why is the body image thing so complicated?

Ugh, yes, the pictures!!

Nothing ruins a nice outfit like pictures. I had no idea...
I try something weird, I look at pictures upside down if they really bother me.
That way, at least, I can see the picture while distracting myself from everything I dislike about myself.

Thank you everyone.... I struggle with it to much, which becomes an obsession,its nice to know that I am not the only one that feels this way. I am going to talk better to myself and try and not be so critical...

Windchime--- I can so relate! I don't see a change in myself either, yet there are not many pictures! I need to stop being affraid and get some pictures taken, hopefully some day I can see a difference. I bet others see the difference though. And I have no idea why its so complicated -- but it definitly is way complicated.