Out of the Cave

My rapid 150-pound weight loss was the result of a very unhealthy lifestyle. I replaced an addiction to eating with an addiction to dieting, and sacrificed my health to achieve a “goal weight” decided for me by a major weight loss corporation. I grew sick with symptoms of malnutrition, my body hit starvation mode, my entire life revolved around calculating calories, and I was controlled by a fear of food and weight gain. “This is the least I’ve ever weighed and the least happ

“Just make sure you actually sign up,” my friend warned. “I almost missed the registration date and I wouldn’t have even been able to go...

Get on the treadmill. Slam on the big, red, “STOP” button as soon as you’ve run the fastest mile of which you are physically capable. Are...

Impending doom accompanied every birthday of my childhood. A birthday meant an annual checkup; an annual checkup meant a visit to the pediatrician. I never minded shots, I wasn’t disturbed by blood, and the poking and prodding protocols didn’t bother me. But for every year that I can remember, the cold, black scale sent a paralyzing sense of shame through me, upsetting my otherwise undisturbed youthfulness by forcing a harsh confrontation with the reality of my physical self.