Hi everybody!

I confess to joining this forum pages away from finishing the book by
Judith Lederman & Larina Kase.

To summarize my story: I was a compulsive over eater from childhood
and became seriously obese in high school and onward. I did the usual
yo-yo dieting, hot fad diets, etc.

Finally, due to my obesity, I had to have my gallbladder removed over
a year ago. I went on a vegan/vegetarian diet since for months after
my gallbladder surgery I couldn't handle digesting meat. Along with
exercise, I dropped 101 lbs in 7 months (FYI: it was not a starvation
diet and my caloric intake was carefully monitored. I'm just pretty
seriously overweight. I can now eat lean cuts of poultry/game meats.)

I've since spent nearly a decade in therapy resolving many of my
issues surrounding food and weight problems. In this last major
weight loss of 101 lbs in January of 2008, I reached that goal and
shortly afterward had some necessary elective surgery.

I basically couldn't handle the back-to-back changes and opted to gain
weight again-- with the new understanding that emotionally I needed
time to catch up to the rapid weight-loss/new body image I had of
myself before losing weight again. (As on several occasions before,
I've dropped a noticeable amount of weight in yo-yo dieting... only to
freak out and promptly gain the weight back when people starting
coming up to me and compliment me on my new appearance.)

In the time I had off from losing weight, I really took the time to
decide from a physiological point of view what exactly was it about
food that was helping to prevent me from losing (and keeping) the
weight off successfully.

I realized after reviewing my family's heavy history of addition and
depression, that I had several foods that I was just simply addicted
to (namely sugar & starchy products). So I found an eating lifestyle
(from one of the many books out there) that suited me and have been
following it with MUCH less difficulty since cutting out starches &
sugar from my diet.

I also have been losing weight again and am less than 25 lbs from my
original weight loss of 101 lbs from January 2008. (I will still have
over an additional 60-70 lbs to lose once I hit the 101 lb goalpost
anyway).

I'm excited to read this book and find this forum since I'm a member
of several other online forums (one for my eating lifestyle and
another for support during my process of losing weight.

I've gone through yo-yo dieting and seeing my weight go up/down over
the years. I've been frustrated by every diet plan's book "fairytale
ending" of being thin and everything is "perfect" with no more weight
struggles once I follow a certain fad diet.

I always wanted to know how a formerly obese girl gets through life as
a thin person once she is ready to sign up for membership in the "thin
club." lol.

I'm happy to find this forum for it finally answers/addresses
questions I've had for years on post-fat-girl days. I still have a lot
more weight to lose but I'm glad to find a forum that I can use as my
body keeps changing and shrinking downward.

Thanks for listening!

Melissa