As some of you know, I have recently been making some major lifestyle changes, learning to eat a whole food organic diet and starting the Insanity workout program. What you may not know is why this has become so important to me.
When I was 19 years old, I became pregnant with a beautiful baby girl who I later named Mariah. At that time, I weighed 121 lbs. and actually considered myself to be overweight. I am 5'2" just for reference. I was active and went rock climbing at a local gym. Despite my attempts to eat somewhat healthy food, I gained 33 lbs. and this weight was not hard to lose. Within just a few months, I was back to normal with just a few new "marks". When Mariah was 3 years old, I married Jeff. I was pregnant at the time and gained another 37 lbs. During that pregnancy. I was able to lose all but ten pounds when I became pregnant again. As usual, I began to gain weight almost immediately and very quickly. At 7.5 weeks of pregnancy, I suffered a miscarriage. I had miscarried before very early in another pregnancy, but without the rapid weight gain. After a few days, I began to feel stronger symptoms of pregnancy and found out that I was still pregnant despite having miscarried. This was indicative that I had been carrying twins. I kept gaining weight until 2 weeks later when I suffered yet another miscarriage. The doctor gave us the green light to keep trying and so we did. The very next month, I became pregnant again. I never had time to lose the weight of the twin pregnancy but I was overjoyed to be pregnant again. After 7 1/2 weeks, the doctors declared that I had suffered yet another miscarriage. It was devastating.
Jeff and I went through chromosomal testing which came back that we were both normal. The very next month after the third consecutive miscarriage, we decided to stop trying to conceive. Three weeks later, I found out I was pregnant again. This was my pregnancy with my son, Colt. I started this pregnancy after three miscarriages and months of weight gain and hormonal fluctuations. I was 143 lbs. I then gained 44 lbs.
On the day of giving birth, I was 187 lbs. My body had been through so much by this point. Then, during delivery, my blood pressure dropped to 60/40 and my pulse was 40. I was rushed into c-section.
I spent six weeks recovering from the c-section but something just didn't feel right. I began getting dizzy and nauseated all throughout the day and then I began having "near-fainting" episodes. Then while attempting to do the p90x workout program, I collapsed. This inspired me to visit my doctor who did an EKG and told me it was abnormal. I visited a cardiologist and was told that I had an arrhythmia and a hole between the atriums of my heart that could cause an aneurism. I was told that I would need a pacemaker and I was restricted from exercising in any way that made my heart rate rise above 150 bpm. I asked how I was supposed to lose the weight I had gained through pregnancy and was told that my heart health was a priority, not weight loss. I was 163 lbs. at the time. I was told that a power walk was the most exercise I would do. It was mentally crushing to think that i would have to live in my fat body with joint pain and fatigue forever. I hated looking in the mirror being disgusted at my own appearance. This caused me to lose all self-confidence and begin to hate myself. I stopped wearing "cute" clothes thinking, "what is the point?"
I dreaded the thought that someone might take a picture of me and tag me
on Facebook. I would quickly try to delete any pictures of myself that anyone took. I began to cry before God asking why this was happening to me. I prayed for healing of my heart continually and told God that if He healed my heart, I would trust Him to help me lose the weight through diet and exercise.
I prayed and prayed, and asked others to pray for healing of my heart. One day, while visiting a new church, I went to the front to have the prayer team pray for me. We agreed in prayer for God to heal my heart. From that moment on, I felt different. A couple of months later I went to the cardiologist and he declared that my heart "healed itself" and that I wad totally healthy and normal. There is nothing wrong with my heart. I ran on a treadmill during a stress test and then had an ultrasound of my heart which showed the hole that had existed and showed it was completely healed.
As promised to God, I began to pray for wisdom about making healthier choices with diet and exercise. Right before I was healed, I had visited the ER and had an EKG performed that showed evidence of a possible previous heart attack. This was all healed. Now I am eating a whole foods and organic diet, called "clean eating" and I am able to do the Insanity workout program without a flutter in my heart, dizziness or fainting. The doctors said I would never be able to do this.
But with God, nothing is impossible. Today, I am 144 lbs. I've lost 43 lbs already but I'm just getting started. My goal is to weigh 125 lbs., but most all be healthier than I have ever been in my life, and be in better physical shape.
Please pray for me as I continue down this path where God is leading me. I can do nothing apart from Him, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
By the way, I thank God every day for the three beautiful children He has given me on this earth and I cannot wait to meet the 6 other babies that I have lost over the past 10 years. I know they are with Jesus and I will one day see each of them in heaven.
I hope my story encourages you to believe God to do the impossible. I pray that you are blessed in Jesus name.
In His Love,
Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment