This picture was taken on September 23, 2010. I'll use it as my "before" picture.
History: I've been overweight since I can remember. After Rebekah was born in 1989, I did Nutrisystem and lost 60 pounds. I kept it off for over a year until I got pregnant with Holly. I gained 50 pounds with that pregnancy and never took it off. My weight was been up and down but I did regular exercise over the next several years. When I was pregnant with Joshua, I gained another 50 pounds. It's pretty much been uphill since then.
My mother died in 2006 and I've gained over 20 pounds.

August 2009 I talked to my doctor about weight loss. I was fed up with my size and my aches and pains. She said I was a good candidate for gastric bypass surgery or lap band.
I immediately started the process. I did all the preliminary blood work, xrays, ultrasounds, ekg, etc. and weekly classes and group discussions at the hospital. Then came the psych evaluation. That's when I hit the wall. I had issues. So I started psychotherapy right away.

March 2010, my husband Ron started to loose sensation in his hands and legs and began to wobble and fall. In April he had spinal surgery on C4, 5, & 6. Of course my focus changed to him. And I used all of my vacation and sick time to take care of him. He was out of work for four months.

November 2010 a close friend of mine died four days after having gastric bypass surgery. I had been thinking it wasn't for me, then after Sandy passed away, I was convinced.

2011 was all about getting out of the financial hole. The whole year was pretty much a blur. Lots of changes in the house, work, chorus, church, family. Every aspect of my life was in a huge state of flux. Thank God for his faithfulness or I would have just folded.

November 2011, my husband has been transformed and is a new creature in Christ. I have a new lease on life. I feel like we've started to really live. I feel like I can take on the world. In response to God's love, I want to present my body to God as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless. I have the Holy Spirit indwelling and my body is to be a temple.

Well now it's time to give this temple a makeover. This blog will be a place for me to journal my journey. I've been looking for an accountability partner for years. I've discovered that I have to be accountable to myself and God and stop depending on others for my success.