This is a subject I have been wanting to talk about for awhile, Something I have found myself struggling with as a teen and even into my mid 30’s. Still even catch myself looking in the mirror judging my personal appearance regardless of the lifestyle change, healthy eating and dedication to working out.
Body Dysmorphia is a hard battle to over come and there are hundreds of thousands of people out in the world struggle with the same thing.
1st what is Body Dysmorphia?
It is a mental condition where you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can’t be seen by others. regardless of the people around you telling you otherwise you look in the mirror and see something different.
As a teenager I got caught up in what the Ideal women body should look like, looking at Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera , Parris Hilton and Models like Kathy Iereand, I thought I had to look just like them to be accepted, So I would go without eating, and if I did eat Id run straight to the bathroom to rid my body of the food I just consumed. This went on for Almost a year when my mother noticed I had became entirely too skinny, She was my saving grace, from this condition.
Years past, I got married at 18 and had two children by the time I was 21, not thinking anything about my weight ( which by no means have I ever been overweight) I was happily married and loved my life, Then the walls cam crashing down when my marriage ended due to infidelity at the age of 29, that absolutely destroyed my self esteem and I started the spiral down hill back into thinking my body was not good enough, I wasn’t good enough, something had to have been wrong with me. So I started a gym membership where I would work out for hours while my kids where in school, barley eating and running miles a day, Using food as a reward for working out to only turn around and go to the gym to work off the food I just ate.
Thinking all that would fix the problem with my self esteem. It did the complete opposite though I was later diagnosed with IBS, Anxiety and Hypothyroidism, All a side effect of how I was treating my body, Something had to change. I had two small children that needed me so I pushed through and started researching how to overcome Body Dysmorphia.
How I Overcame Body Dysmorphia
The Biggest step was asking for help, Having someone to talk to about it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders, its amazing how just speaking it out loud sets a light off in your head as to the damage you are doing to yourself. I spoke with people i respected at my gym as to getting tips on bodybuilding, watched hundreds of videos on YouTube for how to eat, how to gain muscle and burn fat the healthy way, reading self love, and personal development books, practicing meditation, getting hobbies such as Hiking, painting/crafts, and this blog , I even took course through NASSAM to become a personal trainer and nutritionist.
I now have a healthy relationship with food and believe wholeheartedly in the 80/20 rule (you eat nutritiously 80 percent of the time and allow yourself to indulge in less healthy food for the remaining 20 percent of your meals.) Using this rule I noticed that I didn’t binge and then fast or beat myself up for eating,
As a result of my recovery from Body Dysmorphia, the quality of my life has improved dramatically. I now appreciate myself in ways that were impossible when I was obsessed with hating my appearance. My life is focused on my family and friends, my relationship, and my passion for helping others and the Gym.
When I hear my body dysmorphic voice descend upon my thoughts, I now simply try to tell it that I’m unavailable. Distancing myself from those thoughts, rather than believing them without question.
In closing, Stop looking at your self emotionally, try to be objective, take progress pictures, take measurement, give yourself objective data to look at instead of looking at it emotionally, look at how much stronger you have got and keep a journal of your progress.
Get Fit Girl 