Friday, June 6, 2008

A LOOK INTO WHAT YOU MIGHT BE.

I have been trying to think of a way that I could be a help to all you young ladies that come here. You are in a time of life that you can do something about what you will be in the future. If you can just take control of your eating and make your body the temple that God intended, you will look back when you are at my age and be glad. I have not been a good example in this area of my life and today I am paying for it. It is not that I have not had good advice, not that I have not had any help that I wanted. My husband has always seen that I had within reason anything that I needed to keep me healthy. No, it is totally on me and the bad choices that I have made for a lifetime. I don't like writing this but I felt if I can help one of you to keep you from coming to where I am, then it will be worth it. I will start from the beginning.

As a child, I was always overweight. I was the one that the kids were always saying, "Fatty, fatty, two by four, can't get through the kitchen door." It usually hurt my feelings but did not touch my weight problem.

In my high school years, my weight stayed at about 180 pounds. In those days, 180 pounds was considered FAT. People back then didn't weigh as much as they do today.

During my senior year in school, I lost down to 165 pounds. Sill considered over weight, I met a young man,named Jim------. He thought I was the most beautiful person he had ever met. My heart was so warmed by his love. We met September of 1961 and were married in March of 1962. We have now been married for 46 years and he still thinks that I am the most beautiful person he has ever known. So I have no excuses, I have been loved. I have been cherished. I just did not make good choices concerning food.

I had our first son when I was 19 in 1963. By the time our second son was born, I weighed 256 3/4 pounds. My husband still thought I was the most beautiful person he had ever seen and he not only said so but showed me with his actions.

After my third son was born, I started to TOPS CLUB. It is a place where you go to be encouraged to lose weight though competition and help from the ladies. It was a good time in my life. I lost 100 pounds while going there. Then I got Pregnant with our fourth son.

I gained slowly back to 180 pounds after that. It took years but for the most part that is the weight I stayed at. Then three years ago, I started having gout, I had it about every six weeks for a year, until they found a way to control it.During these episodes I had more pain than I ever thought possible. I could not walk. My husband had to help me with the most intimate of things. I have always been a person who always took care of herself and anybody else that needed it. It was a very hard year. During the episodes of gout, I had to take steroids which made me gain weight. I could not hardly move for about a year. Each episode I was barely recovered from a it, then it would hit me again. So you can imagine just laying mostly around for a year and still with my eating habits, I gained up to 238 pounds. The rest of the story since then you know.

Now, I was put on blood pressure medicine when I was 19 years old for being overweight. When I was in my 50s, I was found to have some arteries part blocked. I had high cholesterol. So now I took medicine for chest pain and high cholesterol. Two years ago, the Doctor told me that I had type 2 diabetes caused from being overweight. Now, I take medicine for that and that is what has been wrong with me for the last month or so. The diabetes got out of control.

Now all of the things came into my life because I have made wrong choices about food my whole life. It did not have to be. I probably would have still had pretty good health if I had listened to the Lord and to my doctors and learned to control my appetite according to what I needed for a healthy body.

I want all you young ladies to please listen to me, Life passes by very fast and you can always think you will do better later but then one day, it is too late. Health is gone and in some ways you can never get it back. IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. If I could tell you one thing, please do all that you can to take your eating habits seriously for they are effecting your body's health.

I am still fighting a battle and except for the Lord and all of you, I probably would have already given up trying. So, if you can , please think about my story and don't repeat what I have done. I want to do better now but it is so much harder at this stage of my life to lose weight, but I will not quit. To quit would mean my not pleasing my Lord and also premature death for me. connie

15 comments:

Tori Leslie said...

I loved reading this. It's interesing how weight gain progresses over the years.

I'm pulling for you Connie, hang in there!

Pam--in America said...

Thank you so much for sharing this with us... I know it must have been hard to do.
I'm so glad to hear that you're not giving up! What would we all do without our Connie?

Sunny Days said...

Hi Connie,
Glad you could stop by and leave me a comment. thank you! :)
Your blog is so inspiring! I will be reading more when I get the time.
God is with you all the way!

Heather said...

thanks for stopping by my blog and for your comment! it was really intersting reading your story, thanks for sharing!

Michelle @ Sew-Krafty said...

Thank you for sharing your heart! This is exactly why at almost 37 I am making lifestyle changes!

I'm glad to have "met" you and am looking forward to reading more.

TO BECOME said...

Dear Tori, Thank you and I know you are pulling for me as I am you also. Weight is a sneaky thing so we have to be on guard. You keep up your good work, I don't want you to end up in my situation, I love you too much for that. connie

TO BECOME said...

Dear Pam, You are right this was very hard for me to open my self up so all could see my failure but if it will help one of you not to go the way that I have gone, it was worth it. I can't give up, Pam. I have only not so long ago really seen what I have been doing as sin and now that I have, I CAN NOT GIVE UP. You would all do just fine without me, I have no doubt but I know that I need you all very much. Thank you, Pam, connie

TO BECOME said...

Dear Sunny Days, thank you for stopping by. You have already been a blessing to me, when I read your blog. I am glad that you find mine helpful to you.May God bless you on your journey of weight loss. Keep trying.connie

TO BECOME said...

Heather, thank YOU, for stopping by to visit with me. I enjoyed your having come. God bless. connie

TO BECOME said...

Dear Fushia, I am so glad that you are making the changes before you have problems that can't be changed. I, took, am so glad that I have "met" you. Yes, please do come again and I will be back to visit with you.Thank you, connie

sparrow's song said...

Connie,

Diet is Die with a T. They don't work and we often suffer in the midst of them. They are the reason we yo-yo in weight.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the words 'eating habits'. A life style of eating well must start with the change of habit.

I went through anorexic behavior and lost a great deal of muscle because my body was in starvation mode for a couple of years. Loved ones were worried about me and with good reason. I don't think young people understand that just as over eating can kill us, so can starving ourselves. I've been teaching my daughter a better way and helping her learn from my mistakes.

Exercise + low fat + low sugar = Good choices + a plan for a lifetime of excellent eating habits

You are making 'choices' to please God. For that I applaud you and I pray He continues to give you endurance and emotional strength to keep going or to get back on track. But then we make those choices every day in whom we are going to serve. Perhaps the perspective of understanding that our bodies are not our property and yet we often mistakenly treat them as such. Neither are they who we really are. I've damaged my health with poor choices. Like you I'm correcting those according to individual past mistakes.

Connie - you are an inspiration. Thank you so much for your courage and gentle spirit.

TO BECOME said...

Dear Sparrow's Song, thank you so much.It has taken me way too long but I am finally getting it through my head and most of all my heart. I know the road will not be easy but God is Holding on to me and I will get there, God willing before I leave this earth. connie

Lisa Kmiec said...

Connie, I have been 'lurking' on your site for a while.
I really enjoyed reading this post. So many of us think that our bad habits are only hurting us. We forget that we are an example to so many around us. Our habits are hurting them also. And, our good habits can help them!
Wonderful post!

TO BECOME said...

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, I just found your comment and I appreciated it very much. Thank you for taking the time to do so.Have a great day. connie

Anonymous said...

Good words.