Unhappy with figure

My fh and I are both trying to lose weight and get in shape for the wedding making it a team efffot

I am in the same boat. I had my tailbone removed this past April. With that came 4 months of doctors orders - no activity. So I have gained some weight. I bought a dress that fits me as is so that if I do miraculously lose any weight before the wedding, I can have it taken in. But at this point I don't plan on it. I had my first fitting this past Saturday and was not thrilled. I do plan on doing a cleanse about a week before the wedding, but it will not be to lose weight, rather to feel better about myself health wise. I figure I will just have to rock the dress no matter what size I am!

Oh, Sierra...you are not alone. I used to work out a lot more, and like you, have been derailed with family and job commitments. I've got 5 weeks...and my arms need to be more toned, if nothing else. So of course, I got sick last week and don't feel like doing anything. So the good thing is that I have lost a little weight because of the sick, but that doesn't help my muscle tone. As soon as I feel better, I'm hitting the weights. My dress will cover everything else.

I'm definitely not happy with mine but I can't find my motivation to workout. I used to work out like 4 times a week and now I'm lucky to workout once.

You are not alone! I did a 12-week (two one-hour classes a week) personal training session, in which I am extending until the week of the wedding! I also used to run a lot, but now with personal training and my new job, I am finding it hard to run as much as normal (which scares me because I am running a 5K Sunday and 6.3 miles next Saturday in races... EEK).

I have also been dieting and doing a 3-day cleanse every other week!

I was like this for quite a long time.

And then I realized that I don't have the time or the energy to spend that much time unhappy with myself. I think we spend enough time during this process rather unsatisfied and this is the one thing I have control over. I'm not going to starve myself, work myself to the bone, or whatever when I should be spending my time with my son or drinking in my FH or a sunset or whatever.

IOW: life is too short to spend hating. The faster you learn to love yourself, the less this will matter to you.

Nicely said, Janeen!

Thanks Nicole.

I've also noticed that if you love your body as you work out and eat to nourish it, rather than punish it....you're usually more successful. If you go into working out from a point of liking yourself, it's not as terrible. I hate running, I will never like running...but when I do something that I enjoy doing for the activity rather than the expected outcome, I do it more often. If I'm not avoiding foods that I love in order to fit into a dress for a day, I don't feel the need to eat ALL THE ICE CREAM.

Hi Sierra, I'm sure most of us have felt the same as you at some point during the planning process, however, I totally agree with Janeen. Sometimes, we're our own worst enemies and beat ourselves up, no matter what.

I see that you're going to attempt a serious workout regimen. The best advice I can give you is to pound water like it's going extinct. I tried working out but was a failure at it because I was doing it for the wrong reasons. Two great friends of mine (one was a female MMA fighter, the other a body builder/personal trainer) BOTH said to me that water was going to be my saving grace if I did nothing else. So, with that, I also cut back my sugar/salt intakes, and with the stress that came with the wedding planning, ESPECIALLY in the last week, I looked decent.

I will tell you one thing... I told myself that I would lose weight the entire time that we were engaged (1.5 years) and I hadn't lost one pound by the time our wedding came by. It was the absolute last thing on my mind and everyone kept telling me how gorgeous I was. It felt amazing to hear that and be the size that I am. I could lose some weight but knowing that I didn't need to at the end of it all, was absolutely fabulous. I would not change one thing about how I looked or felt that entire day. Get a dress that makes you feel amazing, that's my only advice.

Ladies with two months or even less, I lost 12 lbs in 5 weeks on the fast metabolism diet. Three meals and two snacks a day and you rotate foods throughout the week (three phases). I kept it simple and ate a lot of chicken and turkey and fish. You eat a lot on this diet and never feel hungry. I drank a lot of lemon water too. There's still time to lose an easy 10 lbs if u want to!

I agree with Janeen. Life is too short to spend it hating your body. There will never be a point or time in your life that you are 100% happy with your appearance. If your goal is to lose 15 lbs and you finally reach your goal, does that mean that at that point you are finally happy? No, it doesn't. There will always be something you are unsatisfied with. Your life is not defined by the numbers on the scale and often times trying to reach a certain number can become an obsession.

