For as long as I can remember I've been unhappy with my body. I've been fat, I've been thin and I've been somewhere in between.
Despite all these changes what has stayed consistent is a sense of self loathing about how my body looks. Even at my thinnest, when my parents asked me if I was making myself sick after eating (I wasn't), I was still unhappy with how I looked.
I don't think these types of issues are just limited to me. I see the same problems in a lot of my friends. Some focus on one part of their body, others say 'I'll do xx when I've lost xx lbs'. The fact that how they feel about their bodies stops them enjoying their lives to the full, makes me sad.
I wish that we would see ourselves how other people do. If we did I'm sure the picture would be much different.
I was in a shop with two friends the other day and wanted to try something on. My friend picked something out for me and asked what size I wanted. When I said medium, they replied 'surely that will be too big'. It wasn't. In fact, the medium was a bit snug but it just goes to show you how other people perceive your figure.
I'm tired of feeling self conscious of my body. It might not be perfect and I'm working to make small changes physically, but unless we crack our mental blocks when it comes to our bodies, no amount of weight loss, exercise or cellulite cream will make a difference. I used to weigh eight and a half stone. I exercised 5 hours per week and smoked 20 cigarettes a day. I wasn't that healthy, and I still wasn't happy with what I thought I saw in the mirror.
So how about we focus on how other people see us instead. After all, their 'mirrors' seem to be much clearer than our own.