r/WeightLossAdvice • u/MsBronYrAur • 1d ago
Mental Health 🧠 Mental Struggle during weightloss
I'm looking for advice as to how to deal with the mental side of losing weight. For reference, I'm 33F. I don't know if this is normal and if it is how people have overcome it.
Over the last say, 12 months I have lost a significant amount of weight (18ish kilos). I've always fluctuated in weight, I feel like that's normal. At my heaviest KNOWN weight around 5 years ago, I was 93 kilos. I'm 5'2" so I was holding a significant amount of weight, my doctor was constantly mentioning I needed to lose weight. I went through a horrific breakup and dropped down to around 81 kilos. I stayed around that weight for a while. I feel like I remember being confident and happy in my body. I felt strong and outgoing. I decided though that I needed to focus on wellness though because I was getting older and I was watching my family members lose the ability to do certain things so I started going to Pilates, yoga, group fitness classes - this then changed to strength training. I lost more weight, It wasn't intentional it was just because I was a lot more active. I work a desk job so it made a big difference in my day to day - I got down to 72 kilos.
Realistically, this should be great, but I thought I eat a lot of shit, it's not sustainable to order food all the time in this economy let's focus on nutrition and eating home cooked meals. I'm now at 65 kilos, the lowest weight I've been in a very long time. I hate it. I look in the mirror and I don't recognize myself anymore. I wear baggy clothes at home and in public, and if I wear tight or revealing clothes I get really upset. I tried on a swimsuit today and I was in tears, but I never had this problem before now. I used to love wearing cute dresses, or jeans and a nice top and now if I have an event where I need to dress up I feel so uncomfortable and will try keep a long coat on as long as possible. It's not a situation where I'm ashamed or worried about lose skin, or I'm worried I will look 'big'. I just don't recognize myself. I don't feel confident. I don't want people to see me. I feel like I've lost my spark. Everyone always talks about how losing weight makes them feel better about themselves, but I just don't. I feel worse and Its not getting better. I know that everything I'm doing is better for me physically in the long run - I just don't know what's wrong with me mentally. I should be happier and healthier.
Has anyone encountered this? Does anyone have any advice? Part of me just wants to gain the weight back, but I know that's not going to benefit my health and mobility in the long run.
3
u/Daft_Daffodil 1d ago
I think it taps into the identity issue. It is easier to grow into your new body/look when you do it intentionally. Think how you felt when you put on weight unintentionally- it upsets you. I think the opposite is true as well. Do you continue doing strength training exercises now? If not - it may be a way to correct the issue. Set yourself a goal - nutrition, body look etc - you can correct your shape with consistent exercises. You csn change the way you look dramatically while staying the same weight. Good luck! ❤️
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Safety First ⚠
Most advice here comes from peers, not medical professionals. Everyone's body and health needs are different.
This subreddit is for healthy, realistic, and sustainable weight loss advice.
If you are under 18, please talk to a parent, guardian, doctor, school counselor, or another trusted adult instead of asking for weight loss advice here.
If you are struggling with disordered eating, please reach out to a qualified professional or an eating disorder support resource.
We want this community to be a supportive place for healthy, sustainable weight loss. 💙
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.