I’m so insecure over my stomach
This has been going on since I was like eleven years old. My stomach isn’t flat and the only time it was flat was earlier this year when my eating disorder was at its worse and even then sometimes after eating dinner it would get bigger. I know that it’s normal and it just means there’s food in there but it makes me wanna die.
I feel like I see so many skinny girls with flat stomachs and it makes me so jealous because I’m so skinny and everything else about me is flat but my stomach. I’ve tried nearly everything at this point and I do ab exercises all the time. I’m honestly sick of being so insecure over it but I can’t stop.
I feel like I see so many skinny girls with flat stomachs and it makes me so jealous because I’m so skinny and everything else about me is flat but my stomach. I’ve tried nearly everything at this point and I do ab exercises all the time. I’m honestly sick of being so insecure over it but I can’t stop.
Hey Lucy, I empathise with your situation. Every human being on the planet was insecure about themselves or some aspect of themselves at some point. It's not unusual and you're not weird for feeling this way. At the stage of life you're at, we all needed a lot of external validation as a form of permission to feel good about ourselves; to be able to feel comfortable in our own bodies. It's only as you age that you gain the perspective needed to realise that whilst some things about our bodies are better or worse than other things, there is no use comparing yourself to others. In life you will face many people trying to bring you down, and maturing is realising that in the long run, you're the one who needs to be motivating yourself.
That being said, I would like to address your concern. Flat stomachs don't exist. Not really. If you've spent a lot of time around people with relatively low body fat percentage, i.e. lean individuals, you'll know that several factors contribute to a superficial appearance of a flat stomach. The abdomen is a compartment dedicated to organ storage - they're all just kind of stuffed in there, like the contents of a hurriedly-packed locker. These organs weigh a lot, and in a completely untensed state (especially in natural lighting, under normal hydration and after eating normally), they push on the rectus abdominis muscle with quite a lot of force. This causes the stomach to develop a completely natural bulge. Note, that even people with moderately high body adiposity can appear to have a nearly flat stomach when laying on their back. Social media lies to you hundreds of time every day, as people train to tense their stomach to make it appear flat for the picture, or skimp on water or skip meals to perfect their look for the camera (not to mention the use of Photoshop). There are luckily many videos showcasing how lean, muscular men, extremely hardworking at the gym, can transition from looking like a Greek sculpture to Thor from Endgame within a couple hours just by not holding in their stomach, under natural lighting and by eating a meal and drinking water.
I have seen extremely lean people obsess over
That being said, I would like to address your concern. Flat stomachs don't exist. Not really. If you've spent a lot of time around people with relatively low body fat percentage, i.e. lean individuals, you'll know that several factors contribute to a superficial appearance of a flat stomach. The abdomen is a compartment dedicated to organ storage - they're all just kind of stuffed in there, like the contents of a hurriedly-packed locker. These organs weigh a lot, and in a completely untensed state (especially in natural lighting, under normal hydration and after eating normally), they push on the rectus abdominis muscle with quite a lot of force. This causes the stomach to develop a completely natural bulge. Note, that even people with moderately high body adiposity can appear to have a nearly flat stomach when laying on their back. Social media lies to you hundreds of time every day, as people train to tense their stomach to make it appear flat for the picture, or skimp on water or skip meals to perfect their look for the camera (not to mention the use of Photoshop). There are luckily many videos showcasing how lean, muscular men, extremely hardworking at the gym, can transition from looking like a Greek sculpture to Thor from Endgame within a couple hours just by not holding in their stomach, under natural lighting and by eating a meal and drinking water.
