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Introduction Text YOU ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT AT LIVING THIS LIFE!! DON'T WASTE IT, AND DON'T LIVE IT FOR YOURSELF!! LIVE IT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!! ~ Travis Cottrell Hi! My name is Mary and I live in Virginia. I am happily married to a wonderful husband named Chuck. We have 4 beautiful living children, and 2 beautifully precious angels in Heaven. I started Spark at 330lbs, with one of my highest weights being 355 after I was pregnant with my last son. After years of ups and downs, I reached 405 as my highest ever. My goal is to be around 155-175. I am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm bored, sad, angry, upset, anxious, etc. I am starting slowly after having been out of commission for nearly two years with health issues. I plan to slowly add walking into my program, as well as strength training. I have a strong love of strength training, and can't wait to add that back in!! Hopefully even a gym membership soon!! I never thought I would become a gym junkie, but I can't wait to get back to pumping that iron!! I look forward to making some friends and being as supportive as possible to each of you. God Bless, Mary Mommy to Christina, Kelly, Benjamin, ^Adam^, ^Collin^, and Darin ~~ Our precious little angels....forever loved....forever missed!! ~~ ************************************ Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. -- Harold B. Melchart *********************************** Sometimes that mountain your climbing, is just a grain of sand! *********************************** When you come up to a mountain, there's two things you can do. Either go around it, or climb over it. The first way is the easiest, but you miss the view from the top. Are you afraid of heights? ~~ Grandpa Walton *********************************** **Update - 5/23/08 - I am still struggling some with the cardio side of exercising, so I added some strength training this week. It felt so good.......sore....but good...LOL! **Update - 6/11/08 - Still adding cardio slowly, and steadily adding the strength training. It feels great! I've also never been much of a calorie counter, but have recently started tracking all of my food on the spark nutrition tracker and seen lots of results! It also helps me to be accountable to myself, as well as to the teams that I belong to. Posting to them each day what I eat and exercise keeps me motivated! **Update - 7/25/08 - Today I got in three 1 mile walks!! For someone who used to get winded walking down my hall, I never imagined I could do that! My goal is to eventually work up to 5 miles a day (at one time). I WILL GET THERE!! **Update - 9/22/08 - Cardio endurance is getting better. Just have to stick with it. If I stop for a day or two, it's like starting all over again. My husband and I got in a 3 mile walk yesterday, no sitting, for 1 hour 19 minutes!!! YAY!! I haven't been able to do that since before the millenium!! **Update - 9/29/08 - WOOOHOOO!! 299.2 this morning! BYE BYE 300's!! **Update - 4/25/09 - We had our March of Dimes walk today, and I didn't get to finish. The temperature reached 90 here today, so since it was so hot they only had everyone walking 2 miles instead of the 5. I started out good, ate breakfast, drank water, had water with me, but still got heat exhaustion. I was able to walk a little over a mile before my blood pressure spiked, my face got blood red, and I almost fainted. Needless to say I spent the rest of the walk sitting in the shade sipping water. Chuck and our children all got to finish the 2 miles though, and I am so proud of them. It was a very emotional day remembering our precious angels Adam and Collin, and not getting to finish broke my heart. I feel like I failed myself. I know that I couldn't help the heat, but I could help getting to over 300 lbs. I don't think the heat would have bothered me as much if it hadn't been for my bad cardio conditioning. This was a real wake up call for me as to how far I have let myself go, and I KNOW that next year I'm going to weigh alot less, and walk the entire walk!! Thanks to everyone here on Spark for all of your support over the last year. I know I'm going to need it even more over the next year, and I pray that I can help each of you as I'm on my journey as well. **Update - 5/16/09 - Today I started a new twelve week personal challenge with myself. I am working towards new habits, and plan on making this the turn around I need. **Progress Update - 5/21/09 - Working hard to stay on track today! I beat one of my own personal workout goals. When I started going to the gym three months ago, I could barely last two minutes on the bikes. I gradually worked up to 5-7 minutes each time. On Tuesday my middle daughter went with me and played Jillian for me...LOL! She pushed me until I got 11 minutes! That felt good after I could walk again...so I decided to at least do eleven again today for her even if she wasn't there. So I put the radio on a Christian music channel and got started. I told myself that I would ride through three songs besides the one that was on. So off I went, through the first, the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth song!! I was feeling so good that I kept going for 20 minutes! YAY!! I almost stopped at eighteen, but I told myself 'I've come this far, two more minutes won't hurt'. From 2 minutes to 20 minutes.....from half a mile to 6.56 miles!!! Little signs of progess feel so good!! Keep climbing that mountain!! With time, and a lot of strength from God, it does get easier! **Update - 4/1/10 - After being absent from Spark mostly for several months, and not wanting to believe that I hit a new highest weight of 365 in January , I sit here today at 375. I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt defeated at the moment. However, I will not let this keep me down. If I do, then where will that get me?? Be on the lookout for new updates, because I'm setting out with renewed vigor and determination!! I CAN DO THIS....AND I WILL!! **UPDATE 12/27/17 It's been quite a while since I've been on spark, due to 2 years of health problems. I'm still not 100%, and still have days where exercise, at least "normal exercise" is not an option as I continue to heal, but I'm not going to continue to let that hold me back any more!! 2018 is my year to get healthy!! ************************************ ************************************ ** mile accomplishments - goal 5 miles at once ** 7/23/08 - 1 mile! 8/18/08 - 1.25 miles! 8/19/08 - 1.5 miles!! 8/25/08 - 1.75 miles!! 9/17/08 - 1.8 miles!! 9/18/08 - 2 miles!! WOOHOO!! 9/21/08 - 3 miles!! ALL RIGHT!! 10/19/08 - 4 miles!! WOOOHOOO!! 3/24/10 - I had a huge setback, and now can barely make it a 1/4 of a mile. New accomplishments on the way! 12/27/17 - After the health issues, walking one tenth of a mile leaves me winded and exhausted. I can only grow from here!! **** 1 mile time accomplishments **** 7/25/08 - 20 minutes! 7/26/08 - 19 minutes 40 seconds!! 8/5/08 - 19 minutes 30 seconds!! 3/15/09 - 17 minutes 44 seconds!! ************************************ Other weight loss benefits: Starting BMI: 60.7 Current BMI: 55.2 Dropped : 5.5 points Starting Neck Measurements: 15.25 Current Neck Measurements: 15.12 Inches lost: 1/8th Starting Bust Measurements: 56 Current Bust Measurements: 53.5 Inches lost: 2.5 Starting Waist Measurements: 53.25 Current Waist Measurements: 49.5 Inches lost: 3.75 Starting Hip Measurements: 72 Current Hip Measurements: 63.75 Inches lost: 8.25 Total Body Inches Lost To Date: ************************************ Living for my children is definitely the largest and most important reason for losing this weight. Here are my other weight-loss rewards: 10 % non-food weight loss rewards: starting weight 2018 - 347 10% = 35 lbs = 312 **** 10% = 32 lbs = 280 **** 10% = 28 lbs = 252 **** 10% = 25 lbs = 227 **** 10% = 23 lbs = 204 **** 10% = 21 lbs = 183 **** 10% = 19 lbs = 164 **** 5% = 9 lbs = 155 final goal **** romantic night out with hubby ************************************** Getting in Shape Training: (These are exercise goals that I want to build up to as my health improves! Baby steps to begin....) **I plan to drink at least 10-12 glasses of water daily. **Strength training 3 times a week. **Walking daily, building to a 5 mile endurance walk, and a one mile power walk. **At least 30 minutes of outside activity with my children daily, weather permitting. **Tae-bo or other aerobic workout 3 times a week, opposite of strength training.

