ONE YEAR 254lbs to 189lbs--MY STORY

My name is Christina. I am happily married to my wonderful husband and I have three kids ages 12, 6 and 3. I wasn’t always happy though and I will explain why. I was previously married to my ex husband for 8 years. He physically, verbally and sexually abused me for all 8 years. However, I couldn’t leave him for fear and because my kids “needed their father”. My weight was never an issue for me as a child or adolescent or even a young adult; that is until I got pregnant at 18. I didn’t work, so more of a reason to eat out of boredom. That’s when the abuse started. He would call me a whale, say how embarrassed he was of me and just beat me whenever and however he wanted. This obviously made me depressed and I would just eat more and more.

Toward the end of our relationship I had been going to the gym 5 days a week, 1-2 hours a day, and had lost about 40 pounds in a 3 month time. But it wasn’t something I chose to do. He was forcing me to go. He would weigh me, yes WEIGH ME, every week to see that I didn’t go up! And the last weigh in he decided to wake me up at 2am to do. My weight had stalled and I had gained from the last weigh in. He pulled my hair and shook my head like a rag doll back and forth, side to side. I HAD FINALLY HAD ENOUGH!

I left that man so fast he didn’t know what hit him. He did locate me eventually and tried kidnapping me and taking me to Mexico (I had a restraining order on him). Well guess what this girl did? This scared little girl waited for him to pull up to a rest stop and fall asleep. Then I grabbed my two kids, slid out the back door ( I was sitting in the back with my kids on purpose) and ran like hell to the nearest truck driver! The cops and Rangers were there within minutes. Yes, I finally got justice and put him in jail.

Now, I’m re-married and we have a daughter together aside from my two kids. He is absolutely wonderful. He has given me a new outlook on life and I couldn’t be happier. We’ve been together for almost 4 years now and he’s never once laid a hand on me.

Unfortunately with all the abuse I’ve suffered, that wasn’t enough of a wake up call that I had to change for myself and try to get healthier. My wake up call came at a later date. It came in June of last year. My husband and I were at a car dealership looking at a car in their lot. We were taking turns watching my 2 year old because we were near a busy road. For one second we lost track of her and before I could realize it, she was feet from the road. She’s a toddler and you know that if you run after them, they run even faster (thinking it’s a game). I just knew that at over 250 lbs I would not make it in time. So I quickly told my husband. He started running after her. She started running towards the traffic. THANK GOD he made it in time!!! But “What would I have done, if I were alone?”

I finally decided that it was time to change. No more excuses. It was time for ME!

Someone had told me about an app for calorie counting. I downloaded it, but never used it much. Calorie counting was tedious and boring, until I joined that same program online. I made friends on there that were in the same boat I was in! Every time I felt like I wasn’t seeing progress, or when I wanted to quit, they were there to cheer me on and tell me that “I could!”

In over a year, I have dropped 65 pounds and 20+” total from my waist, hips, arms and neck. I still enjoy most of the foods I ate before, but with moderation. I workout at least 4 to 6 times a week, anywhere from 25mns to an hour and 30mns. I switch from doing Zumba, the treadmill, Jillian Michaels, Leslie Sansone DVD’s and I just finished my first round of Insanity and doing another round starting Monday 7/15.

I want to let everyone out there know that it is possible. I am living proof. It does take hard work, determination and perseverance to succeed. I leave you with a picture of my before and current. I still have around 50 pounds to lose and then I will have an AFTER picture.

Also created a facebook page to help everyone out there: https://www.facebook.com/survivaltolive?fref=ts

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!









Insanity Day 1 to Day 63 (first round)