I decided at the beginning of year that I needed to lose weight. I didn’t like how I looked or felt. I was having trouble getting on the floor to play with the grandkids. I wanted to go biking with them but didn’t think I could. They wanted me to go swimming at a water park, but there was no way I would do that!

My mother and grandmother both died from complications from diabetes, some of my brothers and sisters were being diagnosed with diabetes, and it was really scaring me. I saw how my mom had died and didn’t want that. So I made up my mind to change.

I began on my own. Then, they started a contest at work through Blue Cross and some co-workers wanted me to join them. At first I said no, I wasn’t going to make a spectacle of myself, but they convinced me it would be fun. We did have fun becoming mall walkers, coaching and encouraging each other. We caused quite a scene at the mall, even getting the Easter Bunny to walk with us and have our picture taken together.

Since then I have lost 65 pounds and am still going. I learned to eat differently, and I read labels and check nutritional values. My husband was my biggest supporter and made nearly all my meals, paying close attention to what I ate and did. He’d walk and work out with me when he could. He has cancer, so me taking my life seriously is a big deal to him. My children and grandkids also have helped by encouraging me and helping me find new trails and foods. My daughter got me some lingerie for my birthday that we all had a good laugh about. She said that I never treat myself, and with all the weight I lost and how good I look, that I should have things like that to make myself feel good. My granddaughter Marylu even got me to go swimming and biking with her. I can’t tell you how great that felt.

I now have a routine of regular exercise and eating habits to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This new way of life is something I know I have to keep working at or I won’t maintain all I have managed to achieve. I still have a little way to go, but not far, and I will get there. I feel I have lost myself and found a whole new me!

Written by: Linda M.