People that lose weight sometimes have negative body image issues long after they attain a healthy weight range. Because it's hard to tell fiction from fact on such a subjective issue, it's important to involve medical experts. Use the expert advice you receive to temper your feelings of inadequacy. If it's someone close to you feeling inadequate, encourage her to seek professional help, especially if she engages in destructive behaviors.
Expert Insight
The best way to determine if you still need to lose weight is to talk to your doctor, who can perform tests and analyze your current physical condition. A less reliable but more convenient way to find out if you are overweight is to use an online BMI calculator to determine whether you fall into an underweight, normal or overweight range. Note that children must use a specialized BMI calculator because their developing bodies have different needs than adults.
Healthy Weight Loss
If your doctor says you do need to lose weight, intensify your physical activity and improve your diet. Avoid going to extremes. Instead, focus on developing a healthy lifestyle with routine exercise and a balanced diet. Ask friends and family to join you to make your workout and diet a collaborative effort. Aim to achieve a safe rate of weight loss, which is no more than 3 lbs. per week.
Impact of Culture
Cultural icons and advertisements are formidable forces in our lives. The images of slim, muscular bodies you encounter are not necessarily healthy, so don't set them up as goals for yourself. Work with your doctor to determine a healthy body weight. Once you achieve it, avoid dwelling on feelings of inadequacy that arise when you compare yourself to cultural images. Thinking positively and focusing on your own happiness will help you ignore outside pressures that tell you to attain an unreasonable or unhealthy body weight.
Seeking Help
Some people can't shake their feelings of inadequacy. It's difficult to separate subjective opinions, such as feeling fat, from objective fact. If medical experts say that your weight is normal, it's vital that you avoid destructive thoughts that say you are still overweight. If you can't overcome them by yourself, contact a mental health specialist. Discuss your thoughts and any destructive behaviors you have engaged in, such as binging and purging.
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