Body Image

[xcountryprincess]

I've always had a rough time with my body image and have been dieting on and off for as long as i can remember. It's gotten to the point now where i don't really mind what i see in the mirror, i don't think i look to much like the "fat girl" but my mind is still telling me something different.

 

If i'm with a group of friends or even by myself i won't go and strike up conversation or talk to a guy i like because in my head i'm telling myself "you're so fat, why would he want to date a fat girl, your friends are so much thinner than you why would he even bother."

 

I know i'm not that big, i weigh myself everyday and when i look in the mirror i don't see a huge person. I see parts that could be thinner and that i want to be thinner but not an overweight person. I just can't get out of my head that i'm fat. I've put myself down and told myself that no one would ever want me till i'm thin for so long i can't change the way i think.

 

How do i stop thinking these things about myself? I'm starting to think that even if i lose weight i'm still going to think i'm the fat girl as thats what i've been telling myself for so long. I know you don't have to be cindy crawford to get a guy but i honestly believe that i won't get a guy unless i have an awesome body. How do i change this perception and how do i become more comfortable with what i see in the mirror and believe someone will want to date me (that i like) when people around me just look so much better than i do?

[sweetheart230]

Hi,

 

I had the same problem as you are. You havn't actually said your height/weight or age so I don't know your specific situation. But for me, when I was in high school, I always thought I was too fat. I lost thirty five pounds before college. Honestly, I don't feel thinner. I know I am. But I don't really feel a whole lot differently. Looking back at my pictures from high school, I wasn't really that fat. I thought I was. I thought I was a whale. But I was still pretty. Not that I knew it at the time.

 

I think looking in the mirror and identifying what is beautiful about you will help. Stop trying to compare yourself to other girls. It will do you no good. You are beautiful in your own unique way. And you have to understand that someone will appreciate you for that.

 

You will not see yourself as better or thinner until you feel better on the inside. I suggest also, perhaps getting some new clothes, makeup. Also, take up a sport or activity. What are you good at? That will increase your confidence and help you focus less on your appearance and more on what's on the inside.

[Bethany]

Sexy comes in all sizes.

[traz]

I hate to say it, but even if you do lose weight, the psychological thoughts of "I'm fat" don't always disappear. As others have said, and in my experience as well, I lose 40 pounds in my senior year of high school, and I still thought I was fat and saw myself as fat when I looked in the mirror. The mind can be a hard thing to overcome

[lilsmc]

i went from 140lbs to 98lbs...and i still thought i was soooo fat!! no matter what my weight is, I always see a fat person in the mirror!! I know that it could all be in my head, but what i see in the mirror is someone who is BIG...and that image isnt pleasent at al!!! ugh

[millaj]

You should love yourself today no matter what. I struggled with body image all of my life, and still do sometimes, but i'm very happy inside and feel beautiful on the outside. I am a size 22/24 right now, and I do plus-size modeling i'm also 5'11. I'm a size-acceptance activist, and I want you to know that you can be happy and healthy at any size.

[ShySoul]

True beauty and self confidence comes not from the outside, but from within. You can exercise, diet, lose weight, change your image.... but if you don't truly love who you are at heart and believe in yourself, then it won't make a difference. Instead you need to love who you are. You need to concentrate on the good qualities you have, the talents, skills, characteristics that make you the person you are. You need to keep telling yourself you are a good and beautiful person with much to offer. You need to do the things that you love and have a good time. Smile. Laugh. Believe in yourself. It may not be easy. It may be a struggle. But slowly you can build up the confidence and see that you were beautiful all along... because your inner beauty and heart is what makes you beautiful.