Susan's Story:
I have struggled with weight since adolescence. I grew up with an overweight older sister, and a mother who forced a lot of food on everyone in the family, but ate little herself. My weight gain continued during medical school and residency which were very stressful times. After finishing Medical School and residency I finally discovered the pleasure of regular exercise and lost significant weight on a low fat diet.
I continued as a runner for many years, staying quite thin on a not very healthy diet of lots of bagels and red licorice. But after having two children after age 40 the weight became harder to lose. And after a diagnosis of breast cancer and more weight gain, followed by an increase in my LDL (bad cholesterol) I decided I needed to radically change my diet for my health, and not just how I looked. I gave up most starches, and now eats lots of fruits and vegetables, protein, and some foods that were "forbidden" for a long time, like nuts and cheese. Busy with full time work in health care administration and 2 children, and extensive travel for work, finding ways to eat healthy meals is sometimes challenging. And a sweet tooth has also proved challenging.