At 38 years old, and weighing in at 329 pounds, I was walking a tight-wire, teetering on the brink of divorce, ruined family relationships and possibly death. While my husband was supportive, he found that he was no longer physically attracted to me, and told me so. I was devastated, but couldn’t blame him. My children were disappointed that I could no longer play with them, or join in family activities. I suffered from hypertension, sleep apnea, arthritis and several other weight-related issues.

I had not been obese all of my life. I was always ten to twenty pounds overweight, but I looked and felt good, and was happy with my life. My weight problem began to creep up on me after I married, and began to have children. I gained weight with each pregnancy, and after three births, weighed over 200 pounds.

I tried several diets in an effort to lose the weight, and I did lose approximately fifty-five pounds. Things were going well until my father found out he had terminal lung cancer. Our whole family was devastated. He passed away fourteen weeks after the diagnosis, and I could not cope with losing him. I began eating all day long to numb the pain, and when I wasn’t eating, I stayed in bed and slept so that I didn’t have to face reality.

I could see what was happening to me, but I didn’t have the power to overcome it. My husband began to withdraw from me, spending more time at work, and with his friends. I worried that he might cheat on me, but I didn’t have the energy to care. My children had to spend too much time alone, or keeping each other company while I began to drown in my sea of sorrow. My weight began to rise again, and I eventually ballooned to over 300 pounds, a number that scared me to death.

My epiphany came one day when I heard my 5 year-old daughter ask her daddy why mommy was so sad, and didn’t play with her anymore. My husband was so distraught by this, he warned me that if I did not get help, he was thinking of leaving me.

I began to realize that I needed to do something, and now. I made an appointment with my physician, and he immediately put me on an anti-depressant medication which turned my life around after a month or so.

Now that I felt better, I began to work on my weight problem. I sought counseling for my grief, and as my heart healed, I was able to begin an exercise program, and start eating better.

I chose not to follow a diet plan, but did a lot of research on the Mediterranean way of eating. I began to eat more salad, vegetables and lean protein, such as chicken and fish. I snacked on almonds and pumpkin seeds, along with Greek yogurt with a handful of berries mixed in. I gave up white bread, sugar and soft drinks. I lowered my carbohydrate intake, and ate whole-grain breads and enjoyed fruit instead of chips and sweets.

I began to lose weight, quickly at first, then slowing down to approximately 2-3 pounds per week. It has been almost a year, and I can proudly say that I have lost 90 pounds. I have a ways to go, but seeing how proud my family is of me, and how great I look and feel gives me the motivation to press on.

If you are suffering from obesity, I would recommend doing what I did. Stay away from fad diets, and counting calories and carbs. Instead, learn how to eat nutritiously, and create an exercise plan. If you are depressed, as many obese people are, get help. You will be amazed at how your life will change for the better!