How do I start to change

[Sindri]

Hi

I'm a 46 year old female and I've had body image problems since I was 6 when my mum put me on a diet. I've been thin and I've been big and everything in between and nothing has made me feel good about myself long term. Being thin did make me feel superficially good but then I would overeat and get big again.

Right now the cycle is at my overeating and getting bigger phase and I just want to stop feeling so bad about myself. I look in the mirror and see absolutely nothing good. I hate every piece of my body, apart from my nose

So I need to get some tools to stop this, I have a 10 year old daughter and I want to help her not to go through this. I'm also getting married in 18 months or so and would like to feel good about the day rather than spending it being miserable over how I look.

This is me:
img76.imageshack.us/img76/6934/sharonbdayzn4.jpg

 

[white page]

Hi Sindri,
Welcome

May I suggest, that you see your General practitioner first for a complete check over, and then ask him to recomend a bonefide qualified dieticien and nutritionist. There is no quick fix solution to stabilising your weight to a comfortable for you level, work with a therapist would help you to accept your body image during the process of change whilst you are adjusting your eating habits.

best wishes wp

 

[Sindri]

My GP does not give recommendations for nutrition but recommends following a low fat diet such as weightwatchers. I know I have a lot to lose to be at a reasonable weight and that it will take me a good year or more to achieve that.

I would love to be able to like myself and not get jealous or threatened by every "perfect" woman I see.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

This is a difficult issue to tackle on your own, Sindri.

Have you ever seen a counsellor or therapist with expertise in eating disorders and/or body image issues?

 

[white page]

Sindri,

Every Woman is a perfect woman in her own unigue and individual way.
We are bombarded with images that are heavily touched up of fourteen year old girls pretending to be twenty for the quirks of fashion designers.

I would suggest that you visit your local museum, where you will see how the image of the silouette of the "perfect woman" has changed from slim to generous back to slim and again generous, over the ages.

How about seeing a therapist Sindri, maybe work on your self esteem would be useful.

 

[Sindri]

Thanks for the responses.

I have had a 6 part session with a counsellor where we explored some of my reasons for feeling so unworthy and why they are out of control at the moment.

Right now almost every moment of my life is filtered through my feelings about how bad I look and how unattractive I am. I went to the GP and asked for counselling when I couldn't sit through any TV show or film without dissolving into tears later about how awful and disgusting I am and telling my fiance that he would reject me as soon as he found a better looking woman who was interested in him.