I'm not attracted to my boyfriend but I can't leave him :-(

I am being facetious......Mostly.

Ignore everyone who is insulting you. They have hurt feelings from being dumped and are taking it out on you

You cannot pretend to be happy for his sake, you will look back on that period of time and realise it was a waste of time. You BOTH deserve to be with someone who appreciates and loves you and is attracted to you.

Edit: Someone told you to be honest and tell him you don't find him physically attractive. DON'T do that. A white lie is OK sometimes.

Some people are just not made for one another. That is something for you to decide you should make a decision decisively and not string him along. I think you each have some insecurity issues and perspectives that need some consideration. He should not be using emotional blackmail on you, and he should not always be living in the shadow of your attraction to other men. In reality at 24, its hard to explain to you what is really important in a relationship, and even when you approach 40 you are only starting to learn. The only word of caution I would throw out, is that if you feel comfortable and happy with this guy in other areas beyond the attraction level, one day you may come to realize that attraction physically is really something that is most important at the begining of a relationship. We all age, and age does some unkind things to all of our bodies, its companionship and what you have in common that really matters.

I've been contemplating about this for a while, and I feel I need a more individual response to my problem.

My boyfriend and I have been together for a long time. He loves me more than anything in the world, does literally everything for me, always there for me, if I have a problem he will drop everything he's doing and come see me, always helping me out and giving me money if I need it, and is always patient enough to put up with my paranoia and insecurities - he is honestly the epitome of a perfect boyfriend, and makes me feel like the happiest girl in the world.

I was never initially physically attracted to him, but I've grown to love his personality and the way he is. But recently whenever we are together, I just find him annoying, I don't want him holding me, and I feel like it's an obligation to kiss him, not a desire. And I just keep thinking about other males that I'm attracted to - which is not something a girlfriend should be doing.

I feel so bad about this, but I just can't leave him. He has never loved another girl before, and has even planned out our future together. Certain times he reminds me that if we ever broke up, he would just become a heartless cold person and could never trust another female again, because he honestly feels we should be together for the rest of our lives.

I just don't have the heart to break up with him. It would absolutely destroy him, he thinks the world of me. I love him, but I just don't feel the way one should, towards their partner. And if I'm constantly thinking about other guys. I know if we broke up, I would regret it, and become jealous if he found another girl - but I just feel like I should be with someone who I'm passionate about.

Should I just put up with him, and hope that this phase passes away?

That is the problem with sleeping with your BF. Bonding takes place. And you stick with it because of the bond, and not because you decided that you wanted to live the rest of your life with this person, and decided to marry. Now, if you leave, he gets badly hurt.

The problem with living together is that you are practicing a lack of commitment, in case something better comes along, and the couple ends up using each other, or maybe one of them uses the other. That is why living together is a really bad thing to do over the long run.

My question to you is: what are you looking for?

Some version of romance fiction? A bodice buster? Cheap passion? Hot sex and heartache? Or a good man who will be a good husband and a great father to your children?

If you loved your man, you would be ready for a little self-sacrifice, instead of peeking over his shoulder and trying to see if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. In any good marriage, desire waxes, wanes, and grows strong again. Love is not about feelings, but about commitment. You work at that, and everything else falls into place, including the desire.

EXCELLENT!!!

This is bizarre. You are both not ready for this relationship -- he is manipulating you with emotional blackmail in order to keep you, and you are opting to stay with him out of obligation, not sincere partnership. Attraction is what separates a solid friendship or room mate from a romantic partnership. You can certainly work at being physically connected to someone, but I am not sure that is right for this situation --- my gut says it is too far gone for BOTH of you. He is too insecure to be in a long term, stable partnership, and you are not reciprocating the relationship he thinks he has with you.

Ignore everyone who is insulting you. They have hurt feelings from being dumped and are taking it out on you

You cannot pretend to be happy for his sake, you will look back on that period of time and realise it was a waste of time. You BOTH deserve to be with someone who appreciates and loves you and is attracted to you.

Edit: Someone told you to be honest and tell him you don't find him physically attractive. DON'T do that. A white lie is OK sometimes.

Do not listen to the above person. Tell him, grow some ovaries and tell the man exactly... not some twisted truth of reality but exactly how you feel. Have the heart to tell him so there arent any reason for him to question it. Yeah It will suck *kitten*, yeah he will be most likely be heartbroken but he will get over it and be thankful that hes not "stuck" with somone who doesnt appreciate him.

How about a trial separation?

That's an awesome Idea. Me and my wife had one of those by her request. I was heart broken, but once I realized that being a women doesn't always make you a lady I got over it. now sadly I see women different, I still try to treat them with respect, but after being burned you loose some of that respect.

I went out and partied and had a blast while she sat home and cried over what she had done once she realized all that I did for her. And just to keep the air clear I stayed loyal and made sure the girls knew that I was still married. sadly being married didn't matter to most of the girls I met and a couple still tried to work there way in even after I got back with my wife.

what I learned: women can be more shallow and use men as much as men use women, and most women do not deserve to be held in higher regard.

there are some that do deserve respect, but they have to earn it.

