It was my epiphany!
Hiya! Call me KathyCan.... because this time, I know I CAN do it! :-)
I'm a 53 year old, married, mother of two grown daughters, and live with my hubby, 2 dogs and a horse in the sierra foothills of Northern California.
I married my current hubby (a Texan) 4 years ago and we moved here to the country where we bought a nice home on some acreage with a barn. All my life I dreamed of owning my own horse, but having always lived in the city, it just wasn't feasible. Now, here I was in a perfect situation to own a horse, but resisting my hubby's urgings to buy one. What was wrong with this picture? Easy...I was too fat to even think about getting up on a horse again. For 3 years I rationalized that I was too old, that they cost too much to feed, that I was too inexperienced, and on and on, always knowing in my heart that at 310 pounds, there was NO way I could ride a horse. Last August, our neighbors approached us
and asked if we would consider letting their daughter keep a horse in our barn (she's 29 and a very experienced horsewoman). They're great neighbors--we said "sure!" I didn't realize how this would effect me until I walked up to the barn a week later and stood there looking at this beautiful black horse in MY barn and realizing that it could have been mine. It was my epiphany. I decided there and then that I was going to take control of my life and make my dream come true.
I began the Atkins way of life on 8/29/00 and it has truly changed my life in so many ways. In October, my son-in-law's mom phoned to tell me she had received a promotion and was unable to devote enough attention to both of her horses anymore and would I be interested in taking one. She had owned him for 11 years and said she couldn't bring herself to sell him, because he was like a member of the family. She said she knew I would love and take good care of him. This was like an answer to prayer. We borrowed a truck, rented a horse trailer and drove 5 hours to pick him
up and carry him home. His name is Cinnabar, he's a registered Arabian gelding and about the most gorgeous horse you ever saw! For the next 4 months, I curried him, petted him, led him around and fed him treats while I continued on my lowcarb eating plan. Finally, on February 8th, I felt I had lost enough to finally feel comfortable enough to ride him for the first time, and I DID IT! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have this dream come true.
Now as of 3/26/01, I have now lost 52 pounds, have ridden him several more times and am simply euphoric! I have never been so convinced that I will make it to my goal of 145 pounds no matter how long it takes. I have not deviated once on my eating plan, I drink 132 oz. of water a day and get lots of exercise up at the barn.
I guess the moral to this extremely long story, is that you should never give up on your dreams. They really can come true. They have for me. :-)  |
