Body Dismorphia

Before I moved to Pittsburgh I was going to the gym roughly 4-5 days a week. I had made a new years resolution to gain 15 lbs of muscle by years end. I had gained 7lbs and was very happy with the results thus far. Since moving here, I have lost all of that 7lbs of muscle and have returned to my original body size. However, I am starting to get the very unwanted flabby stomach. Now I am by no means fat, I am 5-10 and weight about 145. So technically it wouldnt hurt for me to gain a few. I need to get my ass to the gym. The bf has seen some pictures of me at my best physical state, and he brings it up sometimes about how good I looked then. So not only do I want to look good for myself, but look good for him too. Cause lets be honest, when you are really attracted to someone, the sex is always better.

The bf is unhappy with his body as well. He goes to the gym 5 sometimes 6 days a week. He skipped all of last week, and now complains to me about how unhappy he is with his body. He has pecs, nice stomach, muscular arms, but to him he feels fat. I think he still looks great, and I dont notice anything different anyways.

A friend of mine who is a girl, has one of the most extreme cases of body dismorphia that I have seen. I feel so bad for her and want to help her but I am not sure how to. She is not your 100lbs female. She is 5-11 and does have a few extra pounds on her, but definitely wouldn't be considered fat or anything. I feel for her because she constantly feels that people are looking at her in disgust. She refuses to wear any shirt that show her arms, so she is always in a long sleeve shirt or a jacket. We would go to bars where it would be 90 degrees inside and she would be standing there in a coat refusing to take it off. I advised her to seek counseling so hopefully she will take my advice.

I hate that everyone is their own worse critic. I wish I could learn to just be happy with the way I look. But until that day I will call myself fat and always strive to have an A+ body.