#BLACKGIRLHEALING: “I WALKED UNTIL 230 POUNDS OF BURDENS LIFTED FROM MY BODY”

Like many women, Rev. Theresa S. Thames grew up on the Southern comforts of rich, home-cooked meals. However, food became a source of discomfort and by the time she was 33, the young New Jersey resident was 447 lbs. Rev. Thames shared with BlackDoctor.org her inspiring story of choosing freedom and the first step that changed her life.

It’s a vicious cycle, a cycle that I learned at a very young age growing up in Southern Mississippi. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re tired, eat. If there is a reason to celebrate, eat. If you are sad and depressed, eat. I learned that life revolves around feelings and food. Thus, I had come to believe that food was the balm to soothe all of the issues of my heart and soul. Unfortunately, I was enslaved in the vicious cycle of feeling and eating with no way to break free.

By the time I was 14 years old I weighed 280 lbs. By the time I was 33 years old I was 447 lbs. Nevertheless, I carried my weight with pride and always made certain that I was stylishly dressed. I flippantly blamed my Southern roots and “big bones” for my voluptuous size. However, the truth was that I was trapped in the vicious cycle and had mastered the art of feeling and eating.

If I were to be completely honest, I was not happy. I was miserable, afraid, depressed and dying. I had eaten my way through an abusive marriage, a demanding career, an emotional divorce, the death of my sister, the death of my father, the death of my ex-husband, years…

Please read original article – #BLACKGIRLHEALING: “I WALKED UNTIL 230 POUNDS OF BURDENS LIFTED FROM MY BODY”