I always hear the muscle-head types talking about body image and how their positive body image plays a role in mental health, confidence, and contributes to the entire holistic picture. And I don't doubt that it contributes. It's just the manner of contribution that I want to call into question. I look at my body and I'm satisfied with its image. I'm thin and slender but have well toned and defined muscles and not an ounce of excess body fat. I think that if I let myself go and reverted to poorly defined muscles and extra body fat I would feel terrible and so for the rest of my life I'll probably end up maintaining my body image and probably even working on somewhat larger muscles within reason. But it has taken a long time to get over the fact that I'm naturally skinny and there's only so much muscle I can realistically and healthfully pack onto small bones. I see this is a fair compromise and better than the alternatives, an unhealthy looking body on one end, and an obsession with body image that ends up hurting more than helping, because the goal of exercise for me should be health, in all its forms. The extremes are worrisome. Muscle-heads who think that 120 grams of protein a day is perfectly acceptable and blasting their bodies with unholy amounts of energy bars and drinks to get through tough workouts of dangerous over-training. And women who starve themselves and work out rigorously without replenishing. Especially people who constantly worry and obsess about how their body looks and can't let themselves love the person who they are. Health definitely has a lot to do with how you feel about yourself and some people, while ostensibly pleased with themselves are in reality bundles of pent-up stress and chronic dissatisfaction. And that's not healthy in the least. So my advice to anyone is take an honest look at your "body image", set some realistic personal goals and standards, and do away with the pernicious ones. Remember that the important thing is your health and your happiness and be aware of how the way you think and feel about your body is affecting your health and happiness. In the end is it a positive or negative thing for you? I reiterate: be honest with yourself. And love yourself. What are your takes and stories about your body image?
Well lets start with the basics about this body image deal... So far since i have started regularly working out since end of June i have went from 250~ down to 205lbs... i am definitely more confident and better mentally i feel.. though i do have a ways to go in the fact that i am now working on muscle growth.. i have a rather thick frame.. so i can pack on a ton of muscle if i want.. what im really going for though is replacing my fat with muscle.. and helping that "saggy" look not look as saggy... if you catch my drift... but i don't really let that effect me mentally.. because i look in great condition clothed.. and well my gf is happy with how i look naked.... so no worries there.. now on to the whole Protein/Powerbar issue.. i do not see a problem with it.. since from everything i have read... nothing differs from the fact that if you are looking to build muscle without losing muscle in the process of working out.. that you should consume a gram of protein for each pound you weight... there is no way i get down anything near 200+grams of protein.. even if i was to drink protein shakes.. though i do try to stick around 100g of protein... protein is filling.. and makes you not want to eat as much as your stomach digests meat... though its best to keep that protein you are ingesting.. lean.. i stick to chicken/seafood for the most part.. mostly cuz i have no care for red meats.. never really have.. they are tasty here and there.. but i prefer white meats and seafood... Energy bars... i honestly have noticed the "boost" i get from digesting an energy bar.. sure same can be said for eating anything.. but honestly.. its a lot easier to carry a tiny bar that is chock full of nutrients and is filling as well... thing is.. you really need to watch the nutritional info on these bars... because a lot of them are just full of sugars and fat and leave little to fiber and protein... Protein bars are great too.. and do make a decent "meal replacement" but i would never switch out a meal for a bar daily.. sometimes i live a hectic life and those bars help me keep my levels where i want to keep them.. without having to try and get a meal in as well... when there really is no time(try and tell me there is time.. when im working a 14+hr day in a kitchen.. you don't really get mandated breaks in the restaurant industry.. nor can you always afford to buy food at work.. or bring a meal to work)... also.. for hardcore hikers/bikers.. if you are on a 20mi hike or a 60mi ride.. the less weight you can carry.. the better.. and when you can pack the nutrients into 100gs.. compared to having to carry either equipment to cook.. or bring a prepared meal.. that loss of weight you carry can make all the difference.. So.. personally on the bar situation.. i think they have their place.. though i don't think they should be depended on as a replacement to your normal diet
my biggest problem personally about body image now.. is i sorta.. and i don't mean to force it on other people.. but i will say things like "that's not really healthy" or "you shouldn't be eating that".. and im not trying to be smug.. im just worried about the people around me.. and now i am sorta sickened by the lack of motivation or just physical activity level of fatter people.. like today.. i made a comment to my lil sister who goes "i ate a whole box of those popcorn shrimp".. and i go "well that's why you got that" and i patted my stomach. that whole box of shrimp is not bad.. it only accumulated 460cals.. but then it was deep fried.. add another 200 cals... and the pop she probably had with it.. another 100 cals... and whatever else she had to eat with it...
