As a woman, do you fanticize about whether losing weight could make your sex life better?

What I know is that most of us would likely feel better about ourselves if we were happier with our body image. In counseling, women share their stories with me of how they I never undress or appear naked in front of their partners. And then there those women who go to elaborate lengths to stay supine during sex so that their partners won’t see their ‘fat tummies’ or ‘rolls of fat’. And what about stretch marks? Isn’t that what wrapping the sheets around you are for? Or those large flannel night gowns!

No matter how often I tell women that our body image is hugely influenced by what the media tells us is beautiful or acceptable, I know in my heart that they judge themselves by those standards that are not only unattainable for the average woman, they are also not realistic of the model herself, with the images being mostly air-brushed and Photoshop-ed!

Real woman have curves, and arms that jiggle, and stretch marks, and c-section scars. We have wrinkles from laughing, and freckles from forgetting to wear sunscreen. And most of us would love to lose 5, 10, 15 or more pounds…

But perhaps if we eat better, exercise more, and get enough sleep not only would our bodies look better, I bet they would feel better too. And we would feel better about ourselves and have more energy for our partners (and our children), and perhaps be able to face ourselves naked in the mirror.

I know how I feel about myself when I lose weight and I can’t be the only one…what do you think?