Topic : 09/14 Season Premiere: 1,000 Women!

•   I  am 57 and had a nagging, controlling mother. I was 17 5'2" and weighted 115 lbs and she took me to weight doctors. I took shots, pills and eventually discovered in my early twenties that you could eat all you want and throw up. This was before Bulimic even had a name.  I thought I had discovered the greatest diet in the world. I also abused laxatives.    This activity lasted more than 20 years. I know I am lucky to be alive today.I was alway a very pretty woman. I dated a lot and was into lots of different things like scuba diving, aerobatics, camping and fishing.  I had a great personality and loved to make people laugh. When  My mother died in 96 , I felt like I finally became an adult. I learned from her and my father( who she controlled as well) that unless you were thin you were not lovable.   I was an only child.  It was not until I was  around 40 that I realized at 155lbs that the fact that I was molested at 10 by a girlfriend father had a lot to do with my weight. From about 26 to 34 I was quite the looker. I worked for a newspaper in my early twentys and the photograpers loved to take pictures of me. I must have weighed 118 maybe. I would never let them use the pictures because I saw my self as fat.When I married my second husband I gained it and more and at 37 when my son was born I blossomed even more. My highest weight was 200. Now I am no longer bulimic. Thanks to many years of counseling.  And it pretty much stopped when she died. I have been told it was the only thing no one could control but me. I now go to curves and have just recently joined weight watchers. I have lost  about 14 lbs so far. Some weeks I loose and some weeks I gain some back, but it is all about learning to eat healthy and stay at it. If I mess up I just start it again. But I don't hear the little voice saying  eat it all , its ok you can just throw up.  I heard that for a long long long time. and now I am free.  I have  been working on a book about my life which I am calling " A Butterfly in a Jar, a love story". It talks about how I have learned to love myself even with the weight. My mother has been gone for almost 10 years, and my father about 3. I am just now beginning to have good dreams about her. I know that they loved me, in there own way and only wanted me to be my best. But my life may have traveled a very different road, if my self esteem was not always  the way I saw myself in a mirror.  I want to loose the weight now finally because of health issues and I want to be able to go hiking and scuba diving with out worry of a heart attack.  Most people do not think I am as old as I am but I am still quite the character.  I truly believe in most peoples weight problems it has a lot to do with control or abuse. And believe me lots of men find heavy women very attractive. I hope someday to help others with my book.

You were in the audience?  How cool! 

Is this the show that Paula Abdul is on?  She was scheduled to appear Monday, but I just saw that it has been postponed because they are covering the hurricane on Monday and Tuesday. 

I am a single mother with 3 daughters all of which are biracial (black/white). I'm 5'6", 222 lbs and although I'm quite content with myself I would like to be able to lose the weight I need to lose. My oldest daughter, 9 is 4 ft 10 inches tall and 111 lbs, I always make sure she feels great about herself and control her eating by not allowing soft drinks and candy/cookies, etc. in my home.  

Keep up the good work. Good luck with your book. You are an amazing woman. 

Hi Dr Phil and Robin   

 I was at the taping at times square in NYC i had a great time but the only problem i had was that is that im only 5'4 and i really couldnt see much or hear what was going on other than that i had a great time meeting different people.  I had the gastro bypass 6mths ago and i am down already 100lbs yes i know its cheating to lose the weight but my health was at risk and plus i tried every diet out there and nothing was helping and my dr told me if i didnt lose the weight i was going to have a heart attack or stroke and i could die and the last thing i want to do is die i have 2 great kids one 20yr old daughter and she has a son who i adore with all my heart and my son who is going to be 4 yrs old on 9/19 so i did it for my kids so i can see them grow up thank you for the chance to be part of your show and thank you very much for the lovely gifts i got a couple of weeks after the show i was very surprised when i come home and saw this big white box outside my door the bathrobe was the best very soft and warm hehe anyway keep up the good work hope you much success in whatever you do in your life very truely laura