Weight-Loss Story:
Karen Walmer

Age 37, from Grand Rapids, MI

I didn't have a problem with my weight all of my life, but for a lot of
years now it has been a big problem for me. It started around the time of
my first pregnancy, I'd say.

I became an alcoholic at an early age. My home life wasn't good. My
parents drank a lot too and they didn't do a whole lot for me. They also
didn't keep much of a watch on me, and I snuck out of the house whenever I
could, stole booze from them, and sometimes even money. I'm not proud of
it, but that's the way things were for me then.

I moved out of the house when I was very young. I moved in with my
boyfriend at the time, Pete. I didn't know where else to turn. We both
drank a lot, and we were both young and stupid. We couldn't control
ourselves or our lives, and made a lot of bad decisions. We partied too
much, and had a lot of bad influnce from our friends. Of course sooner or
later something bad was going to happen. And it did. I got pregnant
eventually. It was unplanned, and possibly the worst thing that could have
happened to me. I didn't want to admit it, so I convinced myself that I was
going to raise this child right and be a good mother.

Pete wouldn't admit that it was his baby and accused me of cheating, and
that's when he kicked me out of the house. That's where I began moving from
place to place, meeting all the wrong men. I kept having more children in
just in the wrong situations, hoping that the child would bring more joy
into my life. It was a big mistake, that I repeated many times.

This is where the weight comes in. I ended up having 5 kids by different
fathers, and I had gained a lot of weight. I wasn't taking care of myself.
I still drank a lot and didn't do any exercise. I tried not to drink when I
was pregnant, but I didn't always know when I was pregnant and I made some
bad mistakes. Luckily none of the kids were harmed. I tended to overeat
when I was drinking, because I had no clue how much food I should be eating,
and I just liked to pig out when I was drunk. It was a vicious cycle -- I
would drink, and overeat, and then do it all over again.

By the time I was 34, I weighed over 300 pounds. I felt awful about myself,
but I didn't even have much time to feel bad about myself because of all the
attention my kids needed. I wanted to be healthier, and I wanted to live a
long time so that I could take care of my kids. Gosh, I didn't know where
to start. Where do you start when you've lived a life of bad choices and
weigh 300 pounds?

I decided to do what a lot of people in my situation do, which is look to
God. I have always had a little faith, but I have never given it the chance
to grow. I started going to church regularly and trying to sort out my
life. The most important thing was kicking the booze. That was the hardest
part -- even harder than losing the weight. But I could write a book on
that, the point is that I quit drinking all together. My kids were very
happy for me.

As far as weight loss goes, I wanted to get a good start on it. I had heard
about all kinds of diet pills that were out there, but after all my body has
been through I didn't think that was the smartest thing to do. My liver
doesn't work like it used to. I decided it to do it the all natural way.
But I wanted to go talk to someone who knew how to do it. I got advice from
a nutritionist and a fitness person down at the health club. I even got a
membership, and started working out 3 times a week. That helped out a lot.
Of course, having 5 children I don't have a whole lot of money to be buying
health food, but I found very quickly that eating healthy is not expensive.
It can actually be a lot cheaper now that I didn't have to buy all that junk
food.

I didn't lose a whole lot of weight quickly (I didn't expect to), but I felt
way better all the time. I had more energy, and I felt better about myself.
I also started walking to work every night. The kids, of course, kept me
up and moving all the time as well, and I'm glad they did. It only took a
few months to see some results. I lost 30 pounds in just 4 months... but I
stuck with it and went on to lose 110 more pounds over the coming year and a
half. I was back to a very healthy weight and I noticed people treating me
differently. It's probably because I looked better and had all kinds of
confidence and energy now. My children have never been happier as well.




Based on 103 votes, this diet story has an overall score of: 7.20

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10 - Motivational! 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - Keep Trying

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Comments

(#1) Anonymous posted on Apr 10, 2006 (IP: 209.242.59.18)

keep up the great work. You really have to be there for your kids. that is great the you decided to have this change. god bless you.

(#2) Anonymous posted on Apr 05, 2006 (IP: 64.4.227.164)

Good for you! If all mothers could be like you, the world would be a much better place.

(#3) Anonymous posted on Jan 18, 2006 (IP: 152.163.100.71)

this is great for you and your children. I don't have nearly the roadblocks you had so I should be able to do it too. Thanks for the inspiration!!!

(#4) Anonymous posted on Sep 12, 2005 (IP: 24.215.142.237)

I am also so impressed, not only about losing the weight, but about reclaiming your life! you should be so proud of yourself, good for you.

(#5) Anonymous posted on Aug 17, 2005 (IP: 65.85.139.230)

I am so impressed by your story - You are amazing. What a good person and mother you are. Great job. Keep God in your life and you will always be okay.

(#6) Anonymous posted on Aug 09, 2005 (IP: 198.169.188.227)

Wow!!What an incredible woman to fight back and reclaim her health and life. What a great role model to her children. God bless.