I have seen extremely lean people obsess over
Obsess over "belly rolls" when they leaned forward, despite the fact that everyone gets them. It's a destructive and idealistic outlook.Striving to look picture perfect every day is as unrealistic as it is unhelpful. The best we can settle for is living a healthy life featuring adequate exercise and a moderated food intake. Do it for your health, and the benefits of feeling better throughout the day and feeling better about yourself will follow.If I were you or someone close to you, I would suggest you go out to speak with a tutor or other designated helpful person where you attend and seek advice to receive counselling. Many unis offer free counselling services, which will help give you a healthier outlook on life. There may be a wait list, but I know someone who receives therapy this way and it's helped them tremendously to have an outlet and a patient ear to talk to.Finally, once you are able to acquire a balanced insight into body dysmorphia, I would investigate whether so called "body recomposition" would be a beneficial course of action. It might be, or it might not, but it's never a good idea to launch into weight loss without considering all of the above thoroughly.I would start by looking at lots and lots of body fat percentage charts, and seeing where you place. Then, I would try counting your calories using an app. There are many out there, some free and some paid, but I would go by online reviews and what you prefer. For a few weeks, eat normally and note how many calories you consume, making sure to include drinks and condiments, and also track your exercise accurately. Based on what you weigh, your current body fat % and your goal %, work out how many kg difference there are and adjust your diet. The body follows the principle of conservation of energy, meaning that if you require 2200kcal per day, and eat 1700kcal that day, in order to supply energy, your body will balance the deficit by oxidising the fats stored in your adipose tissues. A calorie deficit of about 7700kcal will produce a net loss of about 1kg, but adipose tissue stores water too, so the weight loss may actually be more, so it's really a rough idea. Tracking your food, induce a slight and gradual calorie deficit - shoot for several hundred calories per day, never lose more than about 500 kcal per day. Higher rates of fat loss are not healthy and cause you to rapidly lose muscle mass. The occasional day might prove a setback, as you have a big dinner or a night out, but it's the overall trend you're trying to maintain. I would suggest a diet rich in protein, with some carbs and the fewest oils and sugars that you're able to include in your diet. Oils and simple sugars are extremely energy dense compared to most vegetables and lean meats, so they are less filling. A protein rich diet will also likely decrease your appetite, as well as enable you to start building muscle through cardio and gentle exercise.As for hunger, you usually get used to a deficit very quickly, and it becomes second nature within about 2 weeks. Personally, I used to eat until I was either just full, or very slightly less than full, which worked as a good rule of thumb.If you need any clarification or advice, feel free to reach out
hello! i just wanted to come on here and say you're not alone! i would also be considered skinny but my stomach is not flat whatsoever and it's so frustrating and i understand what you mean, my stomach looks so out of place compared to my body 
i feel like i used to have a flat stomach which makes it worse because i knew how it once was and i can't seem to get it back, bloating is also another massive issue of mine and makes me feel pretty horrible as the end of the day after all i've eaten, but still i think im learning to come to terms with it!
everyone is different as obvious as that is and i feel like everyone is always wanting something they don't have, you may think that someone looks perfect in your eyes and they probably even have their own insecurities, comparing yourself to others just starts to eat you alive and at the end of the day it's just best to accept that way you are as hard as it may be, trying to think about yourself more postively may begin to help you realise it's not worth beating yourself up over something that may be out of your control. sometimes we think the worst of ourselves and only see what's 'wrong' whilst others don't even take notice, even if that may be hard to accept. i also understand it's especially harder on some days to view yourself without feeling insecure, but again i want to remind you you're not alone and im sure there are people who probaly look at you and feel jealous! im not saying that's ideal and that you should be able to stop feeling insecure immediately, that may take a long time, but please try to be kinder to yourself at least! i feel like we're all so harsh on ourselves despite not deserving it, i wish you the best of luck
(edit : sorry i don't have any fitness advice, i don't know if anything i said was useful at all but i hope it was somewhat meaningful!)
i feel like i used to have a flat stomach which makes it worse because i knew how it once was and i can't seem to get it back, bloating is also another massive issue of mine and makes me feel pretty horrible as the end of the day after all i've eaten, but still i think im learning to come to terms with it! everyone is different as obvious as that is and i feel like everyone is always wanting something they don't have, you may think that someone looks perfect in your eyes and they probably even have their own insecurities, comparing yourself to others just starts to eat you alive and at the end of the day it's just best to accept that way you are as hard as it may be, trying to think about yourself more postively may begin to help you realise it's not worth beating yourself up over something that may be out of your control. sometimes we think the worst of ourselves and only see what's 'wrong' whilst others don't even take notice, even if that may be hard to accept. i also understand it's especially harder on some days to view yourself without feeling insecure, but again i want to remind you you're not alone and im sure there are people who probaly look at you and feel jealous! im not saying that's ideal and that you should be able to stop feeling insecure immediately, that may take a long time, but please try to be kinder to yourself at least! i feel like we're all so harsh on ourselves despite not deserving it, i wish you the best of luck
(edit : sorry i don't have any fitness advice, i don't know if anything i said was useful at all but i hope it was somewhat meaningful!)
(edited 9 months ago)
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