About
My name is Stephanie Gentry, and I’m married to a wonderful, kind, and supportive man, Bill, for almost 14 years…my best friend. Bill has seen me through some of the worst periods of my life, and now we’re living through some of the best, and healthiest, times of our lives, thanks in large part to the choices we’ve made to our way of living.
Almost 18 years ago, on April Fool’s Day, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes…it runs in my family. I had an especially resistant type of diabetes and no amount of medication worked on me. At 34 years old, and at 300 pounds, doctors told me I had 10 years to live. I had to take drastic measures, so I underwent lifesaving gastric bypass, also referred to as weight-loss surgery. I don’t recommend it to everyone, but it saved my life. Within one year, I lost 110 pounds and have been diabetic-free for more than 3-years now.
What most people don’t know is those who choose weight-loss surgery, must be mentally, physically, and psychologically prepared. You must also have a strong and supportive system of friends and family. Without this preparation and support in place, you can easily gain some, most, or all of their weight back. Regardless of what you hear, you