CarmenSantiago
46 years old : Female : , KS
"One Day At a Time"
About Me
UPDATE: 9-30-09
Hi everyone, I've been a bad girl and haven't been around here as much as I should have as of late. I kinda fell off track after I got back from my Florida vacation in late July. Anyway I gained about 15 pounds back in August and have been really working on getting back to my pre vacation weight soon. I have about 9 pounds to go but I'm working it! It's good to see all of you, old and new faces! Good Luck to you all on your journey.
A little about me if you want to know. I am 45 and a divorced mother of two wonderful (but exhausting) pre teen boys. I had weight loss surgery in 2003 and lost apx 150 pounds from my 5ft 400+ body to get to around 250. I never had it easy and I had to really work with the surgery to lose that amount of weight. I gained some of the weight back to get to about 280 in 2005/2006 as my mother died and I was going through a rough patch in my marriage. Anyway, through determination and sweat I've rid myself of those pounds to get to 200. I still have quite a bit to lose to get to about 120 which is probably still kind of high for my height, but I'll be happy there.
I know there is a lot of controversy where weight loss surgery is concerned. I don't speak for anyone else, but for me it saved my life. LIke I said I didn't "waste away" after surgery. I had to really work at it as I found out early I could still emotionally eat.
I've always been overweight since I was very young. My dad was morbidly obese and came from a huge Spanish family that ate all the time and not healthy stuff. I started out just being overweight by about 50 pounds ( I know that is a lot to most)but it got worse for me. My dad died when I was 16 and this devastated me. Until I was about 21 or so I took off weight and gained the same weight or more back, I was always on or off a diet. I got married when I was 23 and then really got serious about gaining weight. It was a very hard marriage and I ate to fend off the pain a lot. That is how I'd always coped in the past. After 2 kids well, you know the rest of the story.
I'm healthier now on my way to 50 then I have ever been in my life. I'd like to say I wish I knew back then what I know now but I guess I had to go through the stuff to learn something from it. I started dieting at 13 living on 800 calories a day and exercising like a fiend. Man, I messed up my metabolism to the point I don't think I have one now. I've been going uphill for a very long time now. I can finally see the horizon and it's downhill now baby.
Thanks for reading,
Why I Want To Get In Shape
To see my kids grow up and have kids of their own. So that I can see their faces first hand when their kids act just the way they act now. Sweeeetttt ;-)
My dad died at the ripe old age of 53 of colon cancer. He was morbidly obese and in my opinion that was definitely a contributing factor. I don't want this to be my fate.
My Inspirations
- Christian and Joshua
- To live long enough to be a burden to the above children. ;-)
Progress Add To Your Website
Member Comments View All (8)
Cute new Av!!
I live in Fort Lauderdale. Love Ft Myers
Hi Carmen, thanks for the request yeh Ireland seems pretty popular personally I prefer the sun!!!! But your right its pretty green. Thanks for the hospitality everyone here seems great, very supportive honest and welcoming. Good luck to you all!!! Looking to forward to losing weight with you all!!!