The End is Near ..

 Before the end arrives let me shed some light on how this all began .. 

I was a typical 80s child . I enjoyed playing outside . My siblings and I had bikes, swing sets , trails through the woods , and secret hideouts to keep us occupied in the Louisiana heat . Our cousins would come to visit and we would be shoved out the door where we would usually stay until sunset . Not even going inside for a sip of water ( that came out of the hot hose in the yard ). Which made for a pretty healthy child !

My father was and still is a tugboat man . He began working on boats following in his father's footsteps as a teen . My mother , God rest her soul, didn't belong in the kitchen . So for us kids ( myself along with an older brother and younger sister ) this meant the weeks or months my father was gone were spent eating hamburger helper , ramen noodles , or Mickey Ds. Oh how I loved McDonalds , and of course the cheeseburger was my favorite . They were cheap so mom would buy a bunch and we would pig out . It was at a very young age I realized I was a natural at devouring a McDonalds cheeseburger at a very fast rate, often times putting teenage boys to shame ! It became a game . A trip to McDonalds often turned into a challenge as my family would say such things as " I wonder how fast she can down her burger this time ". Hence the nickname given to me as a child "cheeseburger". It didn't effect my health much probably because I was an extremely active child . I remained active well into my teenage years. 

( Wow I appeared to have needed a sandwich there lol )

  At the young age of 18 I became pregnant with my oldest daughter. With this wonderful addition to my life also came something else new to my life .. Being overweight !! Friends and family would quickly defend my weight gain with statements such as " you had a baby it's ok " or " you're not that fat " . I appreciated and at times enjoyed their reassurance , but deep down inside I knew it had nothing to do with the baby . I had become LAZY . When you keep the same horrible eating habits , but stop being active these things happen . I had done this to myself . And it doesn't end there . Over the next 11 years ( four of those I spent in a wheelchair due to health reasons ) I met and married the love of my life and had two more beautiful children, but deep down inside I was dying not just physically ,but mentally . My bad habits were destroying me . Now at 4'11" I weigh in at 189 pounds . This coming Monday ( January 13, 2014 ) I will be officially killing off " cheeseburger " beginning with weight loss surgery . Many think this as being an easy way out , but in order for this surgery to be successful I will have to make major lifestyle changes as well . I invite you to follow along on this journey with me . It may be a rough road ahead , but I am determined to do this for my children, family , and most importantly for myself !

Me aka Cheeseburger !!