So Ive always been a bit of a glamour girl. I like(d) putting on my make up, styling my hair, painting my nails, looking after my skin....

I am incredibly vain - yet I let my weight problem go on and on.

Right now, I can't bring myself to put make up on, and my hair gets a wash in between treadmill sessions, but little else. I just dont feel like myself at the moment....Its like I dont want to bother until I get to my goal weight.

I keep thinking that I am going to give my body 12 months to drop weight, fat, gain muscle and shape, look after my skin, grow my hair etc, so I will be happy with myself when I am slim. Is this a bad thing?

Oh yeah, same here. I'm in sweatpants all day, my hair is up in a knotty bun. I keep telling myself when I get to a certain weight I'll start caring again. It's a hard cycle to break and then get back into. Though probably unlike you, I'm unemployed and all my friends are married/having kids, so I don't have anywhere to go, really, and it's not THAT big of a deal. But I do miss getting dolled up.

Just because your body is bigger than you want it doesn't mean that you're not attractive. If you took care of yourself appearance before, why should you stop now just because you're trying to be healthier?

I think the saying "Life's a journey, not a destination" fits perfectly here. Don't wait until your goal weight to start doing the things you want to do. I know we're talking about hair and makeup here, but it's also your self esteem. You made a comment about wanting to be happy about yourself when you are slim, but you need to be happy with yourself no matter what size you are.

I agree with Tiffany. I think if you care less about your appearance you will care less about yourself and your health. I'm not saying become Paris Hilton - but have a shower, do something quick with your hair, put on some decent jeans. I "primp" during the week because I have an executive job, but on weekend I will slack.....hair won't be perfect, minimal make up - but I still do something. I have found that if I don't put a little care into my appearance that I tend to care about little else. We are all worth it. Even if you weigh 500 pounds you are worth it! I watched a show one time with an almost 1,000 lb woman who was getting weight loss surgery, the thing that struck me was her hair was always fixed and she did her makeup. She could only wear a sheet at that size, but even the sheet was a nice red satin one. We are all worth it!

You know, I have moments like these, where I have major self turmoil. But just as the others have said, you're no less valuable at your current weight than you will be at your ideal weight. My husband is my best friend, number one fan, and biggest supporter. He tells me how it is and he reminds me not to be so hard on myself. Just the other day he said, you know what, you are no more beautiful today than you were at 163 pounds. The only difference I see is that you're glowing inside and you're happy with the progress that you have made. That just lit up my whole day! I'll always be attractive to him no matter what. But it's the inner change that he's seeing — a happier and more motivated me. So when I'm happy, he's happy. I think it's important to try and find that inner glow, regardless of your weight. Find it and let it shine. Your upbeat and positive demeanor is the vibe that is going to knock the socks off of those around you.


Hugs

No... not a bad thing. But I think you should care about your appearance now. Fat isn't ugly, and neither are you. Take the time to do your hair and makeup, take care of your skin, do your nails, and the way you feel about yourself will follow suit. You may not be where you want to be weight wise, but you're doing what so many people never do, and so you should be really proud of yourself and let it shine on the outside.

And just so you know, I used to feel the same way. But I started doing my makeup and hair every day, and dressing for the body I have, and now I feel fabulous every day. It's really nice, because my taking the time (grudgingly at first) to do myself up on the outside every day, it really transformed me on the inside too.