A little background info:

I’m Mina (nickname of mine), I’m 32 and from Queens, NYC. I’ve been with my partner J for almost 9 years and we have a 14 month old son. I haven’t always been this overweight. I was kind of chubby as a kid, lost all the baby fat in my teens, became a cheerleader and worked at a gym. I was in the best shape of my life, and was very athletic and healthy. After I met J, I started gaining some “happy” weight, but then we went through a lot with losing loved ones, employment issues with the recession, having to move a few times, etc. Things became so tough and I started eating more out of stress. Last May, I lost my 50 year old mom to cancer, only three weeks after she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I was with my mom when she passed away, and it was the most traumatic experience I have ever been through. My mom was my best friend. The next few months after she died were a blur to me. My baby was only 6 months old when she passed, and while it was so hard to take care of him while grieving & felt like I didn’t get a chance to mourn at the time, but he was my angel. He gave me a reason to keep going, and put a smile on my face during my worst days.

Today makes 8 months since she passed away, and I am starting to feel like phoenix rising through the ashes. While I will ALWAYS miss her, I know that I will see her again one day, and that makes me feel better. I know she is watching over me, and I want to make her proud of me. She loved her grandson SO much, and I know she would want me to be healthy and happy in order to be the best mommy I can for him. I resolved to have more fun this year with my family, to make wonderful memories. The day I made that resolution, I booked our trip to WDW. I haven’t been there since 1996, and wanted to go back for so long. J and I have never had a vacation together, and of course this our first trip as a family. Getting excited for the trip has given me the motivation to lose 100 pounds for it! I want to enjoy this long-awaited trip as much as possible, and I know getting in shape will help me do just that.

This morning I weighed myself and already lost a pound and a half since yesterday! Off to a great start!

There is a mantra that I came across this morning by someone who lost almost 100 pounds, she tells herself: "Surprise yourself". I like that. I am going to keep telling myself when I don't feel too into it to surprise myself by how far I can go.