Do People With Eating Disorders and Weight-Related Body Dysmorphic Disorder See Themselves Fat in Pictures?

Question by Jenny Gw: Do people with eating disorders and weight-related body dysmorphic disorder see themselves fat in pictures?
I know they do in mirrors, but do they in pictures too?
Like if they had their picture taken next to someone smaller than them, would they still see themselves bigger than them in the picture afterward?

Best answer:

Answer by Billet- Doux
People with eating disorders and weight-related body dysmorphic disorders will always see themselves as larger. It’s what provoked the eating disorder to begin initially – you’re not going to starve yourself/intentionally throw up if you think you’re skinny.

As a sufferer of an eating disorder for multiple years, I can personally state that I see myself as fat in photos. After having a stress anxiety attack over my weight, my sister had to sit with me and go through my photos on Facebook to underpin that I wasn’t fat at all. Even a few nights ago when I was photographed, I cringe slightly at it, with this notion that I am the fattest one there.

It’s probably personally acknowledged by eating disorder sufferers that they are a standard weight, but the fact they’re chronically obsessed with themselves allows them to think otherwise – you can clearly see right now that I am self-obsessed through the fact I’ve jumped straight into whinging about my personal life. Even without the aid of a photograph, I manage to compare myself to everyone, feeling morbidly obese when I do. It’s sort of a sick obsession. At times, I won’t even go out for fear of people analysing my body, because I do the exact same thing to them.

My Anorexia Story Through Pictures — My anorexia story through pictures. Low quality, sorry!! 6 year battle.


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