Thank you! I'm so happy for you that you can see yourself again, that's my biggest motivator. I can't wait to look into the mirror and see myself again! Good luck!
Hi there,
I think you have brought up a very valid consideration for anyone who is attempting to lose weight. It makes you question who is the bigger diet sabotager: the friend who is overweight and maintains she is 'comfortable' at her weight or the friend who is very thin and not satisfied with her weight? I have encountered both of these circumstances and reflected on the different emotions I endured with both individuals.
The somewhat overweight friend..you experIence an unrenounced pride in these people, in that they can feel comfortable and at peace with themselves at a weight/size that you, perhaps, would not feel satisfied with- it creates an internal argument within you, as you persistently question why you cannot possess such a healthy and peaceful state of mind concerning your weight as this person apparently has [although what Cym said may be true- it may be a facade on their behalf].
The dissatisfied rail thin friend..these can sometimes be worse bc a certain degree of resentment often accompanies any complaints on their behalf. At some point, you'll want to scream 'why are you complaining- you're half of my size'!!! But the interesting thing in this situation is that weight/size is entirely relative. In a 5'3" person who is accustomed to being 115 pounds, gaining five pounds will likely be far more noticable and disconcerting than to someone who was 145 pounds and very muscular.
Basically, what i'm trying to point out here is that no one feels the same way about their body image as the next person. Someone who is more overweight than you may perceive your body as 'ideal' where someone much smaller may consider you as 'slightly overweight'. The same goes for their own self-image. What You need to focus on is HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF. The only problem with this is that individuals such as myself who have a history of eating disorders/disordered eating usually have a distorted self-image, or body dysphoria. We see ourselves as much bigger than we really are and this, in turn, can be a significant problem in our pursuit of weight loss. Alternatively, some who are extremly overweight can also experience this ordeal and view themselves as much smaller than they are. It's one of the many tricks of the mind.
I suppose what I'm trying to explain here is that it is important to set your own goals, your own motivations and your own boundaries based on what You want and you feel You need. But its not a bad idea to speak to someone you trust to be certain your goals are within reason and not too extreme [due to the previously touched on 'body dysphoria']. I hope this wasnt too elaborate and nonsensical- I tend to go off on tangents about this subject due to my substantial past experience. Take care x