Ignore everyone who is insulting you. They have hurt feelings from being dumped and are taking it out on you

You cannot pretend to be happy for his sake, you will look back on that period of time and realise it was a waste of time. You BOTH deserve to be with someone who appreciates and loves you and is attracted to you.

Edit: Someone told you to be honest and tell him you don't find him physically attractive. DON'T do that. A white lie is OK sometimes.

Do not listen to the above person. Tell him, grow some ovaries and tell the man exactly... not some twisted truth of reality but exactly how you feel. Have the heart to tell him so there arent any reason for him to question it. Yeah It will suck *kitten*, yeah he will be most likely be heartbroken but he will get over it and be thankful that hes not "stuck" with somone who doesnt appreciate him.

If its a matter of him just losing weight and getting in shape, then yes, she should encourage him to do so. But if she just isn't physically attracted because he isn't her type and there is nothing he can do about it, then what good will come of telling him that?

update?

Please quit stringing him along, i've been on the other side (2.5 yrs) and it's a KILLER

I don't get why people start dating people they don't like in the first place....it's one thing I'll never understand. When I date someone I like them, that's pretty easy. If I do not like them, I don't date them. If I stop liking them I end the relationship. Being with someone just to be with someone is not going to make anyone happy in the long run. Just my 2 cents.

Don't tell him anything until you're moved out and safe. Men can get very violent when they are losing something they cherish. Don't tell him alone that is for sure.

You can always flip the script. Start doing stuff you know he hates. Like burp or chew with your mouth open...lol. seriously, make him leave you. That's what I would do. Call him when you know he's sleep to say how much you love him. Start acting psychotic or schizophrenic....lol...start talking to yourself in third person..ROFL.....

If all this fails stop giving him any booty he will roll out. Trust.

I don't understand stuff like this. Why resort to playing stupid games and denying a seemingly nice guy sex? Why are people so incapable of sitting down together and having a conversation like two adults? Sit the poor man down and tell him that while you appreciate him or whatever, you just aren't in love with him anymore.

Sorry for the bluntness, but you put it out there...
You really think too much of yourself and it would be a great favor for you to stop deceiving the guy and step up and end the relationship for his sake.
He sounds like a great guy and deserves someone who really loves him and finds him attractive so he can have a fullfilling adult relationship.
To continue to "fake it" for his sake is BS. You're doing it entirely for yourself.

You are asking because you already know your answer, you just want permission to act on how you feel. You wont grow attraction to him if it wasnt there at the start. He is a good person and friend, but it wont ever happen, youre just fooling yourself cus youre thinking whats not to like, he is the almost perfect package other than that you arent attracted and feel no desire for him, so maybe sadly not so perfect. You cant turn him into the one you love. You shouldnt feel guilt for being honest with yourself and him. Sure, no one likes to hurt anyone elses feelings especially if they are as nice as you say this guy is. Oh, you can like this guy, deeply care about him and maybe even love him for who he is,who he is , is a safe and wonderful friend, a very good person and nice guy. Who he is not, he is the one. The longer you drag this out, the longer you are stopping both of you from finding the right one for you. Let him down easy, try to preserve the beautiful loving friendship between the two of you. Then know you did the right thing, forgive yourself for breaking his heart, it will heal and he will love again. So will you. Then keep your eyes and heart wide open towards your future. Good Luck.

Ok,
So I don't usually respond to posts that have pages of responses, but I will this time. just know that these are my own opinions.
The relationship is flat out doomed to fail.
You say you were never attracted to him. Big mistake to keep going out with him. That means at some point you have already lied. A relationship can't stand the test of time when the foundation is based on a lie. How come I say you lied? When he talks about the future do you ever stop him?
He is your safety net. The world is a scary place when you think about being out there alone. Don't stick with him just because you don't want to be alone. The relationship will fail and leave both of you worse off.
For him to say he will become a cold person and all that rot means he knows something s not right. That is a manipulative move. Next he will threaten suicide. I have watched friends be in those relationships. Guess what, they end.
This is not a healthy match for either one of you. Both of you need some growing up.
As for the nice guys theme, I disagree with it all. A nice guy does not resort to manipulation to keep his girl. A nice guy is stable and confident. I married a nice guy. Never had the want to cheat. Still attracted to him, even after 24 and a half years. And yes... I was smokin hot when we got married...lmbo! But we started off as friends and let the relationship grow on its own sweet time. We built a strong foundation of common interests and trust. He is my friend and my love. When people see us they say 'wow, you guys were born for each other'. Life has not always been easy, but it's worth it knowing we have each other.
End it so you can both get on with your lives. He is a grown man, he will be better off with honesty. Doesn't mean you have to be harsh. Just be honest and get on with life. Just know if you end it, you can not use him as your crutch to lean on when times get hard. You will have to grow up and face life head on. But that is where happiness awaits to be found.