Boyfriend asked me to exercise

[SecretProfile]

I’ve been with my boyfriend for about 5 months. This weekend just gone he suggested I do some squats. It started out jokingly and then he brought up the squats again then he suggested lunges as “surely you can cope with lunges?” - he then looked at me very seriously.

I’m currently an Australian size 8 and I’m 57kg. I’m short but I’m in the healthy BMI range.

The history of this is I’ve been very unwell lately and doctors and specialists are trying to work out what is wrong with me.

I’m too tired to exercise and I’m often sick and taking a lot of painkillers.

I’m thinking that he isn’t happy with my body, even though I’ve seen pictures of his ex-wife and she looks to be a size 16.

The only comment he makes about my body is that he loves my tits (yes, he says tits).

Is this a red flag or am I oversensitive to this? I am very insecure about my weight and his comments have bothered me.

[Tennesseewhiskey]

No one is obsessed.

It clear you are in the grip of an eating disorder and making very poor decisions and your judgment is off.

Which is important. Because there is a good chance your boyfriend, isn't the problem.

[SecretProfile]

@bethy15

Your problems have not gone away, you can still gain back all of your weight, even as your stomach is now.

Highly unlikely, it was a consequence of medication.

But yes, your comments and your nastiness are not entirely new to me.

Please tell me one more time how I’ll get fat again 🙄

You’ve hijacked this entire thread.

[Tennesseewhiskey]

What was a consequence of medication?

[SecretProfile]

@Tennesseewhiskey

To be clear, I don’t want to do any squats ....so doing “as many squats as I want” is zero. I choose zero squats. They don’t interest me.

[over50andfab]

OP yes I understand that (I have studied food and nutrition). You said you do not have a stomach and it cannot break food down. This was why I asked. If your stomach can’t accomplish its normal function of breaking down the food can your intestines absorb any nutrients at all?

I’m just trying to understand how your body can function.

[Tennesseewhiskey]

To be clear, I don’t want to do any squats ....so doing “as many squats as I want” is zero. I choose zero squats. They don’t interest me

When did I say you should do squats?

I apologise if I have, because that's not my point of view at all.

[SecretProfile]

@Passing4Human - why is everyone focussing on this being an eating disorder. I had an eating disorder and wanted to constantly put food in my mouth and had to starve myself to lose weight. I had 80% of my stomach removed so that I could rapidly lose weight and so I wouldn’t be hungry (and wouldn’t put it back on).

I asked for an opinion on red flags - not everyone else’s perception as to how I perceive myself 😒

I know how I perceive myself, I’m not fat. I don’t think I’m skinny either. I’m normal. I have a normal body image. I wanted to know if others could see red flags in my boyfriends behaviour.

[over50andfab]

....and also you said you don’t need to lose any weight, yet earlier you said you are continuing to lose weight.

We really are not trying to get at you, and realise this is real life for you, but what you have written is actually of more concern than your bf’s comments.

And with greatest of respect, Bethy has not hijacked the entire thread, although you perceive it that way.

[Tennesseewhiskey]

Jesus wept op you need help. I have found where is said that. What I said was He may have been suggesting things that she could do at home and do as many as she wants.

When discussing why he may have suggested squats. My comment was that his comments by be because he concerned that you are so weak and I'll and think of exercising you can do as many as you want, when you want.

Not that you should do squats. That this kight the reason he suggested squats. You have taken part of a post with non of the context around it and claiming posters are saying something they aren't.

The problem is you. Everything relates to your dress size. You genuinely think people interact with your body, rather than you.

You clearly take bits of what people say and twist it into being negative about your body.

Putting a ton if weight in, so you can have your stomach removed is not the actions of someone in control if themselves. Neither is twisting what people say.

I am imagine the boyfriends version of these conversations are very different.

[SinkGirl]

With B12 if you are deficient you need to be on injections for life - I’m not sure what your symptoms are, but if any of them are neurological then the protocol here is an injection every other day until there are no further improvements in symptoms and then regularly (varies, usually every two months but some need it more often) forever.

