Karen (Before and After)

“My name is Karen and I think many Mothers will be able to relate to my story. As a child I was never considered thin. When I hit my twenties, I tired of being seen as “the fat friend” and decided to join Weight Watchers. I really learned how to eat healthy and exercise there. I didn’t reach the “normal range” for my height but I did manage to lose sixty pounds and I kept them off for five years. During this time I met Dominic. We were married and when we eventually became pregnant, we were thrilled.

Like most Moms, my weight really crept up after giving birth to my daughter. During the pregnancy I was “good”. I ate well and put on the thirty pounds the doctors usually expect you to gain. We brought our daughter home. She was so beautiful and my husband and I settled in, to adjust to parenthood, for the next six weeks.

I felt like I was just getting the hang of it all, and was so enjoying being home with my baby, when I had to return to work. This was before the family medical leave act and if I wanted to stay home it would have meant taking an unpaid leave and more importantly losing my health benefits. (My husband had very limited benefits at the time as well.) So back to work I, reluctantly, went and my daughter stayed with a childcare provider.

The stress of the situation was somewhat relieved after she started to sleep through the night. However, I had the help of two friends "Ben and Jerry". They would “numb” the situation, each night, until I got tired and fell into a sugar coma. As my daughter celebrated her first birthday I found I didn’t need their help as much but the weight was already there. I don’t even remember weighing myself... I just bought bigger clothes.

I liken my weight issue to that junk drawer we all have in our houses. You keep filling it with stuff and then shut it quickly, vowing to clean it out...someday. My weight was just like that, something I would get to....someday.

I did try a few more stints at Weight Watchers but as soon as I hit a plateau, I hated to keep paying, so I would just stop going. After September 11, 2001 I started to really worry about my health. Would my family and I be able to survive if we were attacked here?

I saw an ad one day, for a new kind of exercise place for women, which said you could get into better shape in just thirty minutes, a few times a week. It sounded interesting so I tried it. It was fun and I loved it! It was the perfect kind of exercise for a person who hates to exercise. I found myself going the recommended three times a week but the weight still wouldn’t budge. I was at a crossroads, not knowing what to do, but so tired of carrying around the extra fifty pounds I had put on.

Then in December of 2007 I saw an announcement in the church bulletin for a new weight loss group that would be starting in January at Holy Family. I thought, “What have I got to lose....hopefully weight!" So in January of 2008 I became one of the first members of “Pray it Off” (PIO).

I immediately felt at home with everyone. Ellen was funny, warm and caring. My tablemates were very supportive but most of all I finally let the Lord in to help me with my weight.

I am a cradle Catholic but it never occurred to me that God could help me with my weight problem. I guess I felt He wouldn’t think it was important enough. I was wrong. He cares greatly about every aspect of my life. I kept moving more and eating less. By the fall of 2008 I had lost FORTY POUNDS!



I was elated. I really felt that, this time, I had truly changed my life.

I had a new life style and I wasn’t going back. I thought, “Wow! In another month I‘ll take off the last 10 lbs and be in the promised “land of maintenance.” But alas, here I am, in 2010, still trying to lose those last ten pounds.

But the good news is that this plateau has led me to delving deeper into my hypothyroidism, perimenopause and metabolism issues. I do believe that the Lord has a reason for everything. This maintenance period has allowed me to get more comfortable in my own skin. Plus, I believe that keeping off those forty pounds is a true victory.

The weight loss has also given me a new sense of confidence. This spring I am running for West Genesee School Board. (Please vote on May 18th!!) This is something I would have never thought to do forty pounds ago.

Leaving the "Pray It Off" group will never be an option. I need the weekly support. It keeps me centered and accountable. Much in the same way weekly mass helps me. I also think that my journey can, perhaps, help and inspire someone else.

So you’ll find me, each week, at Table 4, sharing my thoughts and moving forward in my journey with the support of Ellen and all my friends at PIO.”