My name is Celeste and I'm going on the most challenging journey of my life. I am 31 years old and am starting OVER AGAIN at 316lbs. At the beginning of 2010 I was my highest record weight of 306lbs, I lost a ton of weight and got down to 222lbs at my lowest record adult weight and then after a lot of stress and lack of money I have now found myself 10lbs above my highest weight. It may take me a lifetime, but I must overcome this addiction to food and lazy attitude when it comes to physical activity within my lifetime. It's very important to me.
Here is my story:
I was adopted at age 3 because I suffered some abuse as a baby, that's not WHY I'm fat, but that's where it all started. By 4 I was told I was either going to be fat or 6'2. I am 5'10 and fat so they were close, but not right on. I became a hardcore emotional and desperate eater due to loneliness and painful repressed memories. I was afraid I wouldn't get any more food if I didn't go back for seconds, thirds, even fourths. By 15 I was already "morbidly obese" wearing a 3X in women's clothing and trust me, women's plus size clothing has come a LONG way since I was a teenager. At least they have more trendy styles now!
My eating habits were waking up at 5am, making a 4 egg omelette with leftovers -chicken or turkey, about half a brick of cheese and some tomatoes and spinach with a couple English muffins and margerine. I was afraid to eat at school as I was taunted by the other children so I'd go hungry all day. A latchkey kid, I'd come home and make like 3-4 cheese quesadillas and go to sleep until it was time for me to make dinner later that evening. Usually I'd make a somewhat decent dinner for a rural kid - game hens, rice-a-roni, and vegetables or tacos or meatloaf and mashed potatoes with corn - typical stuff for a country girl I suppose which wouldn't be that bad if I didn't go back for 2nd and 3rd helpings every time and always made way too much food.
I was teased and taunted REALLY bad for years, until I began singing at age 12 and then I finally earned some respect, but mostly from teachers, not my peers who stil relentlessly attacked me. My mother and sister weren't much help as they constantly ridiculed and berated me for my weight issues at home. I had no safe haven other than sleeping or eating.
I went to college to study as an opera singer and finally had my first social life. I was wildly popular with the gay boys of Hollywood, dressing in my wigs, 4-6in heels, boas, lingerie and dancing for hours on end even at 250+ pounds!
That was a big contrast to a girl who used to wear bulky, oversized clothing and was afraid to be seen and hardly ever wore makeup. I really came into myself like a butterfly back in college and my new found friends and independence helped dramatically increase my confidence because for the first time nobody cared that I was fat and my family, my mother and sister were no longer around to point out my flaws every day.
I still battle my weight issue and have never really dealt with it successfully, not even so much as a yo yo because I've never lost a significant amount of weight and gradually each year gain somewhere on average about 10 lbs that doesn't go away.
So I'm domestically partnered and I was married on a yacht in Newport Harbor on November 2nd, 2008 aboard the DESTINY. I run my own foreclosure business from home on the beach and have a recording studio in my office with my wife. I sing in various bands here in Southern California with jazz, blues, surf, and rockabilly influences and covers that I perform. I have a beautiful little boy parrot named Oiseau who inspires me to eat healthy with all his yummy grains and organic raw veggie diet and I definitely have no plans to have children. My wife is a holistic health practitioner who also struggles with her relationship with food, but fortunately knows TONS about nutrition and the body.
I am currently reading Jillian Michaels: Mastering Your Metabolism, Dr. Oz: You On A Diet, Dr. Perricone: Weightloss Diet, & Gillian McKeith: You Are What You Eat Cookbook & Food Bible.
Just say no to gastic bypass surgery. You can do it!!!