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Name: Tracy Meuschke (TRACY31502) Weight Lost: 212 pounds Hometown: South Bend, IN Occupation: Stay-at-home mom What was life like before losing weight? I have ALWAYS been obese! At the age of 12, I was 255 pounds and on the Jenny Craig program. I stayed on for about four weeks, losing about five pounds, and then quit. I just kept going up and up from there. I was 325 pounds in high school. I was around 300 pounds when I got married and then gained 73 pounds within the first two years of our marriage. I had lost two pregnancies and just hit an all-time low and didn't take care of myself. I'm sure my weight played a big role in having my miscarriages. At my highest weight, I was happy with everyone around me, but not happy with myself. I honestly didn't realize I was as big as I was and I didn't realize all the things from which my weight was holding me back. I mean, shaving my legs or even putting on my shoes was a chore. Walking just a half mile was huge for me. I would breathe heavily even when doing nothing. What was your "A-Ha moment" that made you get serious about losing the weight? One morning, I just broke down. I felt like no diet was working and I didn't know what to do. I actually contemplated surgery. But after some praying about what to do, I just started cutting down on what I ate and started moving! What was the main motivation behind your weight loss? My biggest motivation was that I wanted to have a healthy pregnancy and baby not just for myself but also because my husband wanted to be a dad so much. Our losses were the toughest thing we had ever been through, but they made us grow as a couple and got me on the track to healthy living!  Tell us a bit about your weight loss journey. I started reducing the amount of food I was eating and just started moving more! I lost around 123 pounds and became pregnant with my son. I had a healthy pregnancy, but I gained 75 pounds! So once I had him, I had to start over. But when I did, I went at it full force. I lost those 75 pounds I had gained, plus 15 more, putting me at 235 pounds. (138 pounds down from my heaviest). When I hit that mark, I became pregnant with my daughter. I had another great pregnancy but gained 65 pounds, putting me back up around 300 pounds. This time, I started right away and signed up with SparkPeople.com just days after having my little girl. I knew I needed some extra help if I was going to lose this weight and keep it off this time for good. I lost 129 pounds with SparkPeople and am now down 210 pounds overall! The fact that I can log my calories on the SparkPeople app is huge for me. Setting goals on SparkPeople helps me be accountable. And of course, a huge one, SUPPORT, SUPPORT and more SUPPORT!!! It never fails that if I'm having a rough day; my SparkFriends are there to say just the right thing!  How has your life changed since losing weight and improving your health? Once I had my children, my motivation was to be a healthy wife and mom! I don't ever want to be the mom sitting on the sidelines that cannot be out there playing with her kids and has to watch her husband out there building memories with them. I don't want to be the mom at the amusement park who has to tell their child: “No, I can't ride that with you because I don't fit in the seat.” I don't want my kids to miss out on all that life has for them because I couldn't get myself fit and healthy. There is so much more to life than I ever thought there was when I was 373 pounds. I am now truly LIVING!  What a great story, Tracy! *Weight loss results will vary from person to person. No individual result should be seen as a typical result of following the SparkPeople program. Have you lost weight and kept it off using SparkPeople.com? We'd love to share your story. Email us: sparkpeoplesuccess (at) gmail (dot) com |
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