Real People, Real Diet Secrets, Real Success, Real Struggle, Real Solutions

Almost everyone has a story about overweight. Real weight-gain. Real weight-loss. Real struggle. Real Success. Real joy. Real diet discoveries from "Cave Woman Diet" to "Birdseed Diet" to "Cabbage Diet" to "Peanut Diet." The real people who fight overweight everyday with every trick of the trade. How they gained and how they succeed to lose and keep weight off. From some we learn good tips. The tips that may suit you. May work for you. Some of these may sound like our own stories. Here's one of them.

Helen's Overweight Story

I'm a twin, so I was only 4 pounds 13 ounces at birth. I weighed the "normal" amount for kids my age until I got into fourth grade. My parents divorced that year, and well, let's just say you can guess what happened next. Emotional eating. I was chubby from then on. I weighed 152 pounds at my high school graduation. Did I mention I'm 5 feet on a good day? And that the other girls in my graduating class weighed 100 pounds soaking wet?

When I went to college, things got worse. I was away from home for the first time, worried about events happening at home, and became a bit reclusive for a while. To comfort myself, I ate...and ate. Finally, after my sophomore year of college, I had a wake-up-call. Trust me, being the only 20 year old who doesn't wear jeans will do that for you. I saw a doctor, took the half of Phen-Fen that doesn't cause heart attacks, and lost a lot of weight really quickly. The problem was, I was nearly starving myself. I'd eat eggs for breakfast and dinner (or egg whites) and a piece of chicken with ½ can of green beans for lunch. If I ate more, I gained weight.

Eventually I went off the diet. Somehow, with exercise, I managed to keep the weight off for three years...three glorious years, where I wore tank tops (Did I mention I had a breast reduction at the age of 20? I went from a 42F to a 38B-imagine the freedom) for the first time in my life. I even wore a bikini. Then I got married and gained 15 pounds. Then I got pregnant and gained 60 more. Needless to say, it didn't all come off. I've tried over the years-I've tried hard. But eventually I've given up, after gaining a few pounds and throwing in the towel, declaring myself a failure again.

At this date, after birthing two beautiful children, I'm 48 pounds heavier than I was when I got married. And I want it off...and more. I don't want to be skin and bones. I don't even need to wear a single-digit size. But I do want to be able to walk into a restaurant with my kids and NOT wonder if I'm being judged if I (gasp!) order a milkshake.

So there's my story in a nutshell. I'm going to lose the weight this time, perhaps following the same as did before. I have to. For me. For my kids. For my marriage. I'm happier when I'm at a healthy weight. I'm more self-confident, more likely to take adventures. It's time for me. Is it time for you?