Regarding real life comments...
Last week at the gym while I was doing some ab exercises, I overheard two thin, young (~20 year old) girls and a guy talking about a woman who was on the treadmill. Their back and forth comments to each other went something like, "I see her on the treadmill everytime I'm here, and all she's ever doing is walking. If she wants to lose weight, she needs to run. When I was trying to lose weight, I ran for 30 minutes every day. She's not going to make any progress just walking." And then the other girl "I know. All these women I see in my zumba class have the same body shape, and they look the same every week. They're not going to lose weight by going to zumba three times each week." and then "You have to eat healthy too. You're not going to lose weight without eating healthy." And so forth.
They were just being gossipy, nasty little girls, but it took a lot of restraint for me to keep my mouth shut. First, they were standing around and occasionally lifting their 5 lb hand weights, and it was clear that their gym time was much more about socializing that night than about actual exercise. Second, they were literally standing right next to the machine that I was on, and it was quite obvious that I, an obese woman, could hear everything they were saying... and I wouldn't be surprised if that was their intent. I too spend several days each week "just walking" on the treadmill - just like the woman they were talking about - and at the same time of day. All I could think was... what do these girls know of that woman on the treadmill, or of those women in the zumba class? What do these girls know of their diet, and how hard some of them may be working to lose weight? What do they know of me? I've lost nearly 50 lbs, and I'm damn proud of myself. I've done it by working very hard and very consistently every.single.day., and my "just walking" on the treadmill and my lifting 2x/week - which is much more intense and focused than the work they were doing that night - has helped a LOT. Those girls see us 'fat women' in the gym every night... and their reaction is criticism??
But I didn't say anything, because it simply wasn't worth it. There is nothing I could say that would give them the perspective I have on the effort and committment it takes to lose a serious amount of weight. I hope they gain that perspective some day, but for their sake I hope it doesn't come from having to lose that kind of weight themselves.
In regards to "pretty" - I'm not pretty, I've never been pretty, and I won't be pretty even when I'm a normal weight (and I WILL be a normal weight, just give me another 8 months
). That's not putting myself down; it's just a fact. And most days I'm ok with that, as I know I'm a good person, and that's what counts among those I love.
I fully understand how addictive cigs are (I smoke) so I'm a bit hypocritical not wanting diet sodas because of their chemicals. At least your guy can give you some comic relief 
