As a Size 14 woman, sure I’m happy with how I look – curves and all – but sometimes, with so many photos of supermodels smack bang in my face on Instagram 24/7, it’s perfectly normal to feel a little self-conscious every now and again about the size of your muffin tops, or in my case, Victoria Sponge tops. We all know that the key to looking (and feeling) good is living a healthy, active lifestyle, but this is real life – and sometimes – life just gets in the way. Unfortunately, we’re an instant generation, meaning that generally speaking, if we want something we can get it straight away. For example, hungry for pizza? JustEat. Watch movie clips? YouTube. So where shedding a few pounds is concerned, it takes a little more than a simple decision to do it, but is it always the answer you’re looking for. That’s right, one of our biggest insecurities we face whether we’re dating or in a relationship, is our…

Weight.

Whether you’re a Size 8 or a Size 18, or anything above and below, we’re ALL self-conscious at some point or another about how much we weight, but should we really be so concerned with the number on the scales?

In my opinion, what you’ve really got to be concerned about is your happiness. I’m trying not to sound like a hippy with this but hear me out. Is it truly your weight that is making you unhappy, or is it something a bit more deep-rooted and you’re trying to find a way to bury that and cover it up? Maybe you’re in a bad relationship or having a really stressful time at work and when there are other factors making you feel like total crap, the first person you blame is yourself for feeling so bad and you immediately start to nitpick at minor things you consider to be imperfections to give yourself a distraction from the real reasons.

If, however, you’re certain that it’s your weight that’s getting you down, you’ve got 2 options; the first is to take action. So – by taking action – I mean that you’ve decided that enough is enough, your body is your temple and just now, it’s more like ruins. Sure, there’s about a million and one fad diets out there but the long and the short of it is that if you want to lose some weight to regain your self-esteem, there’s a few standard, successful ways to go about it. Of course, a healthy non-indulgent diet is a no-brainer alongside regular exercise, and there are also safe, effective weight loss treatments that can give you a great head start too. These things combined will set you on your way to a healthy weight loss journey which will take you to a point where you’re totally content with your appearance. Just steer clear of the ‘miracle diets’ because a non-sustainable lifestyle makes for non-sustainable weight loss, so put all your energy into creating a lifestyle you can keep up!

The second option is to make the most of it. You may have a little more on your love handles than you might want, but perhaps you’re not as unhappy with your size as you think. One thing to consider is the way you take care of your appearance – so what if you’re chunky yet funky or skinny and mini! Are you dressing for your figure? I know for a FACT that I could not wear the same clothes as a short, size 8 woman would simply because they wouldn’t suit my figure so perhaps think about your best features (of which you have many if you really think about it) and work out ways to dress and accessorize (and even do your hair and make-up) to accentuate these. The more you accept that “this is me”, the more confident you become and let’s face it, THAT leads to happiness which is the end goal here.

There’s no such thing as bad size or a wrong size, whether you’re big, small, little, large, petite size, plus size, what really matters is what will put a smile on your face. When it comes to dating and relationships, the same applies. Sure, everyone has their preference when it comes to aesthetics but in the end, it all comes down to who you are and how you show yourself off. If you’re feeling crap about how you look under your outfit, chances are you’re a under-the-covers-lights-out-half-dressed-whilst-having-sex kinda gal. I say no, enough of this. Strip right off, leave that light on and go for it! You are who you are, and the more confident and happy you are with yourself, the easier you’ll find the whole dating process and totally being yourself with your significant other – clothes on or off.