body dysmorphic disorder? Anyone else? Pics included!

I don't know if mine is this bad or i am truly in SHOCK.. but i've been struggling with this. I used to wear size 30/32 and 4X tops at 401 pounds. I am still buying 26/28 tops in which i get comments they are WAY to big on me but i want to wear them because i don't like my mid-section "tire" as i call it.  I should be wearing a 2X. I still wear these huge 4X tank tops i probably stretched out from old navy too because i am so used to hiding my lower belly because it was SOOO BIG! Needless to say i deared to step into Lane Bryant today to try on a swimsuit i finally got rid of the size 32 one! The associate brought me in a size 22/24 shorts and a 44DD bathing suit top i was like yeah this won't fit. Needless to say it DID FIT. But of course i felt off about it because it hugged my belly once again. The shorts were actually a bit baggy on me around the waist and she brought me in a size 18/20 HAHA lady laugh it off. Well once again to my surprise they FIT. I got the bigger ones not for the waist but because they were longer. Honestly i was looking for a swim dress preferably black that covered anything and everything and i walked out in a 2 piece! I then tried on their maxi dresses i asked for a 26/28 i have no idea what size i am anymore. She brought me a 22/24 and it fit with room... i still asked for the 26/28 because it hugged that stomach area again but it ended up being too big she said it herself. I noticed today my breasts need more support i am losing them... i had to get a under wire swimsuit and i need to start wearing under wire bra's because otherwise yeah you know ladies. So does this just keep getting better "weight loss" wise and worse "body self image wise"?

I know i am tough on myself and people keep telling me to stop it and i am having a hard time my body is just so different already. My work pants in a 24 from Walmart were a little snug when i bought them a few weeks ago and not they are so baggy and i keep pulling them up. Is shapewear my solution? Also any exercises to help this mid section? Obviously my breasts are a lost cause till plastic surgery and i have lost 132 lbs so far i have 118 lbs till goal weight.

This is the "tire" i am referring to.

Before around 380ish lbs

Now at 268.6 lbs

 

You look awesome!  Wow!  What a difference.  It still amazes me when I  see pictures like this!  Mzlaura, you are doing a great job and even though you may not see it because you see yourself everyday, but holy guacamole I sure can.  Keep up the great work!  Jane

Awww ty so much! I have lost 28lbs since surgery so i got a ways to go still but i do see a huge difference from these pics. Just wish i wasn't so hard on myself i have come a LONG way =)

you look amazingly different!! I had the same hang up about my waist as you. Shapewear was the answer for me. It tucked things in and made the bulges less noticeable. Now here is how insane I am though! I didn't wear just one shapewear and still done. In the beginning I wore the bottoms which came up to just below my bra and down my thighs and also wore the tank top one over it with the bra cut out. Sure having two might of added a little more bulk but it was the only way I felt comfortable and completely smoothed out! I felt by wearing both it tucked in every bulge that could stick out.

Today I wear a boy short one that still comes up quite high on my belly but also wear a tube top looking one that goes from my bra down. In my eyes it prevents any muffin top like bulge above the boy short one. I'm probably nuts, my hubby says I am but I need to be comfortable and this is the only way that I am.

Go try some on and see how you feel in them. They were tight and uncomfortable for me at first but when I saw how much nicer I looked and how much more confident I felt in clothes I was sold. Until I can get plastics shapewear will be my best friend!

As a mental health professional, I can assure you that you do not have BDD, and that you are just experiencing a normal problem of weight loss (which will likely continue, and may get worse, as you continue to lose).   It is hard when you are constantly changing size, but many people find that even once they are DONE losing their weight, it takes their brain quite a while to really see the new size body.  It seems to want to hang on to seeing what it envisioned as the old size body (which was likely smaller than what it actually was).

So, you are normal (and what a wonderful problem to have, right?!?)

Lora

you look amazing!  It's really good you are taking some pics.  I've read that this is a good way to "document " your progress.  There is a poster on here, miss callie I believe is her name - she is the cutest and tiniest thing!  Anyway, she wrote that she takes pics of herself that don't include  her head - this  way she can actually SEE herself.  Something to think about......

You're looking really great!  Congratulations on the size drop.  It's only going to get better from here.

You're looking great! Love the color of your dress! I went through the same thing. I didn't want to buy anything my size cause I couldn't hide my stomach. Then I found spanx! Love those things! I wear them every day.

Shapewear is the answer. There are many different styles and you have to see what you prefer. I wear a torsette one piece style that you wear your own bra with. It was a bit uncomfortable at first but when I saw how much better it made me look and feel I decided it was worth it. Now it's what I am comfortable in. The tummy roll will get better but on me it was the last thing to go. You have made amazing progress. Congratulations!

You are doing absolutely amazing work! I too have the tire you are referring to. I hate it & it is the biggest issue I have with my body. Mine got even more disfigured when I had to have 2 hernia's repaired in Jan & they sewed mesh in there. Shapewear does help a lot. I've tried many different kinds of shapewear & the only brand that did the trick & didn't cut off my circulation was Spanx. I wear them a lot. As far as I'm aware of surgery is the only answer for getting rid of that area completely. Hopefully one day I will be able to get that done, but for now shapewear is my new best friend. Lol Just wanted to let you know you are not alone. My mid section messes with my head a lot. You have a lot to be proud of. You have lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. I've been told it takes a while for our heads to catch up with our bodies & I'm still not there yet even at 14 months out. Just hang in there & keep doing what you are doing.