[separator top=”25″ bottom=”25″ style=”shadow”]
Written by Andrea Fortenberry
When I see women exercising, I often wonder what motivates them to work out. Sometimes it reminds me of a sad chapter of my life — the days when I battled severe issues with body image.
For much of high school, I based my worth on whether or not I had a boyfriend. This often led to comparing myself with other girls; against what they looked like or what they wore. One boyfriend broke up with me right before the prom to take another girl, a serious blow to my heart. I believed it meant I wasn’t good enough somehow.
Once I arrived in California from New Mexico to attend college, I very quickly began to compare myself to other girls. Many of them looked like they walked out of a magazine photo shoot —tall, blonde and slender. Nothing like what I saw when I looked in the mirror. They were fashionable too, I’d never seen girls my age driving a Mercedes and carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag. I’d never even heard of Louis Vuitton. I felt so plain and insecure.
After I had gained the infamous freshman 15, I began to obsess about my body and food. One day I ate a cookie as I studied with friends. Later that night I was so mad at myself for eating it because I felt fat. I eventually started to exercise for at least an hour almost daily. I even walked through a heavy thunderstorm one night to get to the gym…
[button link=”https://communitymoms.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/overcoming-my-obsession/” color=”default” size=”small” target=”_blank” title=”” gradient_colors=”,” gradient_hover_colors=”,” border_width=”1px” border_color=”” text_color=”” shadow=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″]Click HERE to read the rest of Andrea’s Story[/button]
[separator top=”25″ bottom=”25″ style=”shadow”]
More about Andrea
Andrea Fortenberry writes and speaks on marriage, motherhood and women’s ministry. Some of her recent work includes publication in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Wives.
Connect with Andrea on her website, www.andreafortenberry.com.
Speaking Info: http://andreafortenberry.com/p/speaking.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Andrea410berry
Facebook: http://facebook.com/andreabfortenberry
Vision61 Ministries 
Leave a Reply