About this Column COLLEEN STONE is a producer at MaineToday and guest columnist for our blog in print — a "plog" — that combines comments people make on MaineToday.com with her thoughts about issues. Because many people post to online anonymously, or through the use of monikers, Stone may have to limit her source attributions to first name or screen name. In general, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram prohibits the use of anonymous sources in its stories. We are making an exception for this unique edited column that links the online world to the print world. If you would like to suggest a story, let us know your idea or question. To top of story

The stories in the series were personal. The comments they provoked were even more so.

A lot of you seized the opportunity to share your struggles with weight and the stigma that comes with extra pounds – and to try to debunk the belief that overweight people are lazy people.

Stephanie, who said she turns to food for comfort, likened overeating to being a drug addict:

"Most people don't realize that for some of us, food is the medication we turn to, instead of prescription drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs. Telling us to 'stop eating!' is like telling an addict to stop using. Our addiction is much more difficult to combat, however, because food is necessary for survival, and because food is acceptable and everywhere."

For someone who's addicted to food, the plate of doughnuts at a meeting is every bit as impossible to resist as a drink is for an alcoholic. Stephanie wasn't making excuses – she's trying to lose the weight, and said she'll die trying. She was just asking for understanding.

Another user, Ronald, said that while losing weight is hard, being poor makes it harder.

"The problem starts with the cost of health foods. Fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods are very expensive. . . The special diet foods are very expensive."

Pop quiz: You have $20 to spend on groceries. What do you buy if you want to stretch your budget? Do you choose white bread, boxed macaroni and cheese, and baloney? Or do you buy fresh fruit, vegetables and boneless, skinless chicken breasts?

The first order will stretch a buck more than the second. The problem is, it also packs more calories and less nutritional value than the second. Lots of low-income people are finding out the hard way – with extra pounds on their frames.

A few of you called having a low income a poor excuse for having a high weight, saying healthy foods don't have to be expensive. (One of you even went so far as to mention that you've seen a lot of skinny poor people. There are a lot of overweight wealthy people as well, proof that obesity is not unique to any one income bracket.)

Another Stephanie entered the fray, doling out nutritional advice:

"Brown rice, for example, is healthy and inexpensive. Frozen veggies can be almost as good as fresh if you can't afford fresh. Absolutely don't eat fast food, as it's loaded with fat and chemicals that make you want more more and more. Take that money and buy some better food for yourself."

Stephanie's right. So what's the problem? First, we're a culture of convenience. It's easier to cook a box of pre-measured rice loaded with sodium and "natural flavors" than to measure up brown rice and water and cook it.

Second, a lot of people lack a basic understanding of nutrition – that brown rice is healthier than white and that a cup of coffee with lots of cream and sugar has enough calories in it to qualify as a meal, for example. Education goes a long way to establishing healthier habits.

And establishing healthy habits, a few of you said, starts early. While no one suggested that obesity is one for schools to solve, some thought schools could do less to contribute to it.

A user named Frank demonstrated that any healthy cooking done at home can easily be undone in one trip to the school cafeteria: "My daughter's school offers some sort of a la carte menu that is filled with fatty foods. For example, mozzarella sticks, candy bars, soda, ice cream, fried chicken fingers, French fries and countless other (unhealthy) food."

Turkey sandwich on whole wheat or mozzarella sticks? For most kids, it's a no-brainer: Fried anything wins every time.

For all the laments, there were a lot of success stories. One of you went under the knife, so desperate to lose the weight that you were willing to risk death. A lot of you specifically mentioned Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (www.foodaddicts.org) as a lifeline.

Most of you who shared your weight-loss strategies said that there wasn't a silver bullet: You simply ate less and moved more and urged others to do the same.

Some of you who managed to drop the pounds said psychological effects of having carried them stay around. A user named Rick, who dropped 175 pounds, said his weight is on his mind all the time: When he dresses, when he eats, and even when he sits: "2 words can terrify an obese person: 'wicker chair.' "

And, of course, there are the names and the looks, from people who are quicker to judge than to offer support. After the pounds are gone, the scars of cruelty remain. And, in some cases, the names and the looks can kill any motivation to lose the weight in the first place.

A user named George shared his success story and made a good case for obese people ignoring the cruel names and the dirty looks and working to lose the weight in spite of them:

"At the root of it all, I have realized it takes a bit of personal responsibility and admitting that the only person you are doing it for is yourself because you owe it to yourself."

Colleen Stone can be reached by e-mail, but if you have a comment about this piece, please post it below.