My friend, Charity weighed close to 300 lbs. Every single night (sometimes during the day as well) she had the worst heartburn you could imagine. Water gave her heartburn. She had GERD (Gastroesophogeal Reflux Disease) so bad she could hardly swallow because of the built up scar tissue in her esophagus. She was borderline diabetic. Her dad is diabetic so she knew it was coming, but BOY did she love sugar. Who cared about her health. The sugar and carbs made the hurts of life go away.....temporarily. She supplemented the sugar with high doses of antidepressants and isolation.
The only thing she liked about the mall was Panda Express. Size 22-24 was a hard range to find anything trendy to wear. She had to shop alone too because none of her friends needed specialty shops. When she did shop with her friends and they went to all the surf shops and petite stores, she'd look at earrings to pass the time.
Travel was miserable for her. She had to have an extension belt on airplanes, she didn't fit on rides at amusement parks, seats in the car could not have the arm rest down and the steering wheel of the car fit miserably up against her stomach.
Sometimes, Charity would sit around and remember how much fun she used to have hiking and climbing but a simple trip to the mailbox was excuse enough for a nap now. She never visited her kids rooms upstairs because it took her breath away to climb up there.
Another thing she would remember and miss terribly was intimacy with her husband.
Charity wasn't very nice either. Maybe she thought being a bossy bully earned her respect that she'd otherwise lost being obese? She was loud because otherwise she was sure nobody listened to her. Charity was in pain. Not just physically but emotionally as well. It was a crazy cycle. Being obese made her depressed so she'd eat. Eating made her obese. This made her depressed and she'd eat some more. But when the pain of staying the same became greater than the pain of change, she began to pray.
I'd like you to meet Charity now. She's lost over 100 lbs. She feels AMAZING. Sure, she has days where she feels 'fat' and has to kick into high gear again, but she's tasted freedom and she will never go back. She is no longer on any acid reflux medication, she takes the lowest dose of antidepressants possible-mostly to combat dreary Oregon days I think. She visits the mall frequently, but NEVER Panda Express. Hiking and climbing are her life now. Last week her kids -each individually and separately-gasped and said "Um! Did you just RUN up those stairs?" Why, YES. She DID. She loves running up the stairs now! Gets her legs in shape for climbing!
Her husband is quite pleased with her progress. Their alone time has been amazing. He always loved her and supported her no matter what. There is something physically liberating about not having to maneuver around 100 extra pounds though and their marriage has never been better.
Loving herself has become easy and has enabled her to love others more. Now she has a burning passion to help others -everyone whether they have 5 pounds to drop or 300 - but especially the ones with 50+ lbs to lose. She has been there. She has figured out how to overcome obesity. The vicious cycle that doesn't seem to have an end can indeed have an end. If you'd like her to reach out to you, and help you or someone you know or love, please contact her today. She's waiting to help.
3 comments:
You brought me to tears. What a testimony. I am so glad you are my health coach.
Love you, Charity. Happy REAL Birthday!
You simply amaze me. Yep, that's all I got after that. :)
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