Update: I really want to respond to as many comments as I can and will respond to the other comments soon

Hi,

I have spent the majority of my life being overweight. I have also had depression since high school until now. I have lost a lot of weight (more than 100 pounds), I am currently working on building muscle. I have strange features, a very large forehead + receding hairline. The only thing I can do with my hair is to shave it. A post I put on r/amiugly had a few people that made fun of what I looked like, especially my head. My body is another story, I have loose skin from the weight loss, it is very noticeable but not 'extreme' I guess, so i'm kinda self conscious of my body.

I know how to speak to people, and I have quite a few friends that are women. The problem is that i've never had anyone attracted to me. I've never gotten a long stare from a girl in public that people talk about on reddit or had any of those conversations where there was a lot of flirting. I've made efforts with a few women, but it seems like it was a hassle to talk to me and that they were wanting someone more attractive to do it.

I've been trying really hard not to sink into self pity. I have worked on fashion, on fitness and I am seeing a counselor to talk about things. I have been proactive in real life and even on Tinder. Tinder was a blow to the self esteem as I dont have a single match after a week of swiping right. I was just wondering if anyone knew the answers to the following:

  1. How do I think of myself as an attractive guy when everything in society seemingly points to me being unattractive?

  2. How can I project confidence when I have nothing to be confident about?

  3. How can I communicate attraction to a woman without giving in to what I have learnt about my worth from them? I mean, If none of them think I am worth going out with on Tinder or in real life, that seems to point out to me that my stock is pretty low.

  4. How can I move past through internal bitterness and anger to project an image of an attractive person?

I have the feeling that this is going to get buried. But thanks anyway whoever reads this.