"I'm Fat, But I Tell Myself I Look Fine."

Fat 2 Fit

We've all read about people who suffer from anorexia – who look at themselves in the mirror and see their thin bodies distorted into something fat and ugly. But this week I came across a post from psychiatrist and blogger Robin Altman who talks about "Reverse Body Dysmorphic Sydrome". She's pre-diabetic, doctors have told her she needs to lose 9kg and yet she convinces herself she's looking good just the way she is...

"This is how my [Reverse Body Image Distortion Disorder] works.  I get dressed in the morning to go to work.  I put on makeup and do my hair.  I then check out the mirror.  I don’t see a middle aged, chubby, short woman.  I see a willowy beauty.  And I think, “Hey, I look pretty cute!”.  Then I whistle my way out the door... When viewing pictures of myself, the first image is of a short, chubby, smiling little midget standing next to my handsome husband and sons.  For a split second doubt flickers.  But then RBIDD kicks in.  I think to myself, “Something must be wrong with that camera,” or “Everyone knows that the camera puts a minimum of 20 pounds on you”.  And, kazaam!  I’m happy again.  I might even eat a cookie to wipe away the momentary unpleasantness."

When I did a little research, I realised that there are more women out there experencing this Reverse Body Dysmorphic Syndrome, who need to lose weight but manage to convince themselves that they look fine. Is this an issue we need to start shining a light on?