I’m not obsessed - I’m just trying to help, B12 deficiency can cause horrendous health issues which can be irreversible if not treated properly for a prolonged period. You said they haven’t figured out the cause of your health issues yet so I was trying to be helpful. You won’t be able to absorb B12 from food any more so this will become more crucial over time as your stores are used up.

I’m not trying to upset you - I just recognise so much of myself when I was similarly unwell in your posts and I know that life doesn’t have to be this way. I wouldn’t go back to how I was for all the money in the world, I was killing myself a little bit every day and there was no way to be happy when everything was focussed on how little I could eat, what my weight was, what my size was, whether other people thought I was disgusting, it consumed me.

Your bf may well be a manipulative, gaslighting piece of shit, or he may be completely clueless about the issues you’re tackling and how to handle them. He may think that if you exercise the obsession with food will ease off (when the opposite is likely to be true). It’s very hard to say from the posts here. What is clear is that your attitude towards your body and food is unhealthy and worrying and I think lots of people here are hoping you will get some help with this before your health deteriorates further.

Does your GP know about your eating disorder? Do they know you deliberately increased your weight to have surgery that would enable you to not eat much for the rest of your life? Would you feel able to talk to them about what you’re going through?

[SecretProfile]

@ChariotsofFish
I have private health insurance - I paid a large gap. It’s not necessary to have any pre-surgery counselling as long as you have money.

[woollyheart]

I think your boyfriend is probably amazed that you look normal (or even attractive) but you can't manage a few squats or lunges.

I am quite old, not slim and probably not very attractive and I don't do any strenuous sport. I don't care, because my relationships with family and friends don't depend on those things. However, even in my geriatric state I can still manage a few squats and lunges. Even my mum in her early eighties could do one or two.

I think he can't believe that you have intentionally disabled yourself in this way.

You desperately need to ask your GP for help. You have deceived the surgeon who carried out your surgery - you were able to manage your weight, and this surgery was unnecessary and extremely dangerous.

[ItsABeautifulDayNow]

Absolutely spot on from @Tennesseewhiskey

"Everything relates to your dress size. You genuinely think people interact with your body, rather than you."

You almost aren't letting people try to support you by making out we are jealous or unreasonable etc.

We are on your side!

[IHateUncleJamie]

I asked for an opinion on red flags

And that is what people are giving. Their opinion. Just because they’re not saying what you want to hear, does not make them nasty, jealous, obsessed or hijackers.

My personal opinion is that you are mentally unwell and the surgeon who operated on you without insisting on therapy first is a money grabbing charlatan. I suspect your ED makes you extremely convincing though - until people don’t tell you what you want to hear.

We really can’t tell you definitively that your BF is exhibiting red flags because your ED skews what people say and what they mean. Until you get Professional MH then you’ll only be able to hear what your ED wants you to hear.

[mentallyfacked]

OP you have a thread full of people who are concerned about you, some from a relationship side, some from a mental health side.

But it genuinely, all is support.

No one is attacking you here.

In reference to your doctor giving you jabs for things you're lacking nutritionally, you first had to appreciate that to get that jab, you'll already be deficient.


While admittedly after your surgery it is a lot easier for this to happen then before you had the operation, it doesn't deflect the fact that you've stated you know you eat very little.

How often do you get your bloods tested? Could it be weeks? Once every few months?

In worst case scenario you could be severely malnourished before your doctor is even aware.

I've read through the post and you mention your BF said you look tired as if it was an unfair criticism, maybe it is because you are genuinely running on empty.

I've watched you interpret posters concerns as being nasty when they havent been, I do worry that you'll push away genuine concern for you and your health as an attack or nastiness.

[SecretProfile]

@woollyheart

However, even in my geriatric state I can still manage a few squats and lunges.

I loved reading that comment 😝

You’re right, I’m incredibly unfit and have no desire to do squats and lunges.

