When I weighed over 300 pounds, I loved to wear sweatpants because they didn't squeeze my body too tightly and I could be comfortable. Yet, I would never be seen in public wearing them. I believed that tight jeans squeezed in my fat enough so that I could be seen by other people. Here I am shown wearing a man's 3X pair of pants that I regularly wore before recovery. Before I entered treatment in July of 1989, I hated myself. The more I ate, the more I hated myself. I thought I was weak and stupid because I so desperately wanted to lose weight yet I couldn't seem to do it. What I didn't know then is that I have a physical addiction to sugar and flour. Until these substances were out of my system, I couldn't lose weight. In this picture, I am shown on one of the few evenings out only a few months before checking myself into a food addiction treatment center. Usually, I preferred to stay home and eat alone rather than be around people. In this picture, I am at my heaviest. Even though I am smiling in the picture, I know exactly how miserable I was inside. At this time, whenever I went out in public, I made sure that my hair and makeup were perfect. I thought that if I looked good above my shoulders, then no one would notice the size of my body. Here, I am wearing a man's 3XL jacket. When I weighed 328 pounds, this was my favorite shirt. It was big enough so that I could move around freely. Since there were so few clothes that I felt comfortable in, I even went so far as to dye it after I spilled bleach on it so I could continue to wear it. Once again, this is a man's 3XL. As many of you know, on December 9, 2002, I made a decision that would change my life forever. I had surgery to remove the excess skin on my upper arms and stomach. After a sometimes difficult recovery period, I am very happy to say that I am truly grateful to have been given this gift. Below are the before and after pictures. Stomach, before Stomach, after Arm, before Arm, after