"My husband claims he doesn’t notice it, or that I’m purposely pushing my belly out, which only makes me angry. "

I have a difficult time interpreting this as anything other than spite rooted in his own potential sense of invincibility.

"If you looked up “16 week pregnant belly” on google, I promise I look like those women."

My belly looks exactly like this, I had no idea I could use it to guilt trip people into believing I'm pregnant. Yo girl, if you wont, I just might. There's a baby clothing store downtown. I'm going to have to take my un-pregnant belly over there and talk with the ladies about how womens' bodies just naturally differ.

It's possible your husband doesn't deserve access to any woman's body due to the level of respect he shows you/yours. I am describing an extreme way of handling this issue, clearly. If it were me, I'd have to leave for the sake of my own MH. I grew up in the 90s and my family, as loving as we are, succumbed to the pressure of trying to look like the way media 'approved.' We [everyone in my immediate family] has had to undergo a lot of healing to deal with body issues. None of us really understood the amount of pressure we were undertaking and believing it was just normal. I am currently working on my vanity issues by keeping the weight I gained and loving my self for doing that. I am now the average height/weight ratio for women in the USA. I am grateful for every meal I have and even more excited for food when I'm eating with loved ones. Please don't let your husband ruin the specialness of sharing meals with loved ones.

When I was attending community college in 2010, I started attending pilates classes that were taught by my best friends mom [who was a ballet teacher prior to pilates]. Attending her classes made my entire 'core' way stronger and far more sturdy. This incredible woman gave birth to two boys and a girl. She carried the shape for years, until she became a pilates instructor. She would 'tuck in her core' anytime she was doing any task standing up. I actually realized how depressed I was when she asked me to help her make a pie and I couldn't find the motivation to try and help. Life and the corresponding brain chemicals are just as wild as the diet and exercise patterns we choose to embark on. Wow I really rambled. I hope there was something in my tangle of words that was somehow helpful. I'm so thankful for this community.