Hi, I'm Jeni. I am a SAHM with two darling children and a fabulous husband. I am getting healthy not just for them, but for me, too.

A little more about me:
In January 2007 I made that same ol' New Year's Resolution to lose weight. I joined an online weight loss program (NOT Spark) that focused mainly on losing weight through diet. It worked, for a while, I went from 214 pounds to 190. How long it would've continued working I'll never know because in March 2007 we found ...

Hi, I'm Jeni. I am a SAHM with two darling children and a fabulous husband. I am getting healthy not just for them, but for me, too.

A little more about me:
In January 2007 I made that same ol' New Year's Resolution to lose weight. I joined an online weight loss program (NOT Spark) that focused mainly on losing weight through diet. It worked, for a while, I went from 214 pounds to 190. How long it would've continued working I'll never know because in March 2007 we found out I was pregnant with our second child. At first, I really stuck to my plan, and didn't splurge at all. However, around June, I was tired of depriving myself of the treats I loved and I allowed myself to slip back into those old bad habits. I hadn't exercised before I got pregnant and I certainly wasn't exercising while I was pregnant so the pounds began to pile on. Around week 31 of my pregnancy, I was put on bed rest and then I REALLY gained. When I came home from the hospital, I weighed 240 pounds! Ugh! I began losing the "baby" weight and got down to 215 pounds, but then it started creeping back up. I got up to 225 pounds again and saw a picture of myself at my son's baptism. I couldn't believe how bad I looked. I decided right then and there that I needed to take action. I lost 5 pounds on my own and then was all set to sign back up for this other online site, when I received an email about Sparkpeople.com. Since it was free, I figured, why not?

I joined SP in December 2007 and really learned how important exercise is to a healthy lifestyle. I was blessed to find the Biggest Loser Challenge round 5 in January 2008 and that's when I changed my life.

Through healthy eating and exercise, I have lost 65 pounds (as of October 1). I have begun enjoying my exercise time and finding new ways to make my old favorite recipes healthy.

~Update 5/11/09
Well, after hitting my goal weight and maintaining for a couple of months, I began to slack. I didn't go to the gym as often. I stopped tracking my food as closely. I didn't even participate as much on Spark as usual. What do you think happened then? Yep, you guessed it. I've gained back about 15 pounds of the 90(!) I had originally lost. Whew. It feels good to come clean with that. Seeing 160 on my scale was the wake up call I needed. I have given myself the much needed kick in the pants. I have been back at the gym for the last 2 weeks. Last week, I began tracking my food again. My scale is starting to move the right direction. Thank goodness I woke up before I was back where I started.

I'm choosing to look at this as a learning experience. Maintaining was/is harder than I thought it was going to be. I'm still new at this and am still finding my way. I can promise one thing though: I WILL be a strong and healthy example for my children!

Mary, don't give up. Don't give in. Don't go BONKERS!!!

A very wise friend of mine said this about her own weight loss struggles and she's right: I just had to tell myself, Stop the excuses and get going or SHUT UP and STAY FAT !!!

Read More About JBRATCHIE (Updated November 21)

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