Although due to an unhealthy obsession, I am ALWAYS interested in losing weight, I would also say that it is not my primary purpose. Having suffered from eating disordered behavior for most of my life, I am looking for a way of eating that will keep me healthy. I can maintain my weight on a low fat diet but sooner or later, I will binge and in the meantime, I will be fighting a binge and will always be hungry. A high protein, high fat diet stops the binges and hunger but I gain weight. High fat, adequate protein, low carb allows me to maintain my weight and also stops the binges. My biggest problem now is trusting that I can eat enough to stay satisfied which turns out to be quite a bit. It will probably take a while for me to internalize this. For so many years, I have tried to subsist on 1400 cal/day and now I see that to feel good, I need more like 2000 (or maybe more).

I always thought that my problems were psychological but now I think otherwise. I came from a crazy home- divorced mother, barely functional- NEVER cooked. My diet in high school consisted of frozen waffles with syrup with a fried egg on top (thank God for the egg!). For school lunch, I would have a chocolate milk, cheese crackers and a coffee cake junior. How could I not get disordered eating this way? I've tried therapists, a treatment center, self help books, scads of diet variations and even hypnosis. I've learned to eat better over the years and my disorder had lessened but it wasn't until I started eating MUCH more fat that I saw a really profound change in my health.

The OD is challenging and sometimes feels impractical and antisocial but I don't care anymore. It is certainly the best I've found in terms of results. I love reading the Hyperlipid blog but I don't see Matt Stone as more than just another seeker- interesting to read now and then but not so much as an authority.

Although there isn't an OD community here, I'm grateful for these threads. They've helped me a lot. I like all the different voices- from the strict adherents to the off the reservations types. I like to hear many views and then make my own decisions.