My name is Lisa and I was morbidly obese my entire life until I decided to get gastric bypass surgery when I was 40 years old. Although the surgery helped me lose about 100 pounds, my life changed in other ways that I could never have imagined...

Our unhealthy society

So what happened? I was a healthy, fit person who died because of my diet. How could that have happened? What's wrong with society today? Well, in short: everything. What you eat and how much of it you eat should be governed by your body and its needs, not by ads for energy drinks or weight-loss pills. But we live in a world where food is used as an emotional crutch instead of as fuel for our bodies. Most people turn to food when they are sad, happy, bored or celebrating something (hint: these aren't times to eat). We tend to always want more than we need, which is why so many overweight people can down huge bowls of popcorn at a movie theatre or even an entire cake for their birthday.

The real problem: hormones and metabolism

Hormones and metabolism are important to understand when it comes to successful weight loss because they determine how our bodies handle food. Our hormones determine if we're hungry or full, what our cravings are like, and a host of other physiological factors that influence weight gain. Research has shown that people with high levels of leptin (the hormone responsible for regulating metabolism) generally have lower body weights than those with low levels of leptin. However, both obese and lean individuals with elevated leptin levels tend to gain more weight over time—so even though high levels are good for us, it's possible for us to still be in trouble if we don't know how to properly control our diets.

My eating disorder affects my mood, sleep and energy