It Begins

Hi. My name is Ginny and I am morbidly obese. You're probably thinking that this is a strange way to introduce myself, but the truth is that this is the exact introduction people get when they first meet me face-to-face. There's no hiding it. It is part of who I am. It is not, however, all of who I am. I am also wife to an awesome husband and mother of the three best kids in the whole wide world. I am a singer, an artist, a cook, a baker, a dreamer and an achiever.

My size is not all there is to me and it should not be my defining characteristic. I am afraid, however, that it all-to-often becomes just that--and I am the worst offender for this line of thinking. Frankly, I obsess over my weight. Night and day. Hardly a moment goes by when I'm not thinking about it. Honestly, it's hard not to.

The thing that most of you who aren't obese may not realize is that it hurts. A lot. Imagine carrying yourself around on your back all day. And all night. And again tomorrow, and the day after that. After awhile, you'd get a little sore, wouldn't you? Your back would hurt. Your knees and feet would be killing you and you'd probably want to sit down as much as possible. You would toss and turn at night because you're too sore to get comfortable. Many activities would be difficult or impossible because of your size. Welcome to my world. But please don't pity me. I did this to myself.

So, why not just lose the weight? It's a question that I ask myself every day. I've gotten really good at making excuses about why today is not a good day to start eating right or why tomorrow won't be a good day to work out. When I take the time to be honest with myself, I realize that it's all rubbish. I've gotten good at making the excuses and packing on the pounds. Some of my excuses are really good, I must admit, but I've had enough. I'm fed up with this life and I am ready for a change.

This is my story as I work to make the changes that I so desperately need. This is my outlet to express the ups and downs of my journey and seek to hold myself accountable. Judge me if you must, but your encouragement would be much more valuable. This is your chance to laugh and cry with me and support my efforts. This is the story of how I'm going to get healthy.