I am a single mother to a 21-year-old son. I have struggled with my weight since I had my son. I finally gave into the notion that I would always be heavy. In December of 2012, my son left to serve a two-year mission for his church.  Before he left, he asked me to do two things: The first one was to lose weight. He knew how unhappy I was with myself. I hated how I looked and felt. The second was to start dating.  I had been so focused on raising my son and working, dating was not even something I had considered. 

Skip to a year and a half later, I was heavier than I had ever been. I had suffered from depression and food was my friend. When my son left, a huge hole was left in my life. I really struggled coming home to an empty house. Around that time, a picture was posted on Facebook and I was astounded at what I looked like. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see that fat person. I came to a pretty quick realization that I wasn't being accountable for my weight. There was always an excuse, that it was just a bad photo, that I was bloated that day, or that it was a bad angle. I would justify my poor eating by saying that I deserved the treat or unhealthy meal.  

Finally something clicked in my head. I couldn't keep going on like this; I didn't want to be fat anymore. That day, I set a goal to lose 50 pounds by December 17th when my son would arrive home. I knew that in order to hit this goal, I needed to make some serious changes. I promised myself that I was going to lose weight the right way. I needed to surround myself with people who could help me and would hold me accountable.  I found out about DietBet around this time. It sounded like a great idea. What better incentive than money? I have enjoyed participating in the DietBet challenges. The people in the groups are incredibly supportive. With DietBet, I am accountable for my weight, and money is on the line. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to lose weight. I have had quite a few friends and family members join with me.  To anyone considering joining, I say you should do this! You can do this!  Setting goals and hitting them is incredibly rewarding and empowering. I have lost 70 pounds and hope to join more DietBet challenges to lose the last 30 pounds.