Take a moment and imagine that you stand five feet eight inches, weigh 318 pounds, wear a size 24/26, and a single mother of a six year old that weighs 94 pounds that is under a doctor’s supervision for health issues that are related to her current weight. Your child comes to you and tells you that her classmates are calling her names such as fatty or slow runner. As you hold her in your arms to comfort her, you are sobbing inside. As you strive to make things better to help your child, you are frustrated because you feel like a failure and can’t even help yourself. You can’t turn to the child’s father because of his weight problem that kept him hospitalized several times during the year in ICU for congestive heart failure due to weighing more than 450 pounds. You start to feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and you strive to find a solution. You begin Internet searches on programs or activities that will help with the battle, but money is an issue. Knowing that all household funds are being used to supply the basic needs for your family, you feel hopeless and all alone.
You get anxiety to travel on an airplane. The fear trickles through your mind as you walk briskly in the airport, out of breath as you try to get a flight that you are moments from missing. The fear of crawling over other passengers and through the aisle because the flight is full, fear of taking up part of your neighbor’s seat, not wanting to drink because the fear of having to cross over others to reach the bathroom is racing through your mind. Imagine going on a church trip on a chartered bus and not being able to fit into the bathroom. Fear of going to Six Flags because you may not be able to fit on a ride, getting on a ride and being told that you exceed the weight limit and can’t ride since the seat belt does not fit. Because of the fear of bumping into someone or not being able to fit between the tables, going to a restaurant during a busy time is absolutely out of the question. These are a few simple things in life that a non-obese person would never think about.
Lastly, you sit in your doctors’ office for a yearly exam and he tells you that you are morbidly obese and that you weigh the average of three females. He says, “if you want to see your child grow up or your grandchildren, then you MUST change the path that you are on.” He hands you a referral and information about bariatric surgery and suggest gastric bypass. The surgery gives you a 50% chance to live or die and your cousin underwent the surgery and almost died. She was in the coma for several months and hospitalized for one year as a result. Leaving the office and sobbing in your car, you realize that you are in the parking lot alone and business hours are over.
Well, welcome to my world…….
My name is JoQuita, I am single mother of a six year old, an employed full time with a non-profit organization. I feel that I make a difference each day working for a non-profit organization and volunteer regularly through my sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc. I am in DESPERATE need of HELP! I have many sleepless nights, as I lay awake and cry. I wonder how I let myself get to be over 300 pounds. I feel like I am broken into a million pieces and many times like there is no hope. I need to be fixed, but don’t know where to begin. I know that exercise is essential, but what exercise do I start with? I can’t start without knowledge. I feel that I am making the first step by asking for HELP. I am confident that FitWit can HELP me to make that change. It will change my life, my daughter and my family.
I am current member of Weight Watchers, which I started in January 2009. I have lost over 35lbs and the program has helped me to change my eating habits. I have been committed to the program and it holds me accountable for the daily choices. Now, I need help in getting in shape while losing weight. I have attended several boot camps/group exercise classes for several months, but due to financial obligations, I had to discontinue. Even though the classes were saving my life in order to support my family, I had to make a conscience decision of providing the basic needs for my family over an exercise class. I am employed with a non-profit company and enjoy helping others.
I sit and dream about having someone to HELP me with this battle; someone to hold me accountable and encourage me or give me constructive criticism; and, most of all someone to take the time to educate me and provide me with resources to make this change. I want to break this obesity cycle in my family, but I need HELP!
I WILL be able to make this change and thank each of you for voting for me, as I become part of the FitWit family. You will be able to say that you helped me find the pieces and get put back together and back on track. I will be able to share with others through blogging the difference that FitWit has helped me to achieve my goals and encourage others to take journey or continue with me. I am asking for the opportunity to be given to me and I will prove to each of you that I CAN DO IT! FitWit can make my Dream into a Reality!
Thanks,
JoQuita Etchison
You get anxiety to travel on an airplane. The fear trickles through your mind as you walk briskly in the airport, out of breath as you try to get a flight that you are moments from missing. The fear of crawling over other passengers and through the aisle because the flight is full, fear of taking up part of your neighbor’s seat, not wanting to drink because the fear of having to cross over others to reach the bathroom is racing through your mind. Imagine going on a church trip on a chartered bus and not being able to fit into the bathroom. Fear of going to Six Flags because you may not be able to fit on a ride, getting on a ride and being told that you exceed the weight limit and can’t ride since the seat belt does not fit. Because of the fear of bumping into someone or not being able to fit between the tables, going to a restaurant during a busy time is absolutely out of the question. These are a few simple things in life that a non-obese person would never think about.
Lastly, you sit in your doctors’ office for a yearly exam and he tells you that you are morbidly obese and that you weigh the average of three females. He says, “if you want to see your child grow up or your grandchildren, then you MUST change the path that you are on.” He hands you a referral and information about bariatric surgery and suggest gastric bypass. The surgery gives you a 50% chance to live or die and your cousin underwent the surgery and almost died. She was in the coma for several months and hospitalized for one year as a result. Leaving the office and sobbing in your car, you realize that you are in the parking lot alone and business hours are over.
Well, welcome to my world…….
My name is JoQuita, I am single mother of a six year old, an employed full time with a non-profit organization. I feel that I make a difference each day working for a non-profit organization and volunteer regularly through my sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc. I am in DESPERATE need of HELP! I have many sleepless nights, as I lay awake and cry. I wonder how I let myself get to be over 300 pounds. I feel like I am broken into a million pieces and many times like there is no hope. I need to be fixed, but don’t know where to begin. I know that exercise is essential, but what exercise do I start with? I can’t start without knowledge. I feel that I am making the first step by asking for HELP. I am confident that FitWit can HELP me to make that change. It will change my life, my daughter and my family.
I am current member of Weight Watchers, which I started in January 2009. I have lost over 35lbs and the program has helped me to change my eating habits. I have been committed to the program and it holds me accountable for the daily choices. Now, I need help in getting in shape while losing weight. I have attended several boot camps/group exercise classes for several months, but due to financial obligations, I had to discontinue. Even though the classes were saving my life in order to support my family, I had to make a conscience decision of providing the basic needs for my family over an exercise class. I am employed with a non-profit company and enjoy helping others.
I sit and dream about having someone to HELP me with this battle; someone to hold me accountable and encourage me or give me constructive criticism; and, most of all someone to take the time to educate me and provide me with resources to make this change. I want to break this obesity cycle in my family, but I need HELP!
I WILL be able to make this change and thank each of you for voting for me, as I become part of the FitWit family. You will be able to say that you helped me find the pieces and get put back together and back on track. I will be able to share with others through blogging the difference that FitWit has helped me to achieve my goals and encourage others to take journey or continue with me. I am asking for the opportunity to be given to me and I will prove to each of you that I CAN DO IT! FitWit can make my Dream into a Reality!
Thanks,
JoQuita Etchison
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