I can relate to bludolphin's post. Although I wasn't abused by my family. I was sexually harrassed by a client and got sick of his and others people's advances. So I used food and weight to hide myself from the world. I can recognize this now and move forward from it. I am actually enjoying this diet (well after the first two days of coming off the sugar which wasn't fun) and know I can stay the course with a little behavior modification as well. Hnag in there everyone! We can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My childhood. Yes I know I can't use that as a crutch but it's what suffocated me for most of my life. I come from a family of sexual, physical violence, and emotional abuse. I have used many things to stuff my emotions down, to cope, to keep people out. I used food, sex, self cutting, alcohol and drugs to manage. The person I was meant to be was hidden under tremendous pain and coping skills. I still to this day don't even know who I am, what I like etc. casue I was always TOLD what to like. Don't think for myself. And if I did I either got beat or yelled at. The only intimacy and connection I got was when my father was sexually abusing me. It has taken YEARS of therapy to get through this and to forgive him. Anger still comes out, tremendously, but I'm coming to a new way of understanding it. It's no wonder I'm so afraid of being small and skinny. I have that fear again of being hurt

It's getting better, I'm realizing more of me and FEELING for the first time in my life. I was always numb before. I have been in counselling for most of my life and I'm finally coming to a place of just being me. What saved me? My spirituality. After so much inner work, I finally decided to be me. I finally came out (I'm gay), left an abusive marriage, and now totally transforming myself to show who I am on the inside in my physical body.

Forgiveness too. I have to realize it wasn't ALL bad. My parents too come from abusive homes, and they did the best they could. I just refuse to repeat the pattern. And keep my distance from them!

I have been over weight since age 15. It got worse when I learned to drive and had my own car, soda was not allowed at home, so I has access to it and boy did I ever induldge. Then came meeting my husband, and well what should we do after working until 10pm, let go get something to eat, which was the 4th meal of the day at 11pm. My husband and I love to cook, and we could host are own show on the TV Food Network. The richer the better it tastes. Every once in a while I would try to restrict both of us, I would lose 25lbs he would lose 45+. After a while I would get frustrated and give up to regain it again. Then we had the babies I had Gestational Diabetes and PCOS, I did very well being pregnant, only gained 2 lbs with by daughter and 6lbs with my son. I looked great after I had them losing 30lbs both times right after delivery. Then it would creep back on. Never had the time to eat a meal, and when they were toddlers I would finish there plates. Can't let good food go to waste...."their are starving children in Africa"...words from my childhood.

Currently, I'm the only dieter in the house, and my husband is constainly eatting something, a bite of something small or an entire box of cheese-its. Never noticed it before. Must have been what I was doing too. Currently, it's driving me nuts. To where I have been know to yell at the kids and hubby to get out of the kitchen you are NOT hungry.

I can say that I'm not an emotional eatter... I just love the taste of different foods. My weight gains were choices I made, but not thinking of the conscequences at the time. When I hit 40, I started to care more about my weight. I have spent the last 6+ years trying to lose it for good. Spent way to many hours in the gym, going to WW meetings, walked 1000 miles in 6 months in preparation for the Susan G Komen 3-day 60mile walks - which I have done 3 times. It took me a year to lose 30lbs.

April 2011, out of frustration I went to a Dietitian for help all she did was take my money and tell me too eat more yogurt. I was working out 5 days a week at the gym for a total of 10 hours-swimming, Zumba, weights, etc. I ate 1400 calories for 2 months and lost 1 pound. Nothing but people looking at me like I was crazy when I would say it's NOT the calories in-out theory. I was very diet crazy the last few months before IP... my kids came home one day and found that I threw out all the junk, processed food and told them they had to find it at grandma's from now on.

This is the hardest but most rewarding diet-eatting plan I have ever done... and I'm and expert dieter... name it I've done it. If I got to 17 lbs it was not in 4 weeks... it was at least 3 months. LOVE this....and I'm going to make my goal this time. When I heard about how the plan works with your body, I knew it immediately was for me, it's what I've been looking for. You should see people faces when I say how much I lost in the amount of time... it's pretty cool!!!!