Lacking confidence...

I've got 37 gone and I still don't like my body also, but I have so much to go, and it's pretty rewarding to see my body slim down though, that and my mentally about food is what keeps me going. Plus all the healthy benefits too! Everyone has their "blah" point and I've been there, that where it's important to remember how hard you've worked and how much you've overcome and accomplished. 50 lbs isn't a small number!

you are a pretty girl heavy or smaller...you have to learn how to "see" yourself differently....learn to accept compliments for what they are, observations on how you are seen by the people around you....we are always our own worst critic....make yourself feel beautiful by maybe getting a makeover - buying a new outfit, new hairstyle that suits the new you, head to the makeup counter at the mall and let them "play" around with the colors and whatnot that work best for you....make yourself beautiful by someone else's eyes and then take a very hard look at yourself and SEEEEEEEE it for yourself.....get dolled up and "fish" for compliments with your great looks.....i can tell you it will be hard to take at first but the more you feel you look better the easier it will be to realize it is true....you are a pretty girl and you need to work on that....no one should feel bad about themselves no matter the shape or size they are.....

I've done a lot of reading lately on confidence as part of a leadership fellowship that I am involved in, and so I wanted to share a viewpoint that I found interesting. The idea is that many people go through their lives focused on their weaknesses- things that they are changing/need to change. There is a lot of research supporting the idea that people are more confident and effective when they focus on their strengths - things that they are already good at. The book was focused on the context of business, but I think it is just as applicable in real life. Instead of focusing on things that we need to change, we should focus on our strengths - skills that we have and things that we like about ourselves. This includes success in a program such as myfitness pal - it takes a huge amount of willpower and motivation to lose weight, and you should congratulate yourself for being a strong enough person to do so! And you can use this power that helped you become a more fit person and apply it to confidence and mental battles as well. Arm yourself with a list of things that you love about yourself, and when you feel yourself becoming unconfident, remind yourself of all of your strengths instead. It's like choosing to eat an apple instead of a cookie - its hard to do at first, but in time you won't find yourself reaching for the cookie in the first place.

This may sound strange, but I look at myself in the mirror multiple times a day and tell myself, "You are beautiful!" I then spend about a minute or two (when I'm alone) looking at myself and making a pretty face or something. I find a good angle of my face and just look at myself for a little bit. I'm aware this sounds a little crazy, but it's reeeaally changed from how I used to think of myself. And this isn't me at my happy weight, so it can work at any size.