My Name is KIRA

My name is Kira… and I saved my life. 

I once heard a saying that if you complain more than three times about something without taking action, you are just whining and not really looking for a solution. I guess I whined my whole life about my weight.

I topped out at 345 lbs.

When I was pregnant with my third baby I had gestational diabetes for the second time. I really didn’t watch it as well as I had with the first one and she was born at almost 10 pounds, 4 weeks early. I also had extreme blood pressure problems with the pregnancy, topping out at 195/110 when I delivered. The Doctor told me that I cheated death with that delivery and to really consider not having any more kids.

A couple weeks after my baby was born, I had a dream. I dreamed that I had some illegal drugs and I was taking them to help myself feel better. I’ve never taken drugs in my life, so even in my dream this seemed strange. In the dream my husband took them from me and threw them in the trash. I waited for him to go to work and I pulled them out of the trash and took them anyway. I was crying as I took them, wondering why I was doing that to my body. I woke up sweating. I had the clear impression that the drugs represented my relationship with sugar and flour. I had never been one to eat a package of cookies in the closet, but I did eat sugar, flour, and proportions, which I knew my body didn’t process.

My wake-up call came when—6 weeks after I had my baby—the Doctor said I was still really close to full blown diabetes. My blood pressure was not down to normal either. If I continued down the path I was on, I was going to have serious problems that would not allow me to raise my children. I wanted to be able to play with my children, hike with my family, run, but most importantly LIVE!

For years I had thought that I ate healthier than my friends. They could eat “anything they wanted” and still not gain weight. I finally realized that it didn’t matter what my friends could get away with eating... they were NOT me! I was responsible for me. I quit flour and sugar cold turkey on July 6, 2011 using a God based program that I found and I even decided to watch dressings and sauces that had sugar in them. I was going to take back my life!

Here it is a little over one year later. I still have a ways to go on this journey but for now my blood sugar is that of a teenager, my blood pressure is very low, my cholesterol is fabulous and I am happy to say that...     I am down 110  lbs!

I turned it around. I am finally healthy. I am happy. I don’t have guilt.

I am Kira….  and I am the kind of Mom I want to be!

**Remember the purpose of this series is to open our hearts, to interact, to uplift, to support and to grow. Kira will be reading your comments so, you may comment directly to her. 

**Kira... first off, congratulations! Second, this is SO empowering! It is beyond admirable that you recognized the issue at hand, mentally decided to change and then, quite literally, took back control of your life through dedication and willpower. Third, keep up the hard work because not only are you healthier and feeling better, YOU ARE STUNNING! This reminds me of just how powerful we really are! Awesome, awesome!