When I was at my lowest point — in size and in spirit — I was a numbers addict. I tracked every calorie burned and every calorie consumed. This was before all the fitness apps that do that for you, so it was even more of a chore.

I had a little notepad I kept with me at all times. That notepad was my world. If I ate more than 500 calories, my day was ruined. But truthfully, even if I met my ridiculous "goal" for the day, my day was already ruined. Numbers ruled my life. (Which is kind of ironic because I'm a writer and now my world is words.)