Being Healthy

At one point in my life I was much bigger than I am now. I lost it by starving myself, taking diet pills, spending 2-3 hours in the gym and being incredibly unhappy for an extended period of time. I eventually got down to a place where I was too thin and utterly miserable. The weight loss itself didn't make me happy. I had spent years thinking once I hit a certain weight, everything would be perfect. Nope. Through a variety of different resources (family, friends, therapy), I was able to being enjoying my life. I ate whatever I wanted, I enjoyed myself, I didn't deprive myself of the things that I wanted. It was great. I stopped basing my personal worth on the number on the scale. I learned to not get on the scale every morning and let that number determine how my day would be. Of course, I gained weight back. But I think it was very important for me to learn how to enjoy life again. Now I just need to learn moderation. After finally stepping on a scale after quite a while, I realized that I had gained about 33 pounds from my low. Some of that is good. However, I don't feel great right now. For personal and professional reasons I need to get in shape, trim and tone. My sister has been using this site for almost a year and has lost 50 pounds and is doing incredibly well. She told me some of your stories, and it was really inspiring. Having read some of them myself now, I'm mostly here to cultivate the same positive outlook that so many of you have had, and learn how to be healthier and happier.