The Starting Line:

I remember the day I looked down and saw my “stomach” for the first time and thought… “What is that and where did it come from?”  That was a very long time ago, and since that time, the “stomach” has come and gone many times!! *smile*

I have tried diet after diet, work out after work out and got larger and larger after each program. Oh, they worked at first and I swore that never again would I gain that weight back….and I didn’t, I gained new poundage plus more!! Ugh, it was so frustrating, disheartening, defeating, saddening, depressing….and the list goes on and on. Sound familiar??

I tried really hard to become happy in my skin and large body. And if asked would have told you that I was happy, and maybe I was…as long as I did not have to look in the mirror or try to buy new clothes! But the truth is I learned to tolerate the weight and never really felt comfortable with myself.  When I look back at pictures from those times, I see someone with a smile on the outside, but still get that weird feeling in my gut because I still so clearly remember the sadness I felt every time someone took a camera out. Geez…I did not want to see myself in a mirror, much less have it printed out on paper!!

I have to say that I am not certain exactly what the change factor was that happened 2 years ago. But I can tell you that there were several things that helped…these are: 1. we moved to Florida, and I knew we would be going to the beach often…that means BATHING SUIT IN PUBLIC!!! 2. we bought a Harley and because of my size, I had difficulty getting on the back AND when I did get on, I had to look at my reflection in my husbands helmet…YIKES….there I am again!! I wanted to be a Harley babe, not a Harley blob!! *laugh*. 3. I wanted to be fit...be able to do things I had not been able to do for a long time, and 4. I realized that since my sister’s death, three years before, I had fed my sadness with food. I finally realized that she would rather I enjoy and celebrate life than to wallow in the sadness of her sudden and early death!

So, this is where my journey began, this was the “starting line”……