To be able to play with my children without huffing and puffing after 2 minutes!! My biggest goal is to improve my health so that I will be here for my kids. I want to see them grown up and see my grandkids. I know that if I don't do something now I won't be!! ******************* Total Losses on spark since my restart in January of 2011 - Heighest weight - 400 Starting weight - 377.4 January -

Drinking at least 64-80 ounces of water a day. Building up to walking 2 miles a day. Lifting weights and strength training 3 days a week. Eating lots of fruits and veggies. Cutting out fast foods, fried foods, and highly processed foods. Trying to eat more natural foods.

My husband recently joined spark also. He isn't online often, but he follows the program with me. Check out his page and send him so Spark Love.....CHUCKD1204!!! One of my sisters and her husband are also members of Spark. Look them up as AWORKNPROGRESS1 and BIGTC72 and give them some Spark Love!!

My family is very important to me, and I can't wait till I can spend more time with them outside. I want to be able to chase my kids through the park, and go to the pool with them without hiding my body and feeling ashamed. I love to read Christian fiction books. My favorite right now are the amish based books. My favorite author is Beverly Lewis, and Wanda E. Brunstetter is my second. My sister has recommended Lauraine Snelling and Lori Wick as well. I'm working on one of Snelling's books now, and so far I like it. I love nature, especially when it comes to photography. God paints such beautiful masterpieces! I am a stay at home mom, and a full-time college student. (Nursing Program) I love spending the extra time with my children, especially while they are young.

Add a Link God Bless....Mary Mommy to Christina, Kelly, Benjamin, ^Adam^, ^Collin^, and Darin ~~ Our precious little angels.....forever loved.....forever missed!! ~~ With God ALL things are possible!! Praising God!! When all I see is my worst, He sees my best!! Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!!
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