I am 79 years old and have been in recovery for 16 years. At my heaviest, I reached 267 pounds. My journey with food addiction began in childhood when I remember stealing food while my grandmother was cooking and hiding in the closet to eat it. My first binge was at age ten. Throughout my twenties, I developed habits like visiting multiple fast-food restaurants on my way home from work and isolating myself to eat. Extreme measures like having my jaw wired shut didn't stop me from finding ways to consume sugary foods, albeit with a straw. When I was diagnosed as prediabetic, I thought I could outsmart my blood sugar while still indulging in desserts. Even seeing a loved one lose their legs to diabetes didn’t stop me. The turning point came after retirement when my partner introduced me to Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). Despite my initial skepticism, I persisted in the program and eventually reached 134 pounds. In recovery, the miracles just keep happening. I’ve rebuilt broken relationships, traveled the world abstinently, and maintained my serenity, even through life’s toughest challenges. In FA, I learned to manage my addiction, one day at a time, with the help of a sponsor. Most importantly, I’m free—free from obsession, isolation, and the shame that once consumed me.

From an early age, she struggled with sneaking and bingeing on food. At just five years old, she went on her first real diet. Despite a structured food plan and supportive parents, she could not stop eating. She never felt full, turning eating into a game to see how much she could consume. As she grew older, the game lost its fun. By junior year of high school, she weighed 250 pounds, felt isolated, and did not fit in with her peers. To control her weight, she turned to excessive exercise and starvation methods to lose 60 pounds, but like the results of all diet attempts, that weight loss did not last long.

In college, her eating spiraled out of control, and her weight soared to 280 pounds. Desperate to fit into a bathing suit and regain control, she joined Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA). Initially, she found some success, but her unwillingness to fully commit to the program led to a painful relapse. As her obsession with food intensified, she found herself eating like an animal, completely powerless over her compulsion. Realizing she needed help, she returned to FA and began to consistently work the program. Through this process, she discovered peace and healing. Now, she lives in harmony with her body and finds joy in each day.

I grew up in El Salvador during a time of economic hardship and civil war. My family immigrated to the U.S. when I was young, and my early years were filled with separation and constant upheaval. My father was an alcoholic, and his drinking left deep scars. What I didn’t realize for a long time was that I had become just like him, not with alcohol, but with food addiction. I was pregnant at 14, a mother of three sons by my early twenties, and stuck in a cycle of diets, pills, and despair. I terrorized my boys the same way my father had terrorized me – through rage-filled outbursts, "the silent treatment," and a lot of chaos. Believing I could never change, I felt utterly hopeless and full of shame. But when I hit rock bottom, Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) became the lifeline I didn't know I needed. With the help of a higher power, a sponsor, and a food plan, I slowly began to let go of my anger, food cravings, and the weight that had weighed me down for so long. In FA, I’ve faced my life’s toughest moments – my son’s motorcycle accident and another son’s early-onset Parkinson’s – without turning to food. Today, I’m 60 years old, celebrating 25 years of marriage and 25 years in recovery. FA didn't just help me lose weight; it is helping me learn how to heal, how to love, and how to rebuild relationships. Something as simple as dancing in the kitchen with my husband is one of so many gifts I never imagined would be mine, and I am forever grateful