[Anonymous]

OKay so basically ive been feeling really down about myself, and my body in particular. I've felt horrible and overweight ever since i was seven years old, i remember some really horrible things i used to do and think as a girl about my weight. Recently i've put on a little bit of weight (ive never been overweight in my life or even close, my bmi now at my highest weight is 20.1) and i've been working on losing it to get back to a bmi of 19 which i feel okay at.

But with this weight gain ive become dreadfully afraid of stretch marks. I have stretch marks on my left inner thigh (puberty,i had them at bmi 19) and i dont feel so bad about them because most of them are fading and not so bad, i also have stretch marks on my bum, which i dont feel so bad a bout because again, they are just silver and noone sees my bum much lol, (big knickers and bikini bottoms :P) but the other day i woke up crying from a dream, because i dreamt i had horrible stretch marks all over my stomach. its basically my worst nightmare. im working on losing a little bit of stomach fat i have and ive been obssessed with stretch marks ever since.

I check my stomach every single day, and i feel really bad about it. but today, i swear down i saw five silver lines pointing upward towards my bellybutton!! i touched them and they had grooves (like my thighs) and they looked just like stretch marks!!! i cried for ages i looked at them for a long time and just didnt know what to do but then, two hours later, i go to look again, and they are completly gone!! cant even feel any grooves or anything!!

So my question is,
did i imagine these?? is there something wrong with me??

Thanks and sorry this is long.

[Idle]

Hi, I am just bumping this as you haven't received any replies yet

[Anonymous]

Relax! Maybe you're seeing them because you're worrying about them so much, it's making you paranoid. Either that or they just looked like they were there because of the lighting or something. Stretch marks are normal, you can get them from weight loss and gain. So stop worrying and live your life!

[flamingokim]

Hi

It sounds like this is causing you a lot of distress. Is there someone you can talk to about it? I know that sometimes it seems silly, or you feel embarrassed about it (i mean its a sensitive issue so you dont want the world to know) but i think it would be really good if you can find a safe place and someone you can trust where you can talk about it.

Some people don't mind stretch marks, but for others its more difficult. It can really knock your self esteem and have a huge impact on your life. It's not your fault and your not a weaker person, so you don't need to feel embarrassed as its obviously very upsetting for you.

From my experience, I know that the more I think about a part of my body or the more I get obsessed about it and look at it, the bigger a problem it becomes. I have a really poor body image (despite being thin) and what i've learnt is that a lot of the time, how we see ourselves can become distorted by how we feel. For example, the times when im stressed or feel like im failing at other aspects of my life (like studying or work) i fix my attention on the parts of my body i hate and everything gets blown out of proportion.

So i suggest that a really positive step would be to start spending a little less time each day (or week if its particularly challenging) looking at the stretch marks. Or maybe give yourself a set slot per day to worry about it and look in the mirror, but then for the rest of the day if you find yourself thinking about it draw your attention on something else. Reduce this length of time until eventually you dont need to look anymore.

I would also suggest that every time you look at the stretch marks and start obsessing, draw your attention to a part of your body you like. It's easy to focus on the negatives, but i bet there are many really positive attributes of your body that you completely forget! Which bits are you really proud of? What parts of your body do you think look really good? Write them down and stick them around your mirror! Remind yourself of all the positive parts of your personality, what things you are good at! You are more than your stretch marks, so make sure you keep telling yourself that!

I hope you can get through this difficult time best of luck x

[wanzc]

I think I am more attracted to chubby lady



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[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, i went to a therapist, and she says i might have body dysmorphia, which i guess explains stuff. im know im not being rational, ill try working on it. Thanks for the replys