...continued...

Once our girls were here, life was pretty cool, except I was still fat! When both girls were very mobile, is when my weight came into play. The girls wanted me to play with them, run, hide and seek (have you ever seen a fat woman try to hide under a side table?), push them on swings, take long walks, go swimming, and so much more! I suddenly became a failure in my own eyes! I couldn't DO anything, and I knew I was an embarrassment to my whole family! I certainly was to myself! When the girls were in grade school I decided to give Weight Watchers a try again. The program had changed a lot, and seemed easier to follow this time. I suppose I did pretty well then, but after awhile it got old and I quit, gaining everything back. I went on this way for quite some time, rejoining, losing some, quitting, gaining it back and then some, rejoining,...you get the idea! Not a great time in my life! The only good things were my daughters and my husband, and there was a time I had decided they would all be better off without me! Fortunately for all of us I didn't act on that thought!

Fast forward to about 3 years ago. I knew I was at my heaviest all-time weight, though I hadn't been on a scale in a looooong time! It was time for my annual check-up and physical, so I made the appointment, knowing the 'talk' I would receive from my doctor! (Don't get me wrong, I have a fabulous doctor that I love, it's just that when you're fat you get the 'talk' every time you have an appointment!!). Anyway, I had all the blood work, the physical and the 'talk'! I went home and packed for my trip to visit my family in the Midwest. I was at my sister's when I received a phone call from my doctor...I had Type 2 Diabetes!! WAIT, WHAT?? No, that's not right? Of course, it was, she had been telling me for years I was on the borderline for developing it! I made appointments for when I returned to see my doc and also Diabetes specialists. Once home I went to my appointments and found out what I needed to know about having this disease. Of course, number one on everyone's "Top 10" list of things to do...you guessed it! LOSE WEIGHT!!!!! So, once again I hightailed it WW. This time though, it seemed a little bit different. Different, within me. For the previous year I had also been going to the gym and working out with one of my coworkers at the Preschool I worked at. Granted, it wasn't consistent, and it was only about 7-10 times a month! Once I got the diagnosis, though, I hired myself a trainer to help me! ~Interjection: I did discover that my diabetes could be controlled by diet and exercise, so I wouldn't need to give myself insulin injections! That was a HUGE relief!~ I started training with Jana on a twice weekly basis for half an hour each session. Let me tell you, how hard that was! I WAS 297 POUNDS, PEOPLE!!!! I was totally wiped out, sweating like a pig, and ready to cry! Except, something else was happening, too. I felt really good!