Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Distorted Body Image

Does anyone else have this problem? Usually the distortion you think of is someone thinking they're fatter than they are.... but for me, it's the opposite. When I look in the mirror, I don't see myself as big as I am. But every once in awhile, I'll catch a glimpse of myself in the window of a store or something, and I'll think "God, who IS that fat person?!" And, well, it's ME.

This is really a large part of how I let myself get to the highest weight I was ever at.... because I didn't see myself as someone that weighed that much. I think part of this comes from people telling me my whole life that I "carry my weight well" or "don't look like I weigh that much". Yes, it's meant as a compliment, but it's really messed w/my head!

A nurse once actually thought the scale was inaccurate when I stepped on and it weighed me at over 300 pounds.... I had to be the one to tell her "nope, I really am that fat".

Anyway, that just popped into my head this evening, so I thought I'd get it out there...

6 comments:

tash said...

when i look into the mirror or see myself in pictures, i think i am much more heavy than i really am.

and when i picture myself in my head, i picture myself much lighter and in much better shape than i really am.

talk about a distorted body image! :)

Heather said...

I have the same reverse distortion. I look in the mirror and think I look pretty good. I will go to a party and feel like I am looking hot but then see pictures from the party and feel stupid for thinking I looked that way because I look horrible! I think most of my body image comes from the fact that I was so thin. I still feel and think like that person, but trapped in this body and thats why it takes a photo to remind me that i need to work on letting that thin person out.

*ccc* said...

Oh wow...I can so relate! I've thought the same thing. I look at myself in the mirror and think, "no way can I be as heavy as the scale says...no way."

But I am.

What always hits me are photos--actual photos. I see them and then think I was truly deluding myself...

Great post!

And ps--thank you for stopping by and offering some encouragement. You have no idea how much I needed it!

Chubby Chick said...

I feel like that, too! It's like sometimes I just cannot believe that I weigh as much as I do, and I cannot believe that I could possibly be as big as I really am. Maybe I have whacked out mirrors or something. I don't know. lol

And I feel like I do carry my weight well. And I know that sounds crazy. How can you carry 300 + pounds "well" when you're only 5'7"? lol

I, too, had an experience with a nurse who was weighing me several years ago. I came in at around 270 or 280 pounds, and she told me, "You don't look like you weigh that much." I was thrilled, and I still am. And I'm anxious for the point when I weigh 270 or 280 again... just to see what the heck she was talking about.

And sometimes I think I feel this way because I am not around a lot of "normal-sized" people on a daily basis. But when I am around "normal" people, I do get a reality check and realize how heavy I really am in comparison.

Daniele said...

Definitely! This is exactly how I see myself. I shall write about this on the blog... got too much to say to put it in a comment..lol
But know that I feel EXACTLY like you do about this. You're not alone.

Anonymous said...

I'm really confused about my body right now. I still FEEL like I look like I did at 301 pounds but when I look at pictures of myself I KNOW I don't look the same as I did then. Sometimes I'll go to sit in a chair and think "I can't fit in there' and then when I sink in easily I remeber "oh yeah, I lost 60 some odd pounds". I think the weight goes first and the body image comes later. I hope so at least.