That's definitely part of it, no doubt, but it plays into the extremes of the whole cycle. It takes a special kind of mental illness to cycle that much weight so many times. And every time you hit your goal you get into the mode of "this is it. this is the time I keep it off. I won't fuck up again."

Then 6 months later you find yourself up 50 lbs and eating half a pizza.

The hernia is from overeating, specifically - I would swallow so much food at once I would nearly choke, which caused the damage as it was going down. The times I ate like this the worst was when I was on an upswing after losing weight - Oddly enough, once I hit my magic weight (which is around 230lbs) I have a really hard time gaining or losing weight. I'm able to maintain that weight with ease. It's just (obviously) a really bad weight for someone 5'6".

But then you end up at that extreme end, so you get back to dieting. You quit your job. You hit the treadmill for 3 hours at a time, take a few hour breaks, get back on for another 3 hours and make that your life. Then you lose the weight and start over again.

There's always that relapse moment. You've gone 6-12 months eating nothing but vegetables and oatmeal, or whatever you decided to do, and as a result you're more confident and out making friends being, social, etc. Then you get yourself into a social obligation where you have to go to a restaurant - Which is like telling an alcoholic, hey man, just have a sip! Then by the end of the night you're plastered. (Or in my case binge eating until sickness.)

So while the weight cycling itself isn't solely responsible, it definitely results in a lot of behaviors that are really bad for you. I definitely can't see myself having a long life, though, the strain I've put on my body has been immense. I'll be amazed if I make it to 50.