welp, you just lumped a huge section of society in one group eh? my body image is fine. i'm a bit bigger than i was in the summer, but thats fine, i'm offseason for rugby now. and its winter. i'll get back into playing conditioning starting in january and start leaning out some. either way i'm happy. and wow...120g of protein is extreme? tough workouts of dangerous over-training? 120 grams of protein is nothing. especially for people who are working out, when it is especially needed. and yea, if your training is set up in a stupid way...especially if the person is following a pros workout when they are tiny...yea, some tiny idiot following the latest muscle mag program is what you are talking about - and yes, it is stupid...stupid because the tiny kid is not taking the same "supplements" and the same elite genetics and has not put in the years of hard work...yea, that will lead to over training
I use to think that I needed to be huge, and did everything I could. I use to drink weight gain protein shakes 3 times a day and stuff my face every chance I had, not to mention work out on a daily basis. I eventually realized that it just wasn't worth it, and it wasn't natural. Being lean and having a fast metabolism made it extremely hard to get really big. I'm content being "medium sized" and defined. I can still look good, I just won't be one of those huge muscle heads, and thats ok with me. Less money on food and supplements, less stress. Theres nothing like working out and eating right and looking in the mirror from time to time. Like really appreciating the results of your actions. It simply makes me feel great seeing how good (at least I think) I look, and the improvements I make. Yeah, 120G of protein a day isn't much. Some people go as high as 1.7g of protein per pound of body weight. It's my opinion the idea that people actually need that much protein was circulated by health food retailers so that people would buy more protein supplements. I've read studies that state that any amount over .5g of protein per pound of body weight is wasted.
A huge muscular hulking body isnt really natural. You will sacrifice a lot of mobility and while it 'looks great' it is not functional. Power bars give you energy because they are loaded with fast burning carbs, they spike your blood sugar or wahtever and you get a rush.. if you call that 'working' then go nuts haha. Believe it or not, if you eat the proper diet, its impossible to have an incorrect body shape. If your body shape isnt right, your diet isnt right.
about body image.. i think it's good advice to say someone should have realistic goals for themselves and to love and accept their bodies for what they are at any point in life. i am on the petite side with an hourglass build that is on the thick side. there are aspects of my bone structure and shape that i love more than others, but as a whole i think i have an awesome body. i work out for the health benefits and to shape my body into what i feel is my personally attainable ideal. i don't care about my weight in lbs. or my clothing size.. numbers mean very little to me... i think a lot of people, women especially, get hung up on that junk but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. what matters to me is that i can strip down in front of a mirror and smile, and i've been able to do that at 150 lbs, 120 lbs, and currently at 140 or 135 i don't actually know. i love myself no matter what.
a huge body isn't functional? Football players are pretty functional.. some people are naturally big. I think setting goals is a great thing, every time you reach that goal, you will be happy with your self, and thats when you set a new goal and continue... and this becomes a healthy lifestyle. If your over training.. you will not grow, so if your getting bigger.. then your not training to hard or being unhealthy... muscle growth is good.
