My story isn't different than any other women who has found herself at her wits end, desperate to get the weight off and after trying every fad diet known to man only to find herself right back at square one: frustrated, depressed and, yes, overweight once again. I knew I had to do something, I had to make some drastic changes, but I struggled with what the implications would be and how I would manage to stick with it this time.

My obsession with food has been with me since I was a little girl. I can't tell you how many pounds I have gained and lost, how many diets I have tried, and how many resolutions I have made to lose weight. Despite success in losing large amounts of weight twice in my life, I continued to struggle with binging on food, and the dishonesty to cover up this behavior.

Two years ago at a prayer retreat I was given a word from a complete stranger: "You will lose the weight when you draw near to the Lord." Yes I knew I had weight to lose, yes it was an obstacle holding me back from life but I knew the Lord or so I thought I did. Seven months ago I found Grace and Strength Lifestyle while browsing Facebook. It sounded wonderful ...

While I have tried many diets over the last 30 years, I always went back to my old way of eating and gained all my weight back once the diet ended. In February 2016, I was discouraged about where my weight was and knew I wanted to make a lifestyle change, but had tried so many other things, I wasn't interested in yet another diet. As I was reading my Bible one morning, Psalm 107:13-14 jumped out at me.

In summer of 2015 I watched a lady in our church lose weight and I was struck by her posts on Facebook that talked about her growth in her relationship with Christ while losing weight. Wanting to know more about the Grace and Strength Lifestyle I poured myself into reading, researching, and talking with Grace and Strength staff.