My 'Food Story' - Part 1

It's been a couple of weeks now since I started this Blog and I thought it was about time I provided some background on how I got to the point in life where I needed to become a Bandit. I'll tell the story in chronological order and split it into a few sections for easier reading.I grew up in East London, the second of four children. I am the only one of the four who became obese, and neither of my parents is/was obese. My Dad, even at 77 is, and always has been, a big eater and consumes huge meals, as well as lots of between-meal snacks. However, he has never weighed more than 12 stone! He had a very active job but he's been retired for ages now and still hasn't put on any weight! My Mum, no longer with us, was always on a diet of some sort (just to lose a few pounds usually), but never weighed more than 10 stone and was more typically 9 to 9 and-a-half stone (5ft 6ins).

I was aware of being a little overweight from an early age but this was always put down to 'puppy fat' – apparently I'd 'grow out of it'. I was extremely active as a child, and swam, danced and did gymnastics several evenings a week. I was also very involved in school sports and took up cross country running when I was about 12. Despite that, I always remained a little heavy for my age and height – and I really do mean 'a little heavy' – this is not a euphemism for fat!

I think I weighed about 10 stone when was in my mid teens and this increased to about 12 stone towards the end of my teens. I recall going on a diet for the first time in advance of my 18^th birthday – there was a dress I'd worn a few years before that I was desperate to wear at my party. I think around this time I went to Weight Watchers with my Mum – a horrid experience. I was surrounded by lots of very overweight, middle-aged women (funnily enough – that's a good description of me now!) doing lots of oooing and aaaahing as people got themselves weighed in front of everyone! Soooo embarrassing. I also recall being quite sensitive about my weight, even though at this time I was 'only' about 12 stone. My Dad used to make jokes about it and made a sarcastic comment every time he spotted me putting anything in my mouth. I guess this is, in part, what led to me becoming very private about something that was, in fact, so blindingly obvious to everyone.

I can't really work out why me, of all the people in our family, took up eating as a hobby? Certainly there was always a love of food in the family, and food was usually central attraction for family gatherings, birthdays and other celebrations. My Mum used to be paranoid about anybody going hungry so would always prepare far more food than was needed – a habit I developed and still manifest today. I wonder whether Mum's attitude to food is related to her own childhood experiences – she was a war baby and evacuated to a convent during the war where food was scarce. I remember her telling stories of how her and other kids got beaten at the convent for eating too much or taking the biggest slice of cake etc. Maybe she rebelled against this by over-providing later on in life. But how came no-one else in the family over-consumed – only me?