Anyone else here feel like they are never good enough?

[dreamgirl]

OK, let me tell you first off that I look a lot better and I've lost 2 inches in my waist, 1.5 inches in my upper thigh, gained an inch in my upper arm...

it's just I still feel like it's just not enough. my belly skin is still a little loose and still a little bumpy and it bothers me so much.

I just don't know why I am so hard on myself. My husband thinks I am absolutely crazy and tells me non-stop how good I look. But I just don't feel it myself.

Anyone else feel like me?

[BBAddict]

I think most people in this sport or even just doing it casually are never totally happy with where they are. I think it's important to realize that you're so far ahead of most people just by getting into the gym and are so much more healthy for doing your exercise. As far as how one looks, I know you're an attractive person and have nothing to be concerned about. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder and it's inevitable that we're all gonna be wrinkly and saggy someday, so we better not rely on looks for love.
But, to answer your question--no, I am never happy with what I see in the mirror. Something is always out of proportion or not shaped right or ... But, as long as somebody accepts me the way that I am, I am happy regardless.

[Karategirl]

I am pretty sure that it is human nature to want more than we actually have.
If you think about it, we always strive for a better job, bigger house, more money etc.
How you look, or should I say, how you think you look is probably very different to how the world actually sees you. Think about your three best friends in the world, have you ever noticed their lumps and bumps? Probably not, you are attracted to their personality, their kindness, their loyalty, looks never even come into it.
I don't think I will ever be happy with the way that I look and I will always see the extra inch here or there, even if others don't.
What I am working on, is finding a part of me that I really like, and making sure that I am aware of it each day, its good to look at your positives instead of your negatives.
Remember this is a long process, and it will not happen overnight, nor will accepting yourself and realising how beautiful you are - but it will come.

[jwoody]

How you look, or should I say, how you think you look is probably very different to how the world actually sees you. Think about your three best friends in the world, have you ever noticed their lumps and bumps? Probably not, you are attracted to their personality, their kindness, their loyalty, looks never even come into it.
I

Excellent point

[ROCKETW19]

my girl is the same way always worried something is outta place! thats when i take her to the mall and just sit there and look at people 90% of the people are outta shape its almost funny we were getting on a plane one time and i said the first 10 people that get off that plane are gonna be over weight and i think it was 10 for 10. so you dreamgirl are way ahead of the game. dont stress over not being perfect!

[JUICE]

And one last thing; Women are the best thing ever created by god...Fat, Skinny, Voluptious, Thick, etc.....Women are the best;)

hey man, we think alike bro. I say the same thing.

[njlovehandles]

Exactly what BBADDICT said! -We all feel the same thats why we do this, and there is no finish line. Dont stress too much!

[ROCKILLER]

I wouldnt worry yourself about it. Think about it this way; if you were satisfied completely, there would be no reason to do it anymore. If I were totally content with my puny ass muscles I would not have just eaten brown rice chicken and brocolli, just like yesterday, and the day before, etc. You have to realize you are making progress and be happy with it while knowing that you can still improve.
I wish my GF had a little bit of your attitude. She is young and skinny and beautiful but her theory is, I'm 125 and thats fine. I havent yet found a way to tell her that 115 would make her that much hotter.

[go Yankees]

it's just I still feel like it's just not enough.

not to make a morbid comment, but that's sometimes the extra push that keeps me going. The more I train and the bigger I get, the smaller I feel, sometimes. What has kept me at peace, though, is that I try to separate the I'm-not-big-enough feeling from the satisfaction I have with myself for my progress, and how far I've come in the past 3 months/6 months/year...so I can be miserable and happy at the same time

I wrote a research paper for one of my classes once about athletes' body images; what they thought about their bodies and everyone else's bodies relative to the demands of their sport (wrestling, cheerleading, gymnastics mostly). What I got out of it, really briefly, is that A LOT of athletes think the way you do

I'd say, never forget where you started, remind yourself of the progress you made, and you will be content with what you are

[magdalena]

I feel the same way; therefore I started a new diet and more excercise and so far, I am having some good results. It is a long process so I just try to be patient.

[Mr I]

For me its peoples imperfections that make them, be it personality, body or mind. Don't worry about the little things on your body, there's tonns of self obsessed people out there that spend all day in the mirror, and they have fuck all to talk about but themselves. They bore the shit out of me

[slayer of souls]

I wrote a research paper for one of my classes once about athletes' body images; what they thought about their bodies and everyone else's bodies relative to the demands of their sport (wrestling, cheerleading, gymnastics mostly). What I got out of it, really briefly, is that A LOT of athletes think the way you do

I'd say, never forget where you started, remind yourself of the progress you made, and you will be content with what you are

Please post it.

[lightsout6]

its a dangerous slope to be on, try to compare yourself to previous versions of yourself rather than other ppl or your idea of perfection. I get really depressed sometimes when i look in the mirror and compare myself to top bodybuilders my age. But i generally feel better when i step back and look at pics of me a year or 2 ago and then i see the progress i have made. I try and make bodybuilding about looking the best possible that my body can look, everyone looks different at their absolute best.

[go Yankees]

Please post it.

hmm, gotta search...it was somewhere between 18 and 24 pgs, I'll probably post excerpts

[trip]

dreamgirl,

Feel that way lotsa times, in the long run it is a huge motivator, short run in can be a pian in the ass sometimes. That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

I call it, and have often times, my "Princess and the Pea Syndrome"

You know the story where she sleeps on a hundred mattress's yet still feels that one pea.

Well, on my worst days that pea is like a dagger sticking me all day, on my good days, hell, i'm floating above the mattress's and nutting bothers me.

End result, steady as she goes training and nutrition wise, life is a marathon not a sprint. Pretty soon one day you will wake up and realize, hmmmmmm, dammit I always thought I was behind when I was way ahead, and whewwwwwww all those crazy thoughts go out the window, and you are left with a love and a lifestyle that serves you well that you have mastered rather than being a slave to such thoughts.

hoped that helped
good luck