Very nicely stated. I have felt a bit guilty for "selling out," and though that guilt is as nothing compared to the satisfaction I'm deriving from getting thinner, it's there.

There are so many years and so much shame between my current self and whatever thinner self once existed as a teenager, that I couldn't begin to tease the strands apart at this late date. Have I been shamed into losing weight? I no longer know. I just know that the effort involved in losing the weight is actually less than the effort required to accept myself and be "happy" in my obesity. I know. I've tried both.

I suppose that's the very definition of selling out, isn't it? Oh well. It's my body and no one else's.

Thanks again for the excellent insights.