Body image is a huge part of my life. I was 305 at a time in my life, and now I'm 215 through hard work and dedication. It definitely serves for a great deal in my self confidence. Before I started working out I had no type of game whatsoever with girls. I would wait for them to talk to me and be very shy at first. I didn't have a positive self image whatsoever. Now I love going to parties and trying to pick up the hottest girls there. Besides confidence with girls, my body image gives me confidence in every day life. I'm an overall happier person with better manners, social skills, and much more optimistic. Getting in shape along with playing high school football helped me realize that anything is possible through hard work and dedication. This is from spring 2009 (ignore the nazi gesture, I'm no nazi) This is as of a few weeks ago (head shot but you can tell a difference)
Wow, what a difference Stonertower420! Congrats! :2thumbsup: I always had an eye on my weight but hopefully never been obsessed about it, except maybe in my teenage. Ironically, this is when I was getting obsessed that I was gaining weight. I always enjoyed sports so it wasn't a challenge for me to do some. Even at my peak weight I was active, but I just couldn't drop pounds no matter how hard I tried. At a moment I was tired of being frustrated and dieting all the time, so I met a coach at Herbalife for an evaluation of my body needs. When she came up with the results, the first thing she said was: you have an exceptional metabolism with exceptional nutritious needs. As she kept going, I realized my previous diet was uneffective and not good for me, plus my goal weight was unrealistic. I was starving myself and that was why my body was putting on weight at every occasion it had. She recommended I have 80g of proteins and 2500 cal. a day, plus ban red meat and dairy from my diet as they don't suit me. At first I was telling myself this was way too much, I'll never drop weight by eating so many calories but it worked, as surprising as it sounds. I dropped 60 lbs of fat since I adopted my new diet 2 years ago. I have a protein shake for breakfast (I tend to skip it otherwise, super bad), stick to vegetables, fruits, beans, grains and meat substitutes for the rest of the day and it works fine with me. I always had a rather positive body image, but now it's super positive. I'm quite sturdy so I know I'll never be slender, but I feel sexy and healthy, which is priceless.
I just started a new thread called "Why Are Ppl Fat?" http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?p=6882199#post6882199 It will prolly get flamed for being so blunt, but you said pretty much my point. I really don't understand why ppl get obese. Oh, I know it could be some med/psych prob, but at sometime don't the obese see the deleterious effect of their weight? My sister and her husband are overweight. He has a heart condition - post op, yet still is sedentary and eats fat laden, typical American food. Oh, I have no super will power - I fight myself not to buy the stuff I like while in the supermarket. If it is not in my house I can't eat it. While staying at my sister's house it was a struggle to avoid the REAL BUTTER, REAL MAYONAISE, and PEANUT BUTTER. I increased my running regimen as pennance/mortification while house watching for two weeks.
I eat around 200 grams of protein per day, most of it from egg whites, chicken breasts and steak. I don't eat any of these energy bars that you speak of nor do i spend 3 hours in the gym. More like an hour. I've managed to put on a bit of muscle in the last 3 years. It was hard because of my body type but the journey is very rewarding. I suppose it gives me a bit more confidence but I do it mostly because I enjoy training and need the protein to recover from the workouts. For me the confidence comes about by setting and accomplishing goals, whether it be lifting more weight or putting on more muscle mass in certain areas. People sometimes check me out or compliment me, but it's mostly other males ha ha. Sure i get a little more female attention but for the most part it's guys coming up to me asking me what I've been doing. Either way I could care less. I know i'll never be arnold schwarzenegger or anything but a 5-10 lbs of muscle each year in the right places can look pretty impressive.
I don't really like my body, because I get remembered everytime that the attractive bodies are the ones in fitness magazines, or bodies like soccer players, or boxers, etc. I know that to be atractive you don't need to be super fit, but for example, whenever I study with my female friends with the TV on, they go NUTS when soccer players exchange shirts after the match is over, they go crazy for their 6 packs and what not. So that obviously makes me realize that having a 6 pack is the way to go, I check myself in the mirror and i'm pretty far away from that, which bums me out and makes me feel bad about myself. Their boyfriends are far away of having a 6 pack too, but still, it makes me think, you know? Right now i'm going to the gym, training with weights, hoping to get "BUFFED" by the summer, which in my continent starts in December, I hope I make it. I guess people just want to feel desired, and getting super fit is the solution, at least we think so.
