It's been a while....

Hi!  I've not been around for about a year...
Internet got blocked at work...then I was laid off...
all kinds of excuses not to take care of myself...
with being laid off well..I was 3 months into my
monitored diet and exercise program with my doctor
when I got laid off and lost my insurance...so everything
has been post poned yet again which is really heart breaking.
Also...I'd lost 75lbs after I was diagnosed with diabetes and
then found out that because I had not been doing the doctor
supervised thing none of it counted towards my pre qualifications
for surgery.  I am still hoping to have surgery but if I can find a job
soon...it would still be at least a year before it could happen.
In the mean time I am working on bettering myself.  I've joined
a compulsive eaters support group and started going to meetings
frequently, I'm learning more about nutrition and actually working
on getting enrolled in college to become a nutritionist.  I realized that
I really didn't learn nutrition when I was a kid...I memorized what
I needed for health class...but then went home and ate mac and cheese
and drank koolaide.  My family was pretty broke when I was a kid so we
couldn't afford proper nutrition..so I feel like I never really learned it.
And the Nutritionist I saw after being diagnosed Diabetic did not know
anything about Obesity Nutrition...she just haded me a booklet of stuff
I learned in 5th grade health class and sent me on my way...I went in there
with a list of real questions that I had...I wanted to know how many grams
or cups or oz of things I needed...and how much of the vitamins and minerals
I needed and all that..and she refused to answer...maybe afraid of being
sued or something...I dunno...but I got Nutrition for Dummies for Xmas
from my best friend and I've been reading it and it is answering those
questions.  Plus...I've been in the travel inustry and have been laid off work
3 times in the last 6 years...so I gotta get out of that line of work.  I realize
that healthcare seems to be the way to go to have a stable career but I
don't feel like I can deal with people in any state of undress or with bodily
fluids...and since Science and Nutrition interest me that is my best choice.

I've gotten married to a wonderful man who loves me for me while at the
same time supporting my desire to lose weight because he wants to have me
around for a long time.  I have a few wonderful friends and just about the
best family a person could ask for.  So some things have been going good
for me.  But I've been using these things as an excuse to not connect with
people who understand what I feel about my weight..all the doubts and the
daily frustration I feel just trying to move around and try to live life.

I'm really sorry I have been gone so long.  And I am working hard to make
OH a daily part of working on myself and my issues and at the same time
helping others.  We all have wisdom to share...we all have experiences
that have brought us here... we are different in many ways..and the same
in others...and it's thru our diversity that we are able to support one another
and to face the challanges we face in our struggle to lose weight and be happy
with ourselves and our bodies.

Heather L. Chan