Do you even lift?

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I seriously think something is wrong with me.
Why is it, no matter how strong I think I am, no matter what the measuring tape says, I see nothing more than the scrawny little b@#$& staring back at me in the mirror.
My wife says I need professional help. She calls it ‘Alice in wonderland’.
Please tell me this is totally normal and all of us go through this version of body dysmorphia.
I see all my flaws, more prominently than anyone else ever could.
I constantly ask “do You even lift”. I change my clothes sometimes 3x a day because I can’t be content with how I look.

Bear in mind, this throws me into a tangent of overzealous exercises and I even count reps while brushing my teeth.....

Just be honest, am I super weird? Or do we all have these days?
 

Trump

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You are 100% weirdo
 
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Thanks Trump. I can always count on you.
blusol- I appreciate you saying that because yes, one day too skinny, the next, too fat.... catch 22....
 
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Correct me if I’m wrong German, but I’ve read within female BB circles, it’s a lot worse. Is this true?
I'm asking because I’m curious if this is totally mental, or hormonal?

Bigorexia... wow that really is a thing. Thanks Manny.
 

BigSwolePump

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Pretty common.

I, on a daily basis get the "where to you lift" or "how much do you bench" questions from complete strangers but look in the mirror find something wrong with my physique.

When I got 18" arms they were toothpicks so I pushed to 19 inches, my biceps were small so I hit 20's. My goal was 250lbs then it wasn't enough so I pushed for 260lbs and I looked small so I pushed myself over 275 and felt fat so I decided to cut. Dropped to my goal of 250 and I wasn't lean enough so I dropped to 240 and looked skinny. Back to 265 but not happy with the proportion of my quad to hamstring tie in so my legs suck now.

It doesn't end but it keeps me driven. At least I have that...
 

Blacktail

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I don’t see myself as big at all, but I get commits all day long at work about my size.
we must need counseling lol
 

DEADlifter

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Same here Mr. I. I think it's probably all of us. The nature of this thing we do is very obsessive. I doubt it'll ever be good enough.
 

Jin

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The only time I look good is looking back on photos when I looked better. At the time I didn’t think it was good enough.

when I look at myself in the mirror I’m often disgusted, impressed or disappointed. Many times I experience all those feelings in a single day.
 

Sickman

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I definitely suffer from body dysmorphia too. I think almost all bodybuilders do in some form or another. It's not even with just the way I look either, I focus my training mainly on strength instead of aesthetics, and I am never satisfied with how strong I am. I used to be really bad about comparing myself to others and not giving myself enough credit for all the hard work I'd put in at the gym. However, I have gotten better at it compared to how I used to be and I'm not quite as hard on myself. But in this age of social media, it's easy to get discouraged by comparing yourself to others. There's always going to be someone bigger and stronger than you. It's best to just compete with yourself and not worry about others. Easier said than done though lol.
 
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Jin

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I definitely suffer from body dysmorphia too. I think almost all bodybuilders do in some form or another. It's not even with just the way I look either, I focus my training mainly on strength instead of aesthetics, and I am never satisfied with how strong I am. I used to be really bad about comparing myself to others and not giving myself enough credit for all the hard work I'd put in at the gym. However, I have gotten better at it compared to how I used to be and I'm not quite as hard on myself. But in this age of social media, it's easy to get discouraged by comparing yourself to others. There's always going to be someone bigger and stronger than you. It's best to just compete with yourself and not worry about others. Easier said than done though lol.

You’re the main reason I feel weak and helpless. Hope you’re happy!!!
 

permabulker

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I think body dysmorphia is probably one of the most severe issues we have with mental health nowadays. And I don’t just mean everyone on this board. I literally mean the world. So rare that someone is completely happy with how they look.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Perfection doesn’t exist. You just have to learn to be happy with what you have and keep striving for more.
 

Jin

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I think body dysmorphia is probably one of the most severe issues we have with mental health nowadays. And I don’t just mean everyone on this board. I literally mean the world. So rare that someone is completely happy with how they look.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Perfection doesn’t exist. You just have to learn to be happy with what you have and keep striving for more.

I agree. And if (God forbid) your identity and worth is closely tied to your physical appearance then you’re sure to be in for a tenuous-at-best overall ride on this earth.

Spirit>mind>body for me. Keeps me on The Path, focused on others and not myself and content because I’m tending to what’s necessary rather than what’s desired by “lower” self.
 

permabulker

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I agree. And if (God forbid) your identity and worth is closely tied to your physical appearance then you’re sure to be in for a tenuous-at-best overall ride on this earth.

Spirit>mind>body for me. Keeps me on The Path, focused on others and not myself and content because I’m tending to what’s necessary rather than what’s desired by “lower” self.

It sounds like a good philosophy to me.

I have it rough sometimes. You should see the looks on some people’s faces when i tell them I go to the gym. takes some serious restraint not to punch them out :32 (3):

takes some serious effort to not care what other people think. Especially with the world as it is today.
 

BigSwolePump

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I would have to say that the lack of body dysmorphia is a much more severe issue, especially here in the Divided States of America where merely calling someone fat can get you a ban on social media.

Being unhappy with the way you look or the way you perform is the best driver a person can have IMO. Never being satisfied keeps you reaching for more.

A much bigger issue that I see on a daily here is the Obese States of America is the amount of people who praise fat, overweight, unhealthy people as being beautiful.

The new term "thick" really means FAT but we don't want to hurt the lazy slobs who can't cook because their mom sucked and lack discipline because their father either left or sat his fat ass on the couch all day instead of teaching them how to take care of themselves so McDonalds is their kitchen.

What is even worse here in the Obese capital of the world, is that men here are so surrounded by the sloppy cellulite carriers that they are now beginning to accept them and actually find them attractive. Hell, some of those poor bastards marry them. Meanwhile the poor women who actually take care of themselves, eat healthy, workout and stay in shape are "too skinny" or my favorite for the athletic women, "too manly"...god forbid that they choose to work hard to stay healthy and burn fat rather than carry it.
 

Mind2muscle

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This has been me for as long as I can remember. I sometimes too change clothes a couple times a day because “they make me look small.” I am not big like a lot of you mofos. Heaviest I’ve ever been is around 206 but I started out at 145. Everyone who knows me tells me I’m a big guy and yea I guess that’s true compared to the average overweight male. But i still see a scrawny teenager in the mirror. But this is what continues to drive me day in and day out.
 

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