In my article “Are You Accidentally Gaining Weight” I wrote about weight loss diets and how I believe they fail women. If you and I were sitting across from each other having a conversation, you would be able to see how truly passionate I am about this topic.

I’m passionate because I believe it’s time for women to re-evaluate how we think about our bodies. I want us to accept ourselves as we are whether we’re short, tall, thin, fat, whatever.

When I was 21, I went on my first weight loss diet. I wasn’t personally looking to lose weight, but a friend wanted to lose a few pounds and asked me to join him. Little did I know that I was setting myself up for a 40 year battle with yo-yo dieting and body hate.

During that first diet, I lost enough weight to go from a size 14 to size 8 and hey, at 5’9” I thought I was looking pretty good! I bought, and wore, a little black bikini and skimpy shorts with matching skimpy halter tops. Life was fun – on the outside.