My Introduction

Since Chelle is such a sweetie and asked me to be a contributor here, I thought I would tell you a little about me.

I did not have a weight problem growing up. When I started going through puberty and my body started changing, I felt that I was getting fat. In 8th grade I started starving myself and by the time I was in 9th grade, I was very thin and very unhealthy. I feel now that due to my starving myself at such a critical age has been why I've had some health problems as an adult.

As a teenager I kept my weight down by smoking, drinking so much that I was too hungover to eat and finally taking drugs that took my appetite. Even though I was thin, I was extremely unhealthy, both physically and emotionally. Especially emotionally.

I met my husband when I was 19 just as I made some big changes in my life. I quit doing drugs, cold turkey and started hanging around a better crowd. Though I still drank, I cut back on that too because my then boyfriend (now my husband) wasn't a partier so my lifestyle went from being full tilt on the go to calm and neutral. Something I had never known.

I gained about 20 pounds the year before we were married and I hated it. Even though I was a normal weight for me, I was way heavier than I'd been ever.

I got pregnant with our first child one month after we got married and I took the saying of eating for two very literally. I gained 70 pounds.

And that's how my real struggle with being overweight began.

I never and still have not gotten down to my pre-pregnancy weight. With my second pregnancy I only gained 20 pounds which I lost fairly quickly but I was still overweight. After the birth of my son I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and by the time I got pregnant with #3 (surprise!) I had gained 20 pounds so I was my heaviest weight ever at the beginning of a pregnancy.

I only gained 6 pounds though and she was 8.5 pounds at birth. I dropped quite a bit of weight after her birth, I was very busy with 3 kids 4 and under. But it didn't stay off long as I started struggling with depression and problems with my thyroid.

At the beginning of 2002, I was at my heaviest weight. I was very unhealthy and miserable. I decided it was time to do something. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 60 pounds by October. I felt wonderful, like I could really conquer my weight.

Then my mom was diagnosed with brain cancer and my world came toppling down around me.

My mom died in June of '03 and by that point I had regained around 15 pounds. I went into a severe depression and by January of '04 I had regained a total of 35 pounds. I was put on antidepressant and eventually lost those 35 pounds.

I even went on to lose 10 more pounds for a total of 70 pounds since 2002.

Unfortunately I have regained those 10 pounds.

Even though I don't follow WW anymore, I do feel it taught me portion control and I feel that I'm able to get a grip better now. Like I'm able to say ok, I've gained 10 pounds, let's get back on track before it turns into 30 or more.

So, I've joined ediets and plan on following the Glycemic Index diet. I am having a hard time getting going but I can't give up. I won't give up. I'm trying to focus on the emotional part of things because I know I need to in order for this to work.

As much as I want to lose weight, I really want to be free of my issues with food. That is just as important to me.