Growing up and being over weight took a huge psychological toll and of course you never feel like you are 100% over it, or that you are 100% worthy (whimsically recalling the scene from Wayne’s World where Wayne and Garth bow down to Alice Cooper and kiss his ring).  The extra weight really was a burden.  I never felt like I measured up to the Jocks who had the cute cheerleaders as girlfriends.  Dealing with the cruel kids in school who called you “fatso”.

It was not until college that I was able to recast myself.  At UC Santa Barbara, no one knew me from before.  I felt like I could “get away” with being a totally different person.  Although I still dealt with the residue many years later, it was a trans-formative experience.

More soon………..