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Disordered Eating
I'm a dancer and I hate my body. I see myself in the mirror almost every single day and just compare myself to everyone else. Even if someone is a little bigger than me I still envy their confidence with themselves. If I do something that makes my stomach squish I want to run away and hope no one else saw it. This seems ridiculous and I completely understand that but I can't help it. For a few months, I've been not eating as much as I should to shed a few pounds which I thought would help me gain confidence but it has ruined me even more. When I first started loosing weight it was very satisfying and I was happy and confident. Then I hit a point where I stopped losing weight but am still hungry all the time (which is now). I thought not eating was going well but now I'm just left with the mental burden of it and I'm not loosing weight. I have a competition in a week and I do not feel confident in my costume which shows some of my stomach. How do I get over this uneccessary nit picking about my body? I'm so unhappy all the time and it's affecting my everyday life?
You don't sound ridiculous at all. Many people are not comfortable with their bodies. It's important though that you go about losing weight in a healthy way. Losing weight and then becoming sick from malnutrition would put you in a worse situation. Not eating as much or at all, or walking around being hungry all the time is not healthy. You'll find that the an effective way to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is to eat healthy foods in smaller portions and more frequently. I know it may sound counter productive but you can actually eat a piece of fruit or raw vegetables every couple of hours. It's low calorie and it provides your body with the nutrients it needs. When trying to lose weight, you will find that you reach a threshold, where it's harder to lose the weight that when you first start dieting. Bringing exercise into the mix can help. If you like dancing, then dance for exercise. This will help you maintain a healthy weight. For confidence, you can put up pictures of yourself when you felt that you were in a good place to remind you that you are beautiful and perfect. Or you can put up pictures of role models ... women who are beautiful and comfortable in their own bodies even if they are not a size 2 (for example Jennifer Lopez). We all are born with the body that we are given and we can't really compare ourselves to other people ... it's like having brown eyes and wishing we had blue eyes. We need to know that our brown eyes are beautiful and special and unique because they belong to us. It's the same with your body. If you need support, maybe you talk to a counselor, or you can start a meet up group with other girls who are also looking to feel comfortable with their bodies and you can provide encouragement to each other.
If you have any other additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact 2ndfloor, through message board, phone or text message. We are here 24/7 @ 888-222-2228.
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