I started this journey on January 7, 2007. I have been at it now for 28 weeks, and am still going strong! In that 28 weeks I have lost a total of 97 lbs.!!! That is an average of about 3.5 lbs. a week that I’ve lost. It has been an incredible experience, one I will forever be thankful to God for. Jesus has been with me every step of the way. Giving me strength to persevere, giving me guidance in all my ways, and being there for me when I just needed Him for emotional stability.

He has helped me to learn so much about myself along the way, too. I am actually learning to love myself and to appreciate ME again. My body is an AMAZING thing, and I love it! Sure, I am still considered obese, and I still have a long ways to go (81 lbs. more to go), but God has really helped me to see what a beautiful thing it is that He gave me as a gift, and I am in the best shape of my life!
God gave me a perfect body; there was nothing wrong with it when He gave it to me! I’m the one that stupidly went and screwed it up over the years from neglect and abuse. Not only did I have a love affair with food, I lived a sedate existence AND was a smoker for 22 years! Now that I’m taking good care of my body, it is taking good care of me! I am noticing that I can do things I never believed I could. I am no longer frightened of stairs and what they might do to me. I truly enjoy being able to get outside to play with my kids. I can walk great distances and even RUN now! Do you know how amazing that is? To go from barely being able to breathe after walking up a short flight of steps, to actually being able to run up and down, up and down them? It’s an amazing feat I tell you, and it feels GREAT!!!

Before I started, back when I was FAT(TER) and hopeless, I didn’t dare dream that I could feel this good. But not only that. I honestly believed that losing the weight was impossible and that I would be HUGE forever. I would even tell myself that it was the cards I’d been dealt and that I’d better learn to live with it. It was truly a sad state to be in.

I KNOW how hard it is to find motivation and actually get moving. But, do you know how easy it is to be in my position now? All it’s taken is a bit of hard work and determination to NEVER give up. Eat right, exercise; get back to who God intended for you to be, and you WILL lose the weight. It really isn’t that hard! Pray alot, and make up your mind to change for the better, settle for no less than the best from yourself!

I would like to share with you these three quotes that help to inspire me:

“Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength” - Unknown

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

- Mary Anne Radmacher

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.” -August Wilson

You HAVE to work at it, you have to endure. Stay in it for the long haul, don’t let minor distractions and annoyances stand in your way. Don’t let negative thinking stop you from achieving something GREAT! You CAN do this! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up!