Three years later, I finally had a wakeup call: My son started running, and I couldn't keep up with him. I said to my husband, "I'm going to lose weight. I don't know how, but I'm going to do it." (Take back control of your eating—and lose weight in the process—with our 21-Day Challenge!)
What my husband did next changed everything: He bought me a treadmill. I no longer had to risk having a seizure while I was at the gym or on the sidewalk, and it became my most important weight loss tool.
Photograph by Kate T. Parker
I never knew when a seizure would strike, but I could feel one coming on when I was exercising. A bubble would start rising up the back of my neck, followed by shaky chills; I would step off the treadmill and lay on my bed, sometimes not waking up for 2 hours. But when I came to, I would push myself to get back onto the treadmill and finish my workout.
In the kitchen, I realized that healthy food didn't have to be time consuming. With smart swaps, like herbs instead of fat, everything tasted so good that I didn't miss the comfort foods.
Then in 2008, just when I had dropped 90 pounds and my health was improving, my seizures got significantly worse. My only option was surgery on my frontal lobe to remove the scar tissue. It was incredibly risky, but after a lot of thinking and prayer, I found the peace I needed to go through with the surgery. My prayers were answered, and now I'm completely seizure-free.
Photograph by Kate T. Parker
Since I started my weight loss journey, I've lost more than 150 pounds and became a personal trainer. Now I help others who are struggling by repeating the powerful words I said to myself whenever I'd climb back onto the treadmill after a seizure: "Yes, you can."
