Wanting to make a change was an easy decision but to actually follow through was difficult. Actually making that change has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do on my own. I tried many many times. I would wake up and say, “Today is the day!” yet it wasn’t. I had been pregnant 8 times but only 3 live births. With every pregnancy, weight was added on. I gained easily but losing it was difficult. With every loss, depressed eating occurred, then my husband deployed in 2019. The morning he left, we found out we were expecting again. Then two months later, I ended up in the ER and my husband was across the world. I felt alone, scared, and sad. After that loss, I tried to pick myself up and had promised myself I would lose weight and surprise my husband when he returned home. Eight months later, I was heavier than before he left. The constant stress, feeling overwhelmed, worrying about him, having to manage the house, going through our 5th pregnancy loss, and life with out him got to me. I was constantly drained, sad, and with very low patience. When he returned we took a cruise (more weight gain), Covid began (more weight gain), and Distance Learning happened for my kids (more weight gain). In April of 2020, we took family front porch pictures. That was the thing to do! When those images came back, I cried. I couldn’t believe that was me. I needed to change. Not because I didn’t look like the models in magazines but because my kids need me. I needed to be around and healthy for them for as long as possible. In those images, I was not healthy. My children are my inspiration and motivation for it all. On May 1, 2020 I started to work out every day. I began to eat healthy. I actually ate more than I ever have in one day but it was all healthy food. I lost 32 lbs in about 3.5 months. I felt AMAZING. I was proud of my commitment and accomplishments. I worked out EVERY DAY for almost 2 years. Fast forward to Summer of 2021, I slowly began to gain weight back. My nutrition wasn’t what is was the summer before but I was still working out every day. I did slowly feel my body strength fade. After some lack of motivation, I decided to commit to The Warehouse in February of 2022. In March of 2022, we went on vacation and my every day working out streak ended. Even still, my journey of eating healthy and working out continues. It’s a never ending journey. It’s really a lifestyle change. I have gained a lot of those initial lost pounds back but every day, I work hard to do better. Not only for me but for my family. I have my weak days, but I know I am strong. I have my days that I feel like I have failed but then I see my children want to work out with me and that pushes me to do better. Becoming healthy hasn’t been as easy as it was in 2020 and I have a long way to go. I know I will trip and fall, but I also know I have support from my family, my warehouse family, and myself. The journey never ends…