SparkPeople Member
Beth has struggled with weight issues her entire life. She became disabled by degenerative diseases at age 36, leaving her unable to walk on her own and in chronic pain. More than halfway to her goal weight, she has used SparkPeople's resources and community to overcome the obstacles that prevented her from enjoying life. She has lost 150 pounds and counting and was a featured speaker at the Spark Your Life Convention in Cincinnati. She loves meeting her SparkPeople friends, as a way to spread the word that “Life is happening now, not 10 pounds from now.” Once totally bedridden, she now walks on her own and also uses a walker she named "Freedom." Her goal is to reach out to people who feel hopeless and give them hope again, no matter what shape they are in.
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Focus on What You CAN Do, Not What You CAN'T
Today I woke up, like most other days, in pain and wondering how I would make it through. I have chronic pain, so it would be easy to sit in bed and watch television all day. The problem is that, when you do that, real life passes you by, as it did when I ate my way to 460 pounds and ended up in a bedridden state.
Once bedridden, it was extremely difficult to find a way out of my situation and live again. I had to switch my thinking from what I couldn’t do to what I could do. It took a lot of feeling sorry for myself and grieving my losses to come to that point. I had to realize I could no longer do the things I once did, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything. Then I came back with a renewed spirit.
Giving up my choices is actually about living an unhealthy lifestyle. I was giving up my choices by concentrating on what I couldn’t do. I set myself free by concentrating on what I could do.
Posted 7/8/2011 6:00:00 AM By: : 112 comments 26,854 views
How I Found Freedom--and Realized We All Have Choices
I’ve come a long way since topping out at 460 pounds. With SparkPeople, I’ve lost 150 pounds and gained Freedom. Freedom is my seated, wheeled walker. I went from completely bed-ridden to completely dependent on a wheelchair to being able to sometimes use a walker and now sometimes not even having to do that.
So what was it like? My first time walking without my walker or a wheelchair? It was WONDERFUL! It was all encompassing and so worth every bit of pain I felt. You see, I had been trapped in my room for so long and in my house for even longer. I had the occasional wheelchair trip out or walker trip, but those were few and far between. This walk meant my choices were coming back to me.
Posted 7/1/2011 9:00:00 AM By: : 249 comments 35,731 views
5 Ways to See The Bright Side (It Could Help You Lose Weight!)
Seeing the brighter side of things not only makes life more pleasant but can also help you lose weight. Emotional eating is one of the major causes of spinning out of control with food. If you could control your thoughts, maybe you could control what goes on afterward. Another thing about seeing the bright side of things is that it brings on far less stress. Stress causes the release of cortisol, a hormone known to hoard fat in the body, especially around the abdomen.
Here are 5 different ways that I use to try to look at the bright side of any situation and save myself a little stress.
Posted 6/24/2011 10:00:00 AM By: : 87 comments 40,734 views
Make Yourself Happy Without Eating
Sometimes healthy eating gets you down,
Seeing no-good-goodies all around,
Feeling like you shouldn’t eat,
Well, here’s how to smile without a treat...
Posted 6/17/2011 2:00:00 PM By: : 75 comments 36,149 views
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