I'm curious to hear how you guys deal with body dysmorphia. I went through it pretty bad back in my 20s when I was massive - I hit 275 lbs at about 10% body fat. Now, literally decades later, I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for as long as I can remember. I'm sitting in the low 240s and looking pretty lean. I'm definitely not shredded yet, but that’s the goal for the next 6 to 9 months.
Lately, I've been getting compliments from everyone - friends, people I barely know, even the trainers at my gym. It’s not like I’m depressed or anything, but over the last few days, I catch myself looking in the mirror and just obsessing over what I haven't done yet. I’m hyper-focused on every little improvement that still needs to happen and I’m totally ignoring all the progress I've actually made.
I really thought I’d outgrown this mindset by now, but apparently not. I'm not going to do anything reckless like jumping on more gear or slashing my calories out of nowhere, but I’d love to know how the veterans here manage this kind of mind-fucking. How do you keep your head straight when the mirror starts lying to you?
man the mirror is the biggest liar in the world especially when you’ve been doing this for decades. 240 lean is absolutely massive but i get it- the second you lose that "peak" weight from your 20s your brain just tells you youre small. honestly i just try to focus on performance goals instead of looking in the glass because the dysmorphia never really fully goes away it just changes.
big relatable energy right here. it’s crazy how we can get a dozen compliments in a day and still only see the one bit of stubborn fat or the flat muscle. what helps me is looking at old photos from when i started - not when i was at my biggest - just to remind myself how far the journey actually went. hang in there brother you sound like you're killing it.
honestly i think it’s just the "curse" of the lifestyle lol. once you’ve been 275 being 240 feels tiny even if you look ten times better and healthier now. i just try to stay off social media and stop comparing myself to pro bodybuilders on my feed. as long as the weights are moving and the diet is on point you gotta trust the process!
same here man i'm 45 and still have days where i feel like i've never even lifted a weight in my life. it’s wild how the mind plays tricks. something that helps me is taking actual progress pics every two weeks - when you compare them side by side you can see the changes that your eyes miss when youre looking every single morning.
240 at a lean body fat is a dream for 99% of the planet but i know that doesn't change what you see. it’s cool you recognized it though! just keep remindin yourself that the goal is the next 6-9 months not tomorrow morning. the "mind-fucking" is just part of the discipline i guess - just don't let it ruin the wins you already earned.
