Complaining about your problems is about as effective as trying to carry water in a bucket full of holes.

Complaining is not effective. Action is!

We all face different challenges in our lives and have the difficult task of trying to navigate ourselves toward successful outcomes. Your problem isn’t bigger than your ability to get over it…so get over it!

I used to complain about one of my most challenging and lifelong goals…weight loss! Going back as far as about 2nd grade, I recall praying, wishing, hoping for a change that would make me smaller. A prayer that wasn’t answered. I would cry because I was taunted by others kids, as well as family. That hurt! Being called “fat”,”fat ass” and “Miss Piggy” (all in a derogatory and belittling manner) by family was probably the worst because they were the one unit that was supposed to protect my heart. The pain of those experiences on a bad day still cause tears to fall.

About the time I reached high school, I was smaller…not skinny in my definition, but average. However, I saw myself not as attractive as my peers because of the constant replaying of what I was being called at home. On one hand I was told I was beautiful and on the other…well you get it! It was confusing but finally I decided I didn’t care what anyone thought anymore. I was determined to be comfortable in my skin. I recall my mom giving me some advice that I apply to many different situations to this day. She asked, “Do they have a heaven or a hell to put you in?” I took that to mean that I shouldn’t concern myself with others opinions… And I didn’t even when I went from a size 14 to a size 26 over the next 15 years.

I had periods of time when I would lose weight and feel great. I tried fad diets and was even successfully a vegetarian for over 2 years until I got pregnant and miscarried. That experience, although I rarely talked about it, led to a weight gain of 100lbs. Did you miss that? I gained exactly 100lbs and at my highest was 377. I remember stepping on the scale in March of 2017 and not having any tears left to cry over not being small/skinny. I was focused on getting healthy. I saw the scale it read shorter life, early death, limitations, and not seeing my kids grow up to have their own kids. I was tired of knee pain, tired of excruciating pain from walking only a short distance. Prior to gaining the husky hundred, I was active, even as a larger woman. I enjoyed playing with my kids at the park. I liked riding my bike and going on walks along the lakefront but those things were  becoming further and further away from the realm of possibilities for me.

I decided to live. Although some people tried to talk me out of it, I decided to have weight loss surgery. In March, I began the process and heard various reasons why I shouldn’t but luckily I only needed one reason to go through with it. I heard, “You aren’t that big”, “you can lose it on your own”, “that’s cheating”, “what if you gain it all back?”, and much more. I typically would just answer the question and reply that although I respected their opinion, I was making the best choice for me in the moment and in May of 2017, I did just that.

I want to document my journey for others as I know I am not the only person who has struggled with weight loss. On Facebook and Instagram I have gotten a ton of private messages from people wanting to know my secret and what I have done to get down in size. Well, first of all, it’s no secret! I tell everyone I had the sleeve. Why would I be ashamed of the tool that helped to save and improve my quality of life? Secondly, I try to help everyone who asks by providing all of the information that I have. I figured the best way to capture what I have gone through and continue to face would be best suited here.

So, Girl are you ready to stop complaining? And ready to start living? Join the live conversation over on our Facebook page!

Samantha A.

My epiphany moment on the right and picture to the left was into my journey.