ABSTRACT
I am 25 years old and, since I was 13 or 14, all of my doctors have said that I need to lose weight. I come from a traditional Mexican family and many of my family members and relatives are overweight, so I thought that was normal. I tried many diets, starting in early adolescence, but I always ended up gaining the weight back. Initially, I think I gained weight as a way to protect myself. My life has not been easy. I was sexually abused as a child, and men would always make sexual comments about my body. Those comments seemed to stop as I gained weight. It is also hard for me to lose weight because I love the taste of food, especially sweet and salty snacks!
