Body Dysmorphia after Weight Loss

[Pandemonium 515]

I know that body dysphoria is not something that everyone experiences after losing a substantial amount of weight, but it is something that I experience what I would consider minor bouts of on a somewhat frequent basis. I know that it's exacerbated by the fact that my weight loss was pretty rapid so that I had less time to grown accustomed to the changes as they happened. I also know that there is a very good chance that once I reach whatever my maintenance weight ends up being, that these bouts of dysphoria will diminish as time goes by.

If you suffer (or suffered) from bouts of body dysphoria, how did you handle it? What were your triggers that brought on those episodes?

For me, it's my face. I can look at my arms, my legs, and my stomach and see the changes from my weight loss and it doesn't impact me. Yet almost every time I look in the mirror, that's when it hits. I carried a lot of fat in my face and neck and so looking into the mirror often messes me up because it sometimes doesn't feel like it's actually me looking back. I've gotten to the point that I've given into the COVID Beard trend because at least the facial hair "bulks" up my face to an extent so that the differences aren't so severe. Except I really have no interest in having an unruly full beard all the time because I don't find it comfortable (plus it messes with my mask seal for my CPAP). For the past week I have told myself every day to just shave it down to my usual goatee...and every day I have avoided doing so. It's that lingering anxiety of seeing the stranger looking back at me in the mirror.

[BayougirlMrsS 3,938]

Me.... i know i have this. I still look in the mirror and see 232lbs sometimes.....

[The Greater Fool 2,071]

I don't have much to offer but encouragement and support.

I wish I could sport your mustache and beard. All I have is a scraggly nordic thing.

Tek

[GivinItMyALL 169]

I wonder how it will be for me once I have the surgery and lose the weight. I have a weird form of it now... it involves photos. I think I look GREAT when I look in the mirror (unless I am naked... 🤣) but if I see a photo of myself, I am utterly horrified at how I look. Maybe I will have a pleasant surprise in that photos will actually resemble what I see in the mirror... guess I will have to wait and see.

I hope it gets better for you! Hang in there...

[IWantTheDream 179]

I think we all probably have it to one extent or the other. I for one look in the mirror and still only see the biggest version of me I never am able to see myself getting smaller. I see the scale change but I don’t see any change. I just cannot see it. I am down 55lbs but I just cannot see it so frustrating! I do feel ur pain. Good luck 🍀

[ms.sss 15,810]

I think as with all things, after some time passes, one would eventually get used to it. I figure rapid-weight loss peeps lose faster than what what their brains can process (especially for those who have been used to being obese for a long time).

With that said, I KNOW I am skinny. Now, HOW skinny I actually am, still surprises me sometimes, at almost 2 years out; A couple weeks ago me and the Kid were measuring the circumferences of our biceps to determine who had bigger muscles. To my surprise we actually measured basically the same (I was almost 1/4 inch bigger than hers). I always see my kid as having skinny chicken arms and me as having regular, normal sized arms. It was/is pretty weird seeing the measurements on the tape, but still not seeing it in the mirror.

[Nermada 149]

On 10/1/2020 at 9:30 AM, Pandemonium said:

I know that body dysphoria is not something that everyone experiences after losing a substantial amount of weight, but it is something that I experience what I would consider minor bouts of on a somewhat frequent basis. I know that it's exacerbated by the fact that my weight loss was pretty rapid so that I had less time to grown accustomed to the changes as they happened. I also know that there is a very good chance that once I reach whatever my maintenance weight ends up being, that these bouts of dysphoria will diminish as time goes by.

If you suffer (or suffered) from bouts of body dysphoria, how did you handle it? What were your triggers that brought on those episodes?

For me, it's my face. I can look at my arms, my legs, and my stomach and see the changes from my weight loss and it doesn't impact me. Yet almost every time I look in the mirror, that's when it hits. I carried a lot of fat in my face and neck and so looking into the mirror often messes me up because it sometimes doesn't feel like it's actually me looking back. I've gotten to the point that I've given into the COVID Beard trend because at least the facial hair "bulks" up my face to an extent so that the differences aren't so severe. Except I really have no interest in having an unruly full beard all the time because I don't find it comfortable (plus it messes with my mask seal for my CPAP). For the past week I have told myself every day to just shave it down to my usual goatee...and every day I have avoided doing so. It's that lingering anxiety of seeing the stranger looking back at me in the mirror.

Just a quick correction, if you guys don't mind. What we suffer from is in general body dysmorphia not dysphoria.

Dysphoria is usually associated with people who have a hard time with body parts they were born with, i.e. transgender and nonbinary people.

Sorry for the wikipedia fact, I always figure, that as human beings, we're always learning !😊

As for the topic on hand, body dysmorphia, boy oh boy, do I have issues in that department! But, honestly @Pandemonium it gets better with time. The brain just takes a long time to catch up.❤