I was a normal weight kid, but my parents believed I had a weight problem. I had very, very, skinny friends. They would put me on a diet and withhold food, call me fat and tell me that no one would love me (not true! not true!).

I did not become overweight until I was in my 20s when the weight literally flooded on to my body. The yo-yo dieting enforced by my parents in my teen years destroyed my metabolism and my relationship with food. I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds as an adult, and my weight has varied from as low as 145 to as high as 264. I don't care if I am overweight, as I am a happy and healthy person, but I do want a normal relationship with food.

Not sure I can achieve it.

It makes me incredibly sad that we live in a society that believes heavy people are stupid, lazy, diseased etc. I am none of those things. Reading the stories of others on this site who are struggling with the same issues makes me realize that the stereotypes are way off base.