“I’ve been heavy my whole life. Even in kindergarten I weighed 70, when everyone else weighed 50. They used to weigh us in front of the whole class and say how much we weighed out loud. It was so embarrassing. I remember when I was 12, I wouldn’t wear shorts because I thought I was too heavy. When I turned 40, I was so unhealthy. I was eating fast food 3 times a day, never exercising and always making bad choices. I knew I needed to make a change. I remember walking around the block and bawling my eyes out because it hurt so bad, but I knew I had to keep going. Since turning 40, I’ve lost 170 pounds. I think about my health everyday. I think about how I want to stay on track and how I want to be even healthier. I don’t ever want to go back to where I was. I feel like it’s a new life for me. Exercise was never part of my life and now it means so much to me. The encouragement, the support and all the love people give me makes me want to try even harder. The key for me is self acceptance. I really want to get there before I die. It’s getting better everyday.”