"Barbara Alpert, author of the book No Friend Like a Sister, begins her description of a sister this way: “She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities.” Indeed, for Hedy Weinstein, the quote proved to be quite true, because she became for her two sisters the shining mirror, displaying the dazzling hope of a life free of excess weight. Hedy’s story is an inspiring glimpse at how family members can help each other toward a healthier and more promising future. Coping with her excess weight had always been a struggle for Hedy Weinstein. She began gaining weight quickly and as early as the fourth grade. She weighed around 150 pounds then and was so embarrassed and humiliated by her size that she would often dissolve into tears. “My mother used to tell me that she filled my bottle with chocolate milk, and because my father was a baker, we were always surrounded by sweet food like cakes, rolls and pastries,” Hedy said. Her parents often insisted that their daughters should eat whether they were sick or healthy, but they were not nearly so adamant about the girls participating in sports and outdoor activities. Outdoor games and events were not a vital aspect of her family’s activities, and because of her bashful personality, Hedy usually preferred to stay home and read instead of participating in outdoor activities. “My only means of exercise was to ride my bike occasionally,” she said. By the time she entered her teenage years, Hedy’s father had developed kidney disease and required regular dialysis treatments. Her sisters, Carolyn and Ellen, had already moved out of the family home, so it fell to Hedy to care for her aging parents. “I tried to do the responsible thing and to help my parents as much as I could, and that is where a lot of my unhealthy eating habits started,” she explained. At the age of 14, Hedy weighed 160 pounds and wore women’s size 16 clothes. “My weight problem had become serious so I decided to create another crash diet, and I only ate cheese sandwiches for lunch for six months,” she said. Following her inventive diet, Hedy was able to lose most of her excess weight. And she maintained a normal weight throughout high school. Soon after graduating from college, Hedy married her husband, Scott. Four years into their marriage, Hedy began taking fertility drugs in an attempt to become pregnant. She quickly started to gain weight, and by the time she became pregnant with their first daughter, Ilana, she had gained over 100 pounds. Hedy and Scott both enjoyed eating, so Hedy was not embarrassed about indulging herself with her favorite foods when Scott was around. “It was as if we were partners in crime,” she said. “We would treat ourselves to a feast and then we felt bad about it and tried to diet.” Hedy’s doctor advised her not to keep a strict diet during her pregnancy. Instead, he recommended reasonable eating. But Hedy, forgetting to be reasonable in her choices, took this advice as permission to eat freely and abundantly. She ate when she was happy and ate still more when she was stressed or unhappy. About three years after giving birth to Ilana, Hedy became pregnant with her second daughter, Jillian. Three years later, Hedy was expecting again with her son, Danny. She weighed about 180 pounds at the time. “I pretty much stayed heavy during all those years, and it got to a point that I didn’t care about my weight any more,” she recalled. Once Danny was born, things started to change..."
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