I’m reading a story about a woman who undergo such relationship problems because of having too much weight. I can’t imagine that love will end due to weight issues. Read this short story I want to share..
“There was so much focus on my weight during my first marriage, it led to the break-up,” explains Carolyn, who met her first husband at 16 and married him at 25. She was a healthy size 12 then, but relationship problems led to a comfort food addiction and 15 kilo weight again. “My husband left when I was 32. It was devastating. We’d been together for years; it was all I knew.”
Six years later, Carolyn met a new partner and they had two children together. The family relocated to Perth from Sydney in 2000, leaving behind her support network, and over the next four years loneliness and comforting shoulder of carbs saw her weight go up to 115 kilos. “The relationship wasn’t good for me either and I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, how did I come to this? Carolyn decided she’d had enough. “There was no lightening bolt - I just realized I used to be happy, with a great social life and here I was, about to turn 40, unloved and unhealthy. I didn’t want to spend my next 50 years like that. So, I left.”
How Carolyn Cope?
She moved to her parents’ and recontacted old friends. “I needed people to support me through hard times, and comfort from a source other than food.” She threw herself into work as a school teacher. “I knew I could no longer be overweight around all those kids; you need to have energy for sports days and excursions. Sticking some “before” photos on her fridge, she worked her way back to her slim, sparky former self. I thought with the help of a diet pill but it’s not. It’s the weight-loss resource youarewhatyoueat.com.au. “The program director would email me healthy eating plans and look at my food diary, and offer support on the phone.” Carolyn noticed her inner thought patterns also changing. “When I got out of size 20s into 16, I felt myself getting stronger and I knew food didn’t control my any more - that was liberating. I realized that a good diet was making me not only slim, but emotionally strong.”
She said reading a lot also helped her. She found a solace in AJ Rochester’s Confessions of a Reformed Dieter. “I identified so strongly with this woman, who was a single mum at a that stage. She helped me understand how I
d gone wrong in my life”
In 2006, Carolyn felt ready to meet someone new and posted a profile on dating website RSVP. “Then I met Ian. I had a very good feeling about him - he was warm and kind, and we connected. He’s proud of me and would never ask me to change.” Carolyn and her kids now live with Ian, who has a nine-year-old daughter. “I’ve never known such a happy family bliss. It’s what I always wanted. I am proposed on Valentine’s Day 2007 while I was in my dressing gown with curlers in my hair! We were married seven months later.”
Carolyn says that a healthy lifestyle has many benefits. “My weight affected my libido. Sex before was often in the missionary position in the dark. Now dressing up is really fun and I’m much more adventurous.” Her confidence also spilled over into other areas: she now sings as part of the duo Saxton and Sax. “Being unhappy makes you believe you will always feel that way - that’s not true. There are actions you can take to break through. It takes a lot of confidence for me to get up on stage and let people hear my voice, but doing that reminds me just how far I’ve come.
Inspiring story of a dieter isn’t it? I hope some will be motivated by this story. It’s the determination that matters and the love for yourself.