I have been reading this thread and the stories. They have been interesting, but there's something more fascinating for me....

It's all the pictures and weights I've looked at in conjunction with the posts.

There are many of you whose goal weight is a weight a dread to get UP to.....I can't conceive how you see this weight as a benefit when I hate being here so much....

There are many of you who are quite a bit heavier than I am, and yet I wonder how you could possibly look so beautiful when I look so terrible....

There are many of you who have gone from great weights that I would commit suicide at to weights I could never imagine getting down to....

No matter which pictures I looked at, I compared myself, and continually berated myself....

You're right, homegirl. It's how we feel about ourselves....

When I was in Europe, the men there didn't like thin women...the ones who looked like they could bear a dozen kids, help milk cows, and cook huge meat and potatoes meals were the ones that were most attractive. I felt much better about myself there.

When I came here, after a few weeks, I started hating myself for my size....which was relatively normal where I lived in Europe.

One would think that I'd feel the same about myself no matter where I'm at. But, I believe that our culture/society influences us to some degree, and the baggage we carry does the rest.....

Thank you all for being here in this supportive forum.