[proulxliu]

Sometimes I feel pretty sexy since I've lost 20 lbs already. There are times, though, that I still feel pretty unsexy. I want to feel MORE hot, more consistently, as time goes on and my weight loss continues. I don't so much know that it's a physical thing or a mental thing that's causing me to feel this way. Thoughts? Ideas? What makes you all feel sexy? I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I'm doing better with my physical health, I still feel pretty insecure.

[rachaelm]

This is such a big problem for so many of us, not only on this forum, but IRL as well.

It is definitely a self esteem thing. I know I'm a lot bigger than you, but there are days when I think, "yeah, I'm feelin good & lookin good" You know what I've noticed, when I'm 'on plan' I feel better about myself. I went over my calories this weekend & noticed how down I felt. I was READY to get back on track.

I don't have a magical solution, but I think some personal insight is a good thing. Try some positive affirmations, about anything in your life. Tell yourself you are suceeding, you've lost 20 pounds. You are worth feeling good about.

[sensualappeal]

My self esteem is pretty much directly correlated with my exercise patterns. If one day I dont work out because iwas too lazy, I start feeling totally low and might even binge. But on the days that I do work out, and work out good, to the point of breaking s sweat, i feel wonderful.

[Hikermc]

I agree, sensualappeal. My self esteem really ties into whether I've been physically active. I'm at my goal weight, but I still have low self esteem days and they are consistently the days where I feel like I haven't put effort into maintaining. I expect I'll continue to struggle with self esteem - it seems like it's a battle for most women, regardless of their weight. I still look in the mirror and see "chubby." But as silly as I feel when I practice positive affirmations, I think it really does help. I focus on specific body areas that I'm proud of, or how I feel after I complete a workout that wouldn't have been possible for me 6 months ago. Keep reminding yourself of how far you've come and celebrate the little (or big) changes that happen along the way