My advice is to focus more on how you feel than how you look. Try to look in the mirror every day and find something you like. Don't dwell on what you don't like. I've been big my entire life, even as a kid. I've been teased and mistreated because of my weight. I thought I was all of those things the other kids called me for so many years. I was trapped inside my own head and let negative thoughts control my life. It has been a life long struggle for me to feel positive about how I look. Within the past 10 years I have really began to accept me for who I am and have grown to truly love my body and what it is capable of. Life is so much better when you stop thinking you're not good enough and stop hating yourself. You only have one life to live and you might as well enjoy it.

I do agree though that if you want to slim down cut out carbs, sugars, fast food and soda. Allow yourself to enjoy foods you love once in a while and in moderation. Try to be more active by parking farther away from the building and taking the stairs when available. Focus on trying to be healthy rather than a certain number on a scale.

I am not happy about my size or my figure, I find that although I weigh the same that I did a few years ago I don't look the same, possibly a bit of a body change with age although i'm only 29. I lost weight but gained some back and it's discouraging. I am planning on going dress shopping in the next couple of months but i'm worried about losing too much weight and how to deal with any size changes once I pick out my dress. I want to lose 30 lbs by my wedding and I have nearly a year to do so. I only have a couple of months before dress shopping though so at most I may lose up to 10lbs. Any tips or advice?

I wasn't at all happy with it and I started to go to the gym and then added in weight lifting and a personal trainer. I'm working on my tummy region (it will be the last to go) but otherwise I'm pretty toned everywhere else so I'm happy with that. :-)

A couple of years ago both my fiancé and I were at our heaviest and unhappy with ourselves. We both tried every diet under the sun, only to gain every pound back. FH decided to try Weight Watchers one day because he was just so unhappy with himself. Needless to say, I followed his steps and joined a month later. In the first two months I lost about 15 pounds. 2 years later, I'm only 5 pounds away from my high school weight, which is a great achievement in my book. I've been able to keep off 30 pounds in 2 years, the most I've ever done. Weight Watchers isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. It honestly teaches you how to eat. I would highly recommend it.

You need to be happy with who you are because at the end of the, you're not enjoying life. If you'll enjoy life 10 pounds lighter, make the change. It's worth it, trust me.

Eat clean, move more. I go to the gym first thing in the morning. If I wait until after work, there are too many excuses...i have to work late, im hungry, i want to go to happy hour, i need to run this errand, etc. In the morning, my only excuse is that im too lazy to get out of bed lol. It makes it a simpler decision.

Agree on the working out before work thing. Work out before your mind realizes what's going on!

I'm an advocate of a strength based program rather than trying to be a little cardio bunny on the elliptical for 4 hours a day. Increased Muscle mass= higher metabolism = burn more calories at rest. Paired with a clean(er) diet, water water water, and watching the alcohol intake you are bound to see improvements over time.

The good thing is that this is something you have control of. I am also unhappy with my figure, and I am controlling what I eat and getting back on my daily workout routine. I know what I need to do, and now it's up to me to follow through. We are our own biggest critics, so we should be our own biggest cheerleaders to get what we want.

I also advocate working out first thing in the morning. I get up at 4 am to workout before work. It's the only way I can stick to a routine. I HIGHLY recommend the 17 day diet plan. I did this at the beginning of the year and lost almost 20lbs. It's not actually 17 days, but 3 - 17 day cycles. If you can follow the plan it is totally worth it. Will power, ladies, will power!

I don't know if you are able to buy anything, but I just finished the 3 day refresh from beach body and I lost 3.3 pounds and 4 inches total and I just started the 21 day fix right after it, I've heard that people have lost as much as 20 pounds from it! I hope thats me lol both are under 100 dollars separately... If you choose to do one they both offer great things, the 3 day one is great to get rid of water weight and get rid of cravings but the 21 day fix is great for better eating habits and learning portion control good luck!