by Michelle Wilkinson

Created on: August 14, 2009   Last Updated: February 15, 2010

People often find that when they lose weight they want to put more effort into their appearance than when they were at their heaviest because they feel that they are now worth beautifying. When you're overweight it can be difficult to find clothes that fit well and which flatter your body shape and you may feel that there is little point trying to make the most of yourself. It is easier to purchase loose-fitting, baggy jogging bottoms and some t-shirts than having to face the humiliation of finding that the shops you enter have nothing in your size. Losing weight can change all this, though, as you become more confident and want to show off your body.

When you have lost a lot of weight and reached a size you are comfortable with you want other people to see the progress you've made. You no longer feel you have to hide your body away, trying to disguise any unsightly lumps and bumps. You have worked hard to achieve the perfect body, or at least a body you are happy with, so why shouldn't you flaunt it?

Being overweight can have a detrimental impact on your confidence levels, as you may be very self-conscious about your size and feel that everyone is judging you because you're fat. Losing weight can enable you to reclaim your confidence because you feel as if you belong, that you are normal, and that no one can hold your size against you, since you are one of them.

Losing weight can mean that you actually don't mind standing in front of the mirror, so that you are prepared to spend a little bit more time doing your hair or applying make-up without flinching at the sight of yourself. You can happily go clothes shopping knowing that you will find clothes that fit, without having to go to specialist plus-size stores, and that you can go into the changing room and try on clothes without bursting into tears as you struggle to pull a pair of trousers up beyond your knees.

When you're overweight you might tell yourself you don't look that bad, but once you start to lose weight and begin to notice a difference, as your double chin turns into a single one, and all your wobbly bits become firmer, you realise that you actually look better slimmer, which is something that is hard to face when you're fat.

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