Good self-esteem must always come from the inside not from what anyone else thinks and self-esteem doesn't always have anything whatsoever to do with looks, weight or anything visible. For instance, I have a very good-looking son who is quite accomplished. He is an artist for a publisher in Los Angeles and has done production artwork for TV specials. One of his best friends is a famous actor. However, my son has never had any self-esteem, never thought he was good enough. My husband also suffers from low self esteem. I tried my best help my son when he was growing up by encouraging him and giving him many opportunities to foster his talents, but he admited the other day on the phone that he still suffers from low self-esteem even though he is almost 38 years old. My other children do not suffer from low self-esteem like he does. I think the difference is that my son who suffers from low self esteem has always compared himself to others while my other children do not. So I am all for people with low self esteem trying to change their mind-set and accepting themselves, but as I said it is not always just about accepting their outward appearance but not comparing themselves with everyone else. My post was mainly about the health issues that can be caused by overweight. I think a lot of younger people do not realize how their weight can affect their health, esp. as they grow older.