BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Image Anyone else constantly think about their weight?

Hello! I have an issue, and it really just bothers me all the time. :( I just turned 20 years old, I'm 5'6" (almost 5'7"), and I'm 128 lbs. Now, this gives me a BMI of 20.7, which is good, apparently...BUT! I constantly look at all of the bad qualities of myself instead of the good ones. Sometimes I just love the way I look, and I enjoy looking in the mirror...but for some reason, every time I actually do look in the mirror, I convince myself that I don't ACTUALLY look good and that it's all in my head, and that underneath my makeup or clothes I'm really not that pretty. Also, whenever I think I look thin in the mirror, I convince myself that it's one of those mirrors that doesn't actually reflect what something looks like in reality. My boyfriend hates it when I bring up myself being fat. He thinks I'm beautiful, and he tells me all the time that I am. He says he loves my body...but I'm just not satisfied. Does anyone have this same problem?? How can I fix it, because it's really ruining my life...? Even though I completely realize that it's all irrational, I can't stop thinking negatively about myself... =[ Also, I am very conscious of what I eat, and I work out 5-6 times a week.

My sister is like you. She counts every calorie, even wears a pedometer to bed and is on weight watchers. She is 5"2 and weighs 120lbs. I think her every thought is about her weight and how she looks. I think she needs therapy but refuses to believe that she has a distorted image of herself. She and her husband are having big time debt problems and I think that she is controlling her weight because she can't control her world. Maybe you should talk to someone...I think it would make you feel better. From your photo you are a very beautiful young girl who looks very thin!

i don't have the problem. to be honest, i don't care about my weight very much. i eat what i like and never limit myself not to eat something!

Since this post, I've been making it a point to compliment myself more often. Also, I went clothes shopping yesterday, and I finally felt free of my own criticism. Things are looking up =] @ nini2010: I bet that's nice...are you overweight because of that or are you healthy?

I don't care about my weight very much. i eat what i like and never limit myself not to eat something!

I know exactly how you feel. I have been this way to a certain extent all my life. My identify was that I was the "skinny" one in my family, and I felt that if I gained any weight at all, that identify would be lost. That I had nothing else to offer. I am now a mother of three boys and have been happily married for 25 years!. I am still 5'5" and 127 pounds and I do work out about 5 times a week as well, but I have made it a habit that every time I look in the mirror I compliment something about me. Something that I did that day to improve myself or to help another person. Anything positive that I can think of. The more you state positive things the more you start to believe them. You need to build confidence in yourself. It does become easier the more you practice. I'm glad you are starting to feel better about yourself, but don't dwell on your looks or your size, you need to grow as a person first. Good luck to you!

I used to all the time. Mainly because I focused on exercise and healthy eating as a way to be a certain weight or look a certain way or be a certain size.

These days I focus on goals that have more meaning like being able to aerial dance on a trapeze, being able to hike 13 miles without getting sore or injuring my back or hips, or being able to run at the park with my kids.

I think having goals that go beyond how you look are key to stopping the NBO (negative body obsession). Back when I stressed about it non stop I used to struggle losing/gaining the same 10 lb. Now I'm always at my ideal weight and feel pretty good about my body 90% of the time.

I agree that confidence is key but it comes from finding things that inspire you to become a better person or live a more dynamic life.

Yes, I definitely think about my weight all of the time. My parents think I'm obsessed with working out & eating right. A little over a year ago, I had completely let myself go and ballooned to 210 lbs. Because I'm tall (5'9") it didn't look horrible on me, but I was so unhappy with myself everytime I looked in the mirror. I ended up losing 65 lbs and now I go back and forth between 147 & 150 pounds. I'm very happy with the progress I've made (just would like to get a 6-pack...lol), however I'm always so afraid of gaining that weight back. I exercise like crazy and try to eat very healthy, but I still worry like crazy about being fat again.

Hi Rosetea, I hope this article helps a little:
Self Worth : How to Increase it