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I never really had a big problem with my weight until my 2nd pregnancy. During high school I was thin, lots of boyfriends, my weight was probably about 115-118. I am 5'4". I got pregnant when I was 19, in 1987, and gained about 40 pounds, Kayla was born in November of 87. When I started dating my now-husband in February 89, I was about 140 pounds. We got married in May of 1992, and I was down to 130 pounds. I got pregnant right away, and gained 70 pounds. Allie was born in June of 93, and by February I was pregnant again. Taylor was born in October 94, and then Jamie came along in September of 96. I have no idea how big I was at that point, probably about 210. In 1997 I took phen-fen, and for me it was a magic pill. I lost 30 pounds in one month, and was never hungry. The 2nd month I began taking it was when they pulled it off the market. Of course the weight came back right away. From mid 1997-1999 I continued to gain weight, up to about 225 pounds, 100 pounds more then when I was married, in 7 years. I stayed at 225 pounds from Feb 99 until I got pregnant again in November of 2000. 6 months into the pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The statistics on GD were scary - 10% retain the diabetes after the pregnancy, plus I have a 90% chance of being diagnosed with diabetes in the next 7-10 years. The nutritionist told me I would greatly improve my chances of being in the 10% by losing weight and exercising. Up to that point in my pregnancy, I had gained about 22 pounds. The nutritionist put me on a strict eating regimen, I was allowed a certain amount of carbs protein and fat for each meal and snack, I had to eat every 2 hours, and check my blood sugar 4 times per day. I followed my diet to the letter, because I was terrified that I would hurt my baby if I didn't control the sugar. I lost all the weight I had gained during the pregnancy during the next 3 months. They induced labor 3 weeks early out of concern for the size of the baby, and indeed, he was 8 pounds 1/2 oz already! After he was born, the diabetes went away, and since how I ate no longer affected my baby directly, I could not seem to get back to following that regimen. He was born in August of 2001. I was back at 225 pounds then, and could not seem to get motivated to lose it, even though the thought of diabetes was never far from mind. In November, my mom started talking about a lady she worked with who was doing WW and doing very well on it. I found this list and joined, and was trying to do it on my own, but went absolutely nowhere. I kept trying to convince my husband to let me go to meetings, and he kept saying we couldn't afford it. Finally, in December, he said I could start. He said to just go for awhile, learn the system, and then do it on my own. My first meeting was January 2nd, 2002, and I weighed in at 225.6. I went home and cried. Even though I knew I weighed that much, it was different somehow seeing it written down on paper. I began losing fairly consistently, I do have weeks where I gain but it is usually from TOM. After the first 25 pounds, I asked my husband if he wanted me to stop going to meetings to save money, and he said, ummm..no. And as of today, July 17, 2002, I have lost 50 pounds. My goal is to lose 55 more pounds, and I know I will get there. WW, works for me, but only if I follow the program completely. If I leave anything out, such as vegetables, or water, or journaling, or exercise, I do not do as well. I tried so many fad type diets and pills in the past, and nothing works like WW. I love this program, and I love this list, the two together have been my lifeline. And if I can do this, anyone can!
Kerri Goblirsch
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