Hi Vanessa

Welcome to the Forum. Thanks for sharing in detail. I empathise with a lot of what you say.

I was a vegetarian too for 20 years and my health went further and further downhill. The turnaround since I started on Atkins has been truly amazing for me too. I've waved good-by to vegetarianism for the rest of my life.

{"I liked getting a little sugar high from a coke and a snickers bar."} Ditto. Snickers was my favourite too. I stopped the cokes as my health deteriorated.

{"I've been dealing with Chronic depression "} My depressive episodes started when my lifestyle/location and diet changed. Now ALL THESE YEARS later I realise that the change in location meant I had much more access to choclates and sweets and because up until then I had not had this availability I went a little wild and made up for the "deprivation". I hadn't had any moodswings before then.

"The details of what I did to myself (mentally and phsyically) and to those around me aren't important." Well ... maybe not to everyone but they are important. I am at last beginning to heal relationships and building bridges where I thought they were well and truly burnt.

"What matters now is that I brought myself out of that and am actually happy with the way I look. " I can really appreciate what that involved 'cos I've been there. Well Done. You are a WINNER.

Take care now.