recommitted

Hello, my name is Christina. I am a mother to seven amazing children, first and foremost. For many years since my first child was born, they were my life. I didn't care if I was thin, pretty or had close friends. I put all this energy to being the best mother I could be. It paid off because my children are amazing, but there is something else, right?

In the winter of 2011, I had my last child. It was a difficult delivery and several months after her birth, I needed surgery to remove my ovaries, uterus and cervix, a complete hysterectomy. When I was walking to the operating room, as they were strapping me to the table, I noticed how large I had become. I didn't fit on the operating table without some of my body spilling over on the sides. It was so upsetting that I vowed then and there, it has to stop. I was weighed the next morning before being discharged and I weighed 289. My goal weight is about 135, just to give you an idea how overweight and obese I had become.

From 2011 and 2013, I had lost 120 pounds. I exercised daily. I ate well. I never dieted just removed the junk foods out of my diet. With stress of moving and losing my writing job, from 2013-2014 I gained 40 pounds of the 120 I had lost.

When I soul searched I discovered what was holding me back for so long. I was so terrified of saggy loose skin I would self sabotage my efforts. I would say ' I 'd rather be fat than have sagging skin'. It was all a facade. In January of 2014, I started working outside the home. I took a job so much different than anything I had been doing, but I loved it. It clicked. I started seeing myself differently. I started seeing that I was more than this fat mom blob, I was a real person that could make a good living and could connect with others.

In the last two weeks, I have given up Diet Coke. I know, it seem like a small victory, but for me it was huge. I have often said I could do without food but never diet coke. If I can give this up, honestly I can do anything. Here I am, with 70 pounds to my goal weight and I have no doubts I can do it.

I am looking for friends like me that are struggling but will not let anything get them down.