(The title may be shocking but if you plan to write a response, please read the post to the end )
A friend of mine is getting married and created a wedding website where she and her husband-to-be will be keeping all of the guests posted with any news regarding their big day. On that website they have a section where they tell the story of how they met - in it, there is a "what she says" section and a "what he says" section, and while she talks about how she 'felt' and about them flirting a little throughout the night, he just talks about how HOT she looked when she walked through the door... I laughed (it was really funny) and then I read it to my husband and he laughed, and then he said "well, it's true!" (meaning that that's what men notice first), AND suddenly I realized that "the boy, [my man,] is a man" and as a man, regardless of how much he loves me, looks matter to him.
At first, after he said this, I thought that I should really try harder so that my husband (who is wonderful and great and has loved me through weight gain, then loss, then much higher gain, and now - hopefully - loss again) would think I look good, and be proud to show me off, but then I realized that there's more to it...
When I say "looks matter", "looks" can mean a lot of things... mainly I mean attractivness which can be the "standard" pretty, or it could be unconvensional, or more having to do with confidence, sometimes it just means taking care of yourself, or having your own unique style, etc. But the point is that we can't forget about that part of ourselves, and I think that the effort we put into our appearance is a big predictor of success on this journey.
A lot of us get comfortable in something that "works" for us, and all too frequently it's the lowest common denominator (a pair of track pants and a hoody, or those flats that are just so quick and easy to put on because over the past two years they have molded to your foot exactly from daily wear), but the truth is that we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We need to put more effort into our appearence, not just so that we can strive to look like some model on a magazine, but just so that me remember that we are worth the effort, and that we are worth it today! Not "once I lose 20/50/100 pounds", but starting today. And not just because our spouces/boyfriends will think we're "hot" but so that we feel that way.
Sorry for the novel... Just sharing my thoughts...