Daily Post--2/17/08

I believe I had multiple contributors. I ate when I was stressed, I ate when I was bored, I ate when I was happy. I made horrible food choices and had no sense of portion control.

Ever since I was a child I enjoyed food too much. And I would say I was a binge eater. Especially sweets...like doughnuts and pastries. I would try to hide the fact that I was eating them too because I felt guilty or embarassed. I don't know where that all came from! Jolene

My weight issues were and still are emotional in nature. I did not have a childhood full of love. I did not have angriness and dispair either it was just living. I don't remember any I love you's or sitting on a lap and being cuddled. We just were not a close and love sharing family. Food became my love. Carla

Binge eating, emotional stress and comfort in food. I believe I was addicted to fast food. I was lonley and I ate at night, that is a hard one to deal with because Im a military wife. So night time alone is something that I have to deal with now. It is still hard.

I've always been big - was born premature and almost died as an infant - but in photos from childhood I've always been bigger than my older sister??!! suffered from low self esteem and was always rewarded with food.... found out during adult hood that I also have Hashimoto's disease and other medical issues (diabetes) would lose weight only to gain more back. others in my family are large too. I find that I still eat while bored and suffer with emotional eating - reading and researching to come to the root cause of it. at least now I realize it and usually stop before it gets too out of hand.

Honestly, I've been overweight since I was little. When you sat down to eat, you didn't dare get up from that table until you had ate EVERYTHING on your plate!! If you did, well, oh boy, did you get it!!! I think that had a lot to do with it. Binge eater? Oh yeah, I did that, too. Get upset, eat; get happy, eat; any emotion; eat. It's sad. But thankfully now, I've got other things to do when things happen than eat!! Michele

I started gaining weight when I was 13 when my friends' stepfather tried to molest me. I was embarrassed and ashamed and I didn't tell anyone for a very long time. I thought it was my fault because of how I looked (I was a well developed 13 year old) and so I started gaining weight. I guess I felt if I was physically unappealing then something like that would never happen to me again. It's affected me through adulthood. In the past when I lost weight when I got close to my goal I would sabotage myself and the weight would come back on. With therapy I have learned that was a defense mechanism I used to protect myself. I've been an emotional eater with tendecies to binge eat. Food just seemed to comfort me.

I guess you could say I was an emotional eater. My mother was very sick when I was young, and she was in the hospital alot. I would come home from school and snack, snack, and more snacking. My grandmother tried to hide the snacks, but I was too smart for her. LOL As I got older, I snacked less, but I guess my metabolism is very s l o w. I've also always had a hard time losing weight.

I ate mostly from boredom. I never ate when I was upset, or sad, I ate when I was bored.

I started gaining my weight right out of high school. When I met my husband I really starting putting it on. I finally had more freedom to eat what I wanted, when I wanted it and I ran with it. We were so limited when I was growing up as to what we were allowed to eat, and when I got with him it was as if I was learing how to eat all over again because I tried anything and everything. With my kids I allow them to eat things that they want, but in good moderation, plus I make sure that they get in what they need to keep them healthy. I feel that by not giving them as many restrictions that I had that I will help in the long run.