That was the point of my post.

[woollyheart]

Ok, point taken. I'm not keen on exercise either. I just think your boyfriend is just concerned that you are so unfit.

My family recommend more exercise when I complain that I get tired walking uphill. I don't see it as a red flag. I understand that they are concerned about me, and it is usually good advice. I don't always do exactly what they suggest if I don't like it but I usually look for another way to achieve the same effect.

[Weetabixandshreddies]

OP I don't think that any of us can give an opinion on "red flags" because there is so little to go on.

The way your BF behaves the rest of the time, what he knows of your illness, the context of the conversation...all of these contribute to whether he was making a suggestion, being helpful, continuing a conversation, being controlling.

I might ask someone what exercise would be good for increasing flexibility and they might answer "you need to do more yoga". Fair enough given the context.

I could however come on here and say my husband hates my body. He wants me to get fitter and more toned because he hates the way I look. He told me that I need to do more yoga because he wants me to change how I look. I've applied my own bias to the conversation and completely misrepresented the meaning behind the comment.

See,the context and honest reporting make all the difference.

[motherheroic]

He is very specific with the type of exercise. Does he make any comments about your bum being flat?

[Aeroflotgirl]

I hope that you have told him to sling his hook op, I bet you will feel much better after that.

[Weetabixandshreddies]

He is very specific with the type of exercise. Does he make any comments about your bum being flat?

We have no context though do we? The BF might have been talking about exercise in general and the OP could have said "I wish I could get fitter but I can't do any exercise at all" he may then have replied "can you not even do any lunges or squats"?

That's not insulting or controlling in my book.

Obviously the conversation might have been nothing like this but my point is, we just don't know.

I find it odd that the BF just out of the blue told the OP that she needs to start doing squats or lunges, but who knows, maybe that is what happened.

Either way, if the OP isn't happy she doesn't need a reason to end the relationship. If it isn't working, that's reason enough.

[bethy15]

But yes, your comments and your nastiness are not entirely new to me.

Please tell me one more time how I’ll get fat again

I think you are seeing nastiness where there is none. I am not telling you you will get fat again, I am correcting your misconception and your false statement that it's impossible for you to ever get fat again and therefore your issues with food do not need to be addressed.

People can put weight back on after this surgery. They just do, it's everywhere if you care to look it up. I am not saying this is you, but when you don't address the issue, then it can be.

I am not being mean to you, nor am I in any way jealous of you. I am slim myself without having to go through major surgery or never be able to eat or gain nourishment through my food due to extreme surgery.

You yourself are quite mean towards those of us who are slim without surgery, saying we must starve ourselves or exercise excessively. Well, we don't. I can just control what I eat without going to either extreme.

You seem to think the world is jealous and mean to you due to your size or something. Truly, I would get over yourself a little bit here.

I don't wish for you to put any weight on, so there's no need for your attitude towards me.

[Motoko]

OP said there was no conversation that lead to her bf suggesting the squats and lunges.

Also, if your partner, or someone you care about, is currently undergoing tests for her illness, and is on lots of strong painkillers, but it's still in serious pain, would you really suggest they do lunges and squats?

You wouldn't suggest gentle walking? Or swimming?

OP what was your previous thread about, that lead to people telling you he was gaslighting you?

[Mominatrix]

Motoko, I'd be very wary of taking the OP's account of the story as gospel - she is filtering events through her illness.

I can understand why he would have suggested lunges and squats - in his eyes they can be done at home, without complicated equipment, and can build strength. Swimming and walking, particularly in someone with a severe enough B12 deficiency are much more problematic.

B12 deficiency results in neurological symptoms like gait instability, parasthesias, skin changes, diarrhoea, mental status changes, pallor, weakness and fatigue. Bizarre that someone would risk a high chance of developing this unnecessarily!

[PlinkPlink]

A swift "Fuck off I'm happy with the way I am thanks" should sort that out quickly and put him back in his box 🤨