Wow – we have a lot in common. I was totally obsessed with being thin from high school through college. Like you, I finally learned it wasn’t the weight that was in the way. But with me, I finally lost weight, then men started becoming interested in me, and I got pregnant :-/. Anyway – Yes I agree that my strong need for acceptance is probably because I didn’t feel loved as a child. My mom was a really wonderful person. But I was the youngest by five years. I wonder if I was a neglected a bit when I was I  young. I do remember some of my key memories involve being alone. And I did feel abandoned by my dad. I did see him every once in a while, but all I did was criticize. I actually have quite a few of the symptoms for an attachment disorder. Again I can’t believe my mom didn’t give me the love I needed, but perhaps I was left out too much :-(. I have tried to strengthen my self-love. I tell myself “I love myself” and “I am loved” over and over, and it does help. I don’t know what else to do to overcome the effects of not receiving enough love or attention as a child. I also grew up in the Mormon church. I don’t know if this helped or not. I did feel a very strong faith in God from a young age, and I truly believed he loved me and that I was special. At the same time, I was reminded continually that our family was broken  (the family is the primary focus of the church), and so maybe the net influence of the church was negative.

How have you overcome the lack of love in your early life?