Five women talk about their battle with weight and how it has affected their lives, loves and expectations for the future. Some names have been changed to protect their identities

• Linda, 49
  'Food became synonymous with comfort.'

• Jayne, 33
  'I lost all self-esteem and sometimes contemplated suicide.'

• Carol, 49
  'At my heaviest, I was 26 stone.'

• Susanne, 43
  'I ballooned on steriods.'

• Louise, 27
  'People...thought I was pregnant.'

Linda, 49, lives on the Isle of Wight with her husband. Her story shows how, in many cases, obesity can spiral from underlying problems, where food can become an emotional crutch. She's 5'7' and weighs 18 stone.

Linda has struggled with her weight since her late teens, but has not always been large. 'I started to pile on the weight at the age of 19. I managed to lose a lot of it and got down to nine stone when I was 22, but since then, my weight has been up and down like a yo-yo' says Linda.

At 22, she piled on the pounds when her marriage turned against her. 'I had an abusive marriage and my husband used to beat me up. I came out of it a bit shell-shocked and was not looking after myself as a result' she says.

But this wasn't the first time that Linda had a weight problem. Her low self-esteem was related to childhood relationships. 'I got fat to keep men at a distance. I did not want to be hurt' she explains.

It all started with her stepfather. 'My parents split up when I was seven and my mum remarried. My stepfather showed me no love and instead bullied me and called me 'fatty'. I grew up thinking I was fat, ugly and stupid. My own father was a publican and never had any time for me. When he did visit, he would bring crisps and sweets. Food became synonymous with comfort.'

These days, Linda knows she is an unhealthy weight and is ready to do something about it. 'I'm starting to get my head round this weight issue now. I think that it starts in the mind and the emotions first and then filters down into the body. I know that I don't want to be fat and 50' she says.

She has found the right man to support her. 'It's great that my husband loves me regardless. He fancies me no matter what my size is. Since we married three years ago, he has really helped me with my self-image. I don't know what I would do without him.'

Jayne, 33, lives in Berkhamstead with her partner. She has been from one end of the eating disorder spectrum to the other - from bulimia to obesity - and has also been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOS). She's now losing weight and at 5'4', weighs 14 stone.

'At the age of 23, I was diagnosed with bulimia. I had been scared to go to the doctor as no one knew - not even my parents. I weighed about nine stone at this time' she says.

This was until a flatmate found out about it and told her to get help. 'I was put on antidepressants, had a breakdown and had to move back in with my parents. They did not know how to deal with me. I had no one to talk to' says Jayne.

But life changed for the better when Jayne met her partner and came off the antidepressants. She was happier - but she started to put on weight. 'I met my partner on a web-design course when I was 29. This is when the weight gain started' she explains.

Jayne was confused. 'I hadn't changed my eating pattern at all. I went to a specialist who could not pinpoint the sudden weight gain. He did, however, say that the bulimia had affected my menstrual cycle and hormones. The weight continued to pile on.'

With the weight gain came a huge loss of self-worth. 'I hated going to the clinics as they had to measure my body fat and I would stand there in my bra and knickers. They would comment on how young I was to be obese.

'I lost all my self-esteem and sometimes even contemplated suicide. Even people in the street would look down on me and give me judgmental looks' she explains.

Jayne was then diagnosed with PCOS, where heavier weight is a symptom.

Now things are looking up for her because of support from her GP and partner, and a new-found love for exercise. 'I'm currently not on any treatment. I found a doctor who is fully supportive and the weight is coming off gradually.

'I really enjoy exercise - it makes me feel good. I want to get down to nine stone and still have the clothes I wore when I was this size as an incentive' she says.

Battling obesity can be tough when you've had a rocky relationship with food from a young age. Carol, 49, from Yorkshire has been overweight since she was six. She's now 5'3' and weighs 23 stone.

Carol used food to compensate for a tough family life. 'My family lived in Hong Kong and, when my parents split up, I spent a lot of time with a nanny. I was terribly unhappy and she would cheer me up with treats of food. When we moved back to the UK, my grandmother took over and used the same method to comfort me. She would take me out for tea and cream cakes' she says.

But the comfort she felt from food early on did not continue at school - she felt like an outcast. 'I have awful memories of school. I used to live in fear and dread of games because I found them harder than other kids and they would laugh at me.'

The bullying manifested itself in another way - a speech impediment. 'I had a bad stutter right up until I left school at 16. I loathed having to read out loud in English and would break out in a sweat and panic when it was my turn.'

In her mid-teens, Carol wore size 20 clothes. Like everyone else at this age, she wanted to appeal to her male peers so she started to be weight-conscious and diet. 'I decided to try to lose weight and I got down to a more acceptable size 16. I watched what I ate, but still struggled' she says.

The struggle carried on into her married life. 'When I'm upset, I turn to food. At my heaviest, I was 26 stone. Between the third and fifth year of marriage, I put on four to five stone because I was so unhappy and wondered if I'd done the right thing' she says.

Carol is now dieting to lose weight. 'I've been on a low-carb diet for the past two years. I've lost three stone so far.'

One of the reasons for this was another health concern - Carol was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago. 'I nearly had to take tablets for it, but now control it with this diet. My cholesterol has also gone down and I feel much better now' she explains.

And exercise has helped. 'I have started walking twice a week. I'm planning to increase this. If there were special classes for people like me, then I would go' she adds.

For Susanne, 43, a string of illness led to her weight gain, which she is only just starting to lose. A once-sporty child, Susanne now has to contend with heart disease. She is 5'4' and weighs 15 stone.

Before the weight gain kicked in, Susanne almost qualified for the Olympic Games. 'I was a competitive swimmer in South Africa. At the age of ten, I trained with 18-year-olds and was four seconds away from qualifying for the Olympics in breaststroke. I swam eight miles in the morning and 12 miles every evening.'

But just before the age of 12, she contracted St Vitus' dance, a virus related to rheumatic fever. 'It attacks the brain, and I slowly became paralysed and nearly died' she explains.

Inevitably, Susanne lost her peak fitness and as a result, piled on the pounds, which have been hard to shift ever since. 'The only treatment they had at that time was to pump you full of steroids, so within weeks I ballooned out. I was confined to my bed for six months and for a year I wasn't allowed to run. The lack of exercise after having been so super-fit, really hit my body - I doubled in size.'

An unsuccessful engagement then put emotional pressure on Susanne. 'My fiance would always comment on how I needed to lose 'just five more pounds'. I turned to food for comfort. It was a wall that I could hide behind. It was a downward spiral. I found it difficult to get to a point where I could take control of my weight' she says.

Five years ago, her childhood illness came back to haunt her. 'I was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease. There was always a chance of contracting it as a result of having St Vitus's dance. The doctor told me that I needed to lose weight, or I would have heart problems.

But this has been a real turning point for Susanne. 'Since then, I've had two heart operations and am back on top. I want to lose weight too and have asked for a diet recommendation. I was told that my diet would not change my heart condition, but would make me feel better. I've seen a dietician and learned what I should eat.

'I then went on a low-fat diet and lost quite a bit of weight and was able to wear a size 16. It's the only diet that has worked for me. I've lost over two stone in the last four months, and I want to lose the same amount again over the next five to six months' she says.

Louise, 27, from Sheffield tells her moving story of how she fought weight gain that stemmed from a childhood of abuse. She's now 5'7' and is now down to 13 stone.

After suffering from depressive illness as an early teenager because of the sexual abuse she endured as a child, Louise started to put on weight in her teens. 'It was because my body was maturing. I didn't like it and started to binge eat to control my weight. I would then make myself sick. It got to the point where I could not keep any food down' she explains. This led to bulimia, kept alive by a bout of glandular fever and exam stress.

It got to the point where her body could not take any more. 'I binged and my body fell to pieces under the pressure. I was admitted to hospital with dehydration and fatigue. I was at an all-time low and felt suicidal. I couldn't bear the thought of anyone touching me. I started to shut out the world. Food was my only friend.'

By her early 20s she was a size 20 and felt pressure because of her size. 'People would give up their seat on the bus for me because they thought I was pregnant. I disliked my body so much that I didn't care what I looked like. Therefore, I just ate whatever I wanted' she says.

Another tragic event - the death of her sister - triggered a huge turnaround for Louise and she started to beat her obesity. 'This time I sought help. I didn't want to keep punishing myself for things I could not control. I lost a couple of stone from stress, but used it as an impetus to continue losing weight. I joined a gym and went power-walking. The exercise helped the weight come off. I lost two more stone.'

And she has found happiness in her new healthy size. 'I'm down to a size 16 now and feel fantastic. I exercise regularly and love to swim. I feel strong and healthy. I still have the occasional time when I eat too many biscuits or have to stop myself from going through all the cupboards. But, I now know when enough is enough.'