The Mom's perspective

I've struggled with my weight most of my life and there is one thing that is common every time I have lost weight and kept it off for a considerable amount of time. That is exercise. When I exercise I feel better about myself and really don't want to take anything into my body that could harm it. I drink more water and I eat more vegetables and fruits. I decided to lose weight right after my freshman year in college. I had gone in being chubby, but I came out even chubbier. I lost a lot of weight very quickly. I exercised more and just generally ate very little. It's easy to do that when you are single and only have yourself to worry about. I kept the weight off for a long time about 4 years. While on my mission in Brazil we ate mostly fruits and vegetables and quite frankly had to rely on the kindness of strangers many times for our daily bread. We walked everywhere and I was strong and healthy. We ate a lot of beans and rice and very little meat because we could not afford it. My skin was so beautiful and healthy from all the water I drank. Shortly after we returned from our missions Ashley and I met at a church dance. It is so cliche, but that's how it happened. We fell in love immediately and were married less than 5 months later. We had both started to gain weight, but it wasn't so noticeable yet. We ate too much junk and didn't exercise. The weight came on quite quickly and soon I was obese. I guess I just accepted it. I was very busy with work and school and exercise never fit in to the equation. I started trying to lose weight about 3 months after my second child's birth. I was now a stay at home mom. I did the Richard Simmons exercise videos, took slim fast and walked on the tread mill. I lost 25 pounds and I felt a lot better about myself. then I got pregnant again and I kept using the tread mill. I had every intention of going back to more strenuous exercise after his birth, but sometimes life throws us a curve ball. We had a hard time dealing with my mother in law's death and by the time we were doing better I was pregnant again with baby number 4. I had pre gestational diabetes whatever that is, so I was put on a very low carb diet. I actually do understand what it is, I didn't have gestational diabetes but I still had to watch my carbs. I had a difficult recovery after her birth. Four c-sections in 5 years is a lot to go through. When I was feeling a little better we decided to move to Utah when she was almost 3 months old. Our house sold quickly and less than a year later we had started exercising and losing weight. I always counted my calories and kept a log and I managed to lose 50 pounds. I kept it off for almost 2 years. The weight started to slowly creep up on me and I did nutrisystem last year and I lost 12 pounds. Their food was gross. I love to cook and eat good food. It was an assault on my body to gag their food down. Some of their snacks and meals are okay, but most were not. This year was difficult for us all and we put on a lot of weight. In July I lost five pounds and then I put them back on and plus another 10 or so. In September I decided that regardless of what my husband did or didn't do I was going to lose the weight. I did the 30 day trike Challenge and contributed to the Utah Trikes blog every day. I lost seven pounds and was so proud of myself. Now it's nearing the end of November and I have lost 17 pounds. My kids have lost a combined weight of about 30 pounds since we started focusing on the Word of Wisdom in October. Just like they had gained weight because of me I know that they have lost weight because of me. I may not have anything to do with Ashley losing weight and I have realized that I don't need him to eat healthier and exercise just because I do. It's very nice that he does now, but this is very important to me that no one else can control what goes in my mouth but me. But, this I can say I have everything to do with the health and weight of my children. They look great and feel even better. They are so beautiful and together we are figuring out how to eat better and get more exercise.

One thing that I must mention is that I have never stopped exercising since I began almost 4 years go. This Summer it became more difficult because I had put on more weight. Now, I am truly feeling like I could walk all day long and feel strong at the end of the day.