This diet (lifestyle change) is new for me. I've never been on a diet, I could eat whatever I wanted to eat, eat when I wanted to and I didn't gain weight. I exercised almost everyday and was eating what I thought was healthy.

Many stressful situations started happening ... I was getting older, I loss my job, daughter graduated from college, she moved to LA and left me home alone, mom got sick and had to go in a nursing home, I was her only caregiver and there was no time in my busy day to exercise. I found another job but not in my field so I had to start at the bottom and the final straw was my mom passed away.

Too many stressful situations to handle! I couldn't get out of bed or off the sofa, didn't eat, didn't exercise, couldn't sleep and refused to be thankful for being alive. I could see myself gaining weight but I didn't have the strength nor the desire to do anything about it. I went to the doctor got on the scale and I couldn't believe just how much weight I had gained.

That was my wake up call. I got out of bed and off the sofa, and saw God in all His glory for the first time in a long time. I was able to take a deep breath without reminding myself to do it and I said thank you God for my life. Then I talked to my sister, she told me about SP and the website that had life changing information on it. I was reluctant to try this “lifestyle change” but at that point I didn't have anything to lose but weight.

Seeing God deliver me from a dark place, taking a deep breath and SP was the starting point to my "lifestyle change." I am so thankful to God for giving me courage to face another day and my SP friends for the motivation to keep walking away the pounds.

Life situations will happen again but this time I will be more equipped to handle it because now I am depending on my loving Father to direct my path and my SP family to help me through the difficult times.

I have been on my Sparks journey for about (11) weeks and I have changed spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically (have lost 11 pounds) and I'm getting healthier and stronger everyday.

I praise God for carrying me when I was to weak to walk, for holding me in His loving arms when I needed to feel secure, for giving me strength to keep going when I wanted to give up, for my sister introducing me to SP, for a healthy mind, spirit and body and for my SP family.

Through it all, God kept me and He didn't let go. I praise God everyday for placing my feet on solid ground and for giving me peace. “I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me.”

This is the story behind my praise.