Rather than fill this blog with my own thoughts about the issues that revolve around food and weight issues, this time I’m filling it with the thoughts of men and women who have shared their stories with me over the years. There’s nothing more inspiring than the words of those who’ve fought the good fight, some of whom have been successful at shedding pounds, and some who may still be struggling to get to a better weight, but all of whom have been willing to share their hopes, insights, and solutions so that others may benefit.
“All in all, I’m quite comfortable in my own skin, and if I didn’t live in a city where the standards for “healthy weight” are so much higher, I probably wouldn’t give a thought to the 10 or 15 extra pounds I carry around these days. I am who I am, the same person I’ve always been. My clothes are just a little tighter now!”
“I’m older now, I still have stress in my life, and I still respond by eating. But I know now that dieting isn’t a real solution because my overeating has never really been about food. I need to figure out how to cope with stress without resorting to overeating. My next step is to find a good support group.”
“I know my weight problem has nothing to do with food. I’m using food to fill a void that’s been there for a long, long time. I just never let myself think about it before. Psychotherapy has helped me open up, find my feelings, and talk about my history of abuse for the first time in my life.”
“What’s most important is that my daughters see me as someone who accepts herself. I want them to know their mom is okay with who she is so they will follow my example in that respect. I feel great, I’m healthy, I walk for thirty minutes every day, and even though I wear a size 18, I consider myself pretty stylish.”
“I’m 27 years old, I like myself, but I want to like my body, too, so I’m trying to lose weight. I’ve gone on three diets in my life and each time I lost 20 or 30 pounds, then gave up for one reason or another and gained the weight back. Twice I joined weight loss programs and once I followed a high protein diet. Now I want to start fresh; I want to find a new job and get out more and work on my social life. I don’t want to bring all this old fat with me to a new job. Until I figure out a better way, I’ll just keep counting calories. For now, it’s a good workable plan because I’m not overeating and I know it’s just a temporary way of eating to lose some weight, not a permanent solution.”
“The lesson I learned is that anything can happen, and when it does, I have to be prepared to pick myself up, stay out of the kitchen, and [literally] just keep running.”
“When I joined a medically supervised program at a local hospital, I didn’t just join a weight loss program. I joined a program designed to improve my overall health and well-being. I’m writing this story seven months after I started the program, and I feel almost like a completely different person—or at least a new and improved version of the person I was a year ago. Right now I’m accountable to a lot of people—to the other members of my weekly counseling group and the dietitian we report to, and to my family, friends, and co-workers who have watched me get back in shape. Initially, those accountabilities helped propel my drop in weight. Now I have to learn to be accountable to myself and respect myself enough to stay in shape and maintain a healthy relationship with food on my own, for the rest of my life. That’s the part that will take some time.”
“Before I knew it, my children grew up and left home, and I lost my husband at an early age. More and more, I found myself sitting on the couch at night, watching television and eating snacks. As time went by, I would start doing this earlier and earlier in the day. I laughed at myself but I knew I couldn’t go on this way. I gained almost 30 pounds in eight months. What worked for me was to get busy and rejoin the human race. I was very nervous, but with the help of friend, I found an office job. That meant I needed new clothes and I had to face the fact that I had to lose weight. But once I started working and having more face-to-face contact with people, it wasn’t hard to lose. I knew all I had to do was give up the tv snacks, go back to eating healthier foods, and get moving. So I ate lunch in the office and spent the rest of my lunch hour walking. I didn’t stop watching tv but I stopped snacking at night. In less time than it took to put on the weight, I took it off. That was six years ago and I haven’t had a weight problem since.”
“I finally admitted I was losing control of everything. I couldn’t control my food and my life was equally out of control. I knew there was a huge psychological hole in me that wasn’t getting filled no matter how much I binged. It was very scary. The change that came over me from working a 12-Step program was nothing short of miraculous. It was a bridge back to life for me, and now I live life on life’s terms, not my own, and it’s OK. My food habits aren’t perfect, but I eat normally. I’m generally more flexible, and I don’t beat myself up for my mistakes. I am so much more at peace with myself.”
“Does it ever end? I believe it does. I put out my last cigarette thirteen years ago, and I haven’t touched one since. I know if I could overcome that addiction, I can overcome my addiction to food. I just have to keep struggling to work with my feelings, not against them, and find other outlets to replace food. It’ll happen. It’s just a matter of time and I’m not about to give up now!”