At 5’11” and slender, Jeannette was known as Twiggy throughout high school. “I know now that I truly ate instinctively and had very high energy. I danced, played volleyball, and swam,” Jeannette explained.
“I remember the moment I began my struggle with emotional eating. I received some very traumatic news and it felt like a switch was flipped,” said Jeannette. “I began using food for comfort. But I ate when I was happy too. I’d eat two rows of cookies and feel so ashamed. I even started hiding my food.”
She gained 75 pounds and tried one diet and exercise program after another to try to fix it. Her weight swung down then back up in a 20-30 pound range, apparently related to stress. She and her family moved 14 times and as Jeannette explains, “whether out of state or across town, moving was very stressful for me. Every time we moved, I lost close friendships. Women need other women.” In addition, she was raising two children and going to college full time. Like many women, Jeannette also struggled with her body image. “My son finally had to tell me, ‘You’re are not allowed to ask me if you look fat.'”
Jeannette finally put all the puzzle pieces together to resolve her struggle with emotional eating. Read the rest of her story…