I know a lot of people are striving for a more "perfect" goal. But for me getting to 170, losing 50 pounds was exactly what I needed. I now weigh almost 40 less than I have weighed in over 15 years. This is a huge success for me. It was as much of a mental success as a physical one.

How does one deal with the daily stress of this thing called life? I don't believe there is a simple answer to this question, as everyone is different and will therefore have different ways of coping with stress. In June of 2001, my husband of 14 years and the father of my three children was taken from us in a very brutal way. So began my downward spiral, of which I would not be aware until much physical and emotional damage was done.

For Such A Time As This…..God brought me to the door of Grace and Strength Ministries.  About 8 months prior to the start of this life changing journey, I began praying and asking God to please help me with my weight issues.  I had tried many diets over the years, but none of those loses remained.  I gained the weight back plus some.  And then I saw my friend Monica on facebook.  I began to watch for her next post showing her success.

In today's post, we interview one of our Alumni - Gillian Bernard. Be encouraged as Gillian shares her personal story and find out how she's doing today - several years after losing over 90 pounds with the Grace and Strength Lifestyle Diet! *

As I sit here and ponder all that the Lord has done in my life over the last six months, I am amazed at how He used Grace and Strength to change me.  God has worked in my life through this program to change me not only physically but both spiritually and emotionally.  I have spent my entire adult life feeling trapped in an oversized body.