anyone else have this problem?

I am so excited about that whole "be good to yourself" thing. I never thought I deserved it before. I would consider it selfish before. Now, like so many other things, I think differently about it. I have a clarity about the difference between selfish and taking care of what you have been blessed with. Hugs, Katy

I agree 100% with what Katy is saying...and think wholeheartedly that as you feel better about yourself you begin to want to take care of you more. It's a cycle that leads to a better person. When you have low self esteem you don't want to put on make up or try to dress nice, or even care for that matter. As your self esteem raises a bit sometimes we are tempted to wear and do more to increase that "better" self image. For example some of us putting on tighter cuter clothes thinking we look "hott"...LOL...At some point many of us with negative self images who still see ourselves as that obese person will begin to open up more and more to the finishing touches of what it means to look and feel better. I had a situation about 2 weeks ago where I thought I was ready to go buy a new bathing suit. I took a friend because I had this idea that I'd end up being one of those people on the beach that you look at saying "Who let her leave the house in THAT bathing suit???? Someone should have told her how ridiculous she looks" so my friend Shannon was there to help keep me grounded. Yet the opposite of what I expected happened. I went into the dressing room and tried on bathing suit after bathing suit and was horrified at what I saw, even in the skirted suits. I ultimately decided that this body still was NOT ready to be seen by anyone but me (and maybe my husband in a dark room)... So I happily bought some shorts and a few shirts instead.

Right now I am having problems dealing with the the guys. They are coming out of the woods for me. It just makes me think like what was so bad before with me that they avoided me like the plague? I actually wore a fitted shirt yesterday and I asked 2 family members before I ventured out in public if I looked okay. I just don't want to be out in public and people looking at me. I can't get over the difference in pictures just from Christmas to now.