"This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that “single string” that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, ...

"This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that “single string” that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." ~~Charles R. Swindoll

I've had weight issues for over 15 years--I was still in high school when I started gaining weight that I didn't want. There were several years when I didn't care, because I didn't see it as a problem AND because I didn't want to consider myself vain enough to be concerned about my appearance.

A few years ago I started to want to look better for my husband, so I got off my high horse and started watching what I ate. I don't remember exactly how I came across Sparkpeople, but it was a website that definitely helped. One thing led to another and I got too busy with other things in my life and left the website.

A couple years later, after having my first daughter and having moved from active jobs to an office job, I started wanting to get fit again. Eight months after having my daughter, I found out that some problems I'd been having since while pregnant with her were due to gallstones--the ultrasound tech who looked at my gallbladder mentioned that there were too many stones to count. I was given the paperwork the surgeon had filled out, and she had written that I was obese.

Even though I knew the body fat percentage that determines that term, and even though I knew I was well above the weight I'd have liked to be at, something about seeing a medical professional's description of me as obese really bothered me.

I set up a new Sparkpeople account, because I couldn't even remember my old username. Made good progress... and then got pregnant again...

Okay, I have to admit, I kind of expected that. It was the third time I'd started a weight loss plan and gotten pregnant.

I switched over to BabyFit for a while, but everything and everyone on the site were so quiet, it was a little depressing. When I found out I couldn't keep track of my foods without entering all the nutritional information again, I completely lost interest. One of the moderators mentioned that BabyFit just doesn't get the updates as quickly as Sparkpeople does--SP being a bigger site used by more people--and I understand that, but having a toddler and being pregnant and looking for a job and then dealing with unexpected gestational diabetes... it was easier to not have to worry about getting online to do more than add my fitness minutes. Honestly, I wouldn't have had any fitness minutes, though, if it hadn't been for gestational diabetes and the hope that it might be more easily controlled with regular exercise.

And now, (April 1, 2012) my second daughter is almost a month old. My doctor hasn't cleared me yet for full-strength workouts after my second c-section, but I'm determined to start walking again when I can. While I was pregnant, it was a big deal to get my two-year-old and my dog ready for my daily walks. Thirty minutes of getting ready for a thirty-minute walk didn't seem worthwhile, and I expect getting two children ready to take even longer. The prep time tends to make me want to go a little longer, so it's not a bad thing. But my second daughter doesn't like being put down yet--almost all her sleeping is still done in my lap; she doesn't like her swing yet, or her vibrating chair, or her carseat, whether it's in the car or at the store. I am excited to start using my double stroller, and I do need to start training for the 5K I want to walk, in September, but it's a big challenge.

I want to go for it. My husband took a picture of me the other day, sleeping in a puppy pile on the couch with my daughters, and I looked huge, even though I know I've been heavier. It's time to get off my butt again.

Read More About MOMMACASSEY (Updated May 5)

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