Screw him, at least you feel better about yourself. He doesn't appreciate you.

So for months he insults and demeans your appearance because it isn't good enough for him. Then when you better yourself, he basically insults you again because now your appearance is too good for him? Your husband sounds like an asshole, and kind if emotionally abusive (insulting and nothing is ever good enough). He also could actually want to end the marriage and is just making any excuse to justify it. Either way, divorce doesn't sound like a bad thing here, find someone better. Someone who will accept you for who you are.

Your husband sounds like he's projecting his shortcomings onto you. Having you as a "verbal punching bag" made him feel better about himself. Now that you've improved he can't do that so he doesn't feel good anymore. He needs some serious help because if you do end up getting divorced, which is sadly most likely unless he changes and realizes he's way wrong, he's going to do this to others. It's a never ending cycle of him putting others down to feel good.

I say divorce him, and fight him for everything he's got for the emotional abuse he put you through. Usually I think divorces should be fairly equal in what each person gets, but in this case, he ******* deserves to come out on the losing side.