This post is a hard one for me but I need to share it! Most of my life I have struggled with my weight. I have always had to watch what I eat. I was never like the other kids. I couldn’t eat like the other kids, because I didn’t have a good metabolism. I was always told you would be so beautiful if you just lost some weight! I struggled andI had self esteem issues, I always felt left out, not good enough, and I was jealous of the girls that could eat whatever they wanted and still looked great in a bikini. This created “ Body dysmorphia “ and it’s more common than you think. I’m not an extreme case, but I have over the years done some extreme diets, fads, and fallen for gimmicks.
Well after losing 100 lbs. and then discovered strength training and resistance training, and finally getting in the body I wanted to be in, I still have “Body Dysmorphia”. Or Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
It is amazing what damage people can do to you with words and affect your vision of yourself and how you see things. Just like getting on the scale can determine whether you look thinner when you look in the mirror. The reason I’m sharing this is because I think it’s very important that we choose our words carefully on how we talk to people and how what we say affects them about how they feel about themselves.
Being a personal trainer, I have heard some things that women come in and tell me! The things their spouses say to them about them gaining weight when they go through menopause or after they’ve had children, and how much it affects the way they feel about themselves. If you’ve never struggled with weight and you’ve never had a bad metabolism, then you’ve never been in that person shoes and you should not judge them, because it is not easy. It takes a lot of effort, especially as you get older to takeoff weight and change your lifestyle from the way you’re used to living.
There are those that have been struggling all their lives like I have been. It is a struggle every day and it’s gets harder as I get older too. It is not only people who have struggled with being overweight, it may be somebody who is struggling to put on weight that can have body dysmorphia or even that person that you think has the perfect body, may not see themselves that way. What you see in the mirror may be different than what everybody else sees! The image in your head is overpowering what is really there. This is a struggle that a lot of people deal with every day.
I deal with it every day I see a different person when I look in the mirror. I see the person that is sometimes very overweight or if I just lost a few more pounds I’d be pretty or if I could just fix this or if this just didn’t look the way it was, or if I could just have this fixed. As we get older, it gets worse. Just think twice about what you say to somebody whether it’s a sibling, a spouse, your child, a friend or an acquaintance.
Words are powerful and they can do a lot of damage, or they can do a lot of good. Think about your words carefully, because they can affect somebody for the rest of their lives, and haunt them.
If you have Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD) and need help dealing with it, just know you are not alone. Talk to a friend, a therapist or counselor. Body Dysmorphia can lead to eating disorders and other psychological problems so please get help.
If you are not sure you have BDD take a test at the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation at www.bddfoundation.org
