I have struggled with my weight for as long as I remember. On my wedding day and for the first few years of my marriage, I was the happiest and healthiest than I've ever been. I was eating right and regularly going to the gym.

Then in 2001, I had my first child and gained 65 pounds with that pregnancy. The weight came off fairly easily thanks to exercise and nursing, but when I found myself pregnant again in 2002, not prepared for that at all, I started gaining weight again. Sadly, ...

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I remember. On my wedding day and for the first few years of my marriage, I was the happiest and healthiest than I've ever been. I was eating right and regularly going to the gym.

Then in 2001, I had my first child and gained 65 pounds with that pregnancy. The weight came off fairly easily thanks to exercise and nursing, but when I found myself pregnant again in 2002, not prepared for that at all, I started gaining weight again. Sadly, that pregnancy ended in miscarriage and I went on to have two more miscarriages after that, gaining more weight with each one. (I was pregnant five times in five years!) After the birth of my youngest child in 2004, I had ballooned up to 202 pounds. I am only 5'1" and wear a size 6 shoe, so it's a lot for me to carry around. I have tried unsucessfully to get all of the extra weight off, and have been continually frustrated.

After receiving an email invitation from MyPoints, I joined Sparkpeople in September 2007. I was a member for nearly a year before I really started using it to my benefit. In June of 2008, I got serious and lost 10 pounds my first month, mostly thanks to the nutrition and exercise tracking tools. I pretty much stagnated with the weight loss after that, although I was definitely healthier and had more energy than before.

The busyness of life often distracts me from my priorities. I work as a librarian in a Christian school, and I have summers off. June is typically when I regroup and recharge. I also evaluate how I spend my time. I'm trying hard to stay organized in every area. I love God, and spending daily time with him and reading his word needs to be number 1.

I've also been regularly and faithfully walking 25-30 miles per week since June, 2010. I wake-up before the chickens and go. I typically am not a morning person either, so this is a big deal!

I began co-leading a weekly "Thin Within" Bible Study group at my church three years ago. We are now working through the "Made to Crave" study. It is similar to Thin Within. I recommend finding an accountability group. It is FABULOUS. I meet with other women dealing with the same issues as me. It is truly a HEART issue. I'm attacking the reasons why I eat when I shouldn't, identifying my strongholds, and am TRULY making God #1 priority in my life.

Another WONDERFUL book that deals with the root cause of weight gain is "Faith and Fat Loss" by Ron Williams. I highly recommend it. He also had a website to help with success beyond the tools in his book.

One thing I have learned and grasped is that anything worth anything takes work. If I was to take a pill to melt off the weight overnight, it would be marvelous and I would love it. (DUH!) However, I know I would not appreciate my new body nearly as much as if I worked the weight off slowly and in a healthy way, physically, mentally, emotionally and physically. After the magic pill, I would probably just gain all of the weight back quickly anyhow. It would be a constant roller coaster of never dealing with the symptoms of why and how I got to the place I was in. In order to successfully attack the problem and be a true overcomer, we must address the root cause.

Read More About BETHMOMOF2 (Updated January 8)

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