Babette's Story - Have you ever prayed for something for what seems to be forever and felt that God's answer was "It is just the way you are, deal with it!". Before Grace and Strength, that is what I believed to be true. Every new diet craze that even sounded logical, I tried and failed. I was stuck. I wanted to be healthy so that I would not be a burden on my family, so that I could take care of others that needed me, and most of all to serve God to my fullest potential.

My journey actually began when I was a child. I started gaining weight when I was around 10 years old. I wasn't obese but I was a little larger than most of my friends. Guess I didn't think much about weight loss until I was in my early twenties. I think I went thru a period of not thinking much of myself, low self-esteem.

My testimony would be that having the support of a great coach, believing in myself, God above guiding me through this fantastic journey, and having more FAITH in myself. The courage to truly BELILEVE in yourself was eye opening! Yes it is a lifestyle change, yes it is a tool but YES it is one that I am so thankful for.

In her own words: Emotional Eater...I have sat at my computer many times attempting to write out my Grace and Strength journey. However, I never could do it until today. Not sure exactly why, other than God was finally ready for me to write it out. Throughout my G & S journey, one word has reigned in my mind "Self-control". Webster dictionary defines self-control as the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires ...

Hannah: Before my journey on Grace and Strength, I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. If I felt happy, I ate. If I felt sad, I ate. If I felt stressed, I ate. For every emotion under the sun I would turn to food as my comfort. Food was something in my life that I felt would never disappoint me. When I quit sports at the end of my junior year in high school to get a job I began to really struggle with my weight. I gained more than the "freshman 15".