Hey all, not often I do this, but figured it might be a good idea to make myself vulnerable with something I dislike about myself to maybe get some helpful input as to how to approach this weird dilemma I’m having.

So I [M24], have been struggling with my weight for a few years now. Mainly it’s been an issue that’s been tied to my mental health, and for the last year I’ve been doing intensive work on improving my mental health, which includes dealing with the root cause of my weight issues.

For a long time I’ve been in the mindset of wanting to wait until after I shed the pounds before getting into the dating scene. Reason being is that I personally prefer a certain body type, and it just feels hypocritical and gross to have that expectation going into a relationship when I’m not meeting the expectations for the body type I want for myself.

On the other hand, I had a coworker [F22] at my old job admit that she at one point had feelings for me, so since then it has me thinking if I’m stressing too much about my weight as important as I feel it is for me to address it.

I’ve also had friends tell me that I need to have more self-confidence in regards to my body, but I’m split on trusting their words because I’m fully aware I’m not at a healthy weight currently and don’t want to deny that.

I’m having trouble determining what to do from here, because I really want to go out and meet new people and perhaps mingle since I’ve been craving a romantic relationship for ages now and know that things are likely going to take more time for me than most others because of my sexual identity.

However on the other hand, I still worry about the aforementioned possibility of coming off as hypocritical, having my weight be a deciding factor at first glance for people when this isn’t who I want to be, and having my weight literally get in the way of other things (I worry about it maybe making hugs and/or cuddles awkward for a potential partner.

What would be the best plan of action for me to take?