I am overweight and have been since adolescence. I realized a few years ago that my weight gain is driven by food addition. I eat compulsively to try and fill a void in my heart or mind. I eat to fix problems I can’t solve or to forget about the things I can’t control.

While my life didn’t dramatically change that day, it still stands out as a turning point to understanding that dealing with my eating habits was only going to get harder and cause me more problems the longer waited. I remember it being a piece of what started many small steps to finally working towards a healthy, strong body. While today I still have a long way to go, and I understand now that it needs to be a constant vigilance the rest of my life, I can finally say that I feel in control of something I’ve largely ignored my whole life. I am losing weight, controlling my portions, moving my body, and finally feeling good about it instead of smothered by it. So, what’s changed? I wanted to share with you some of the key pieces in shifting my mindset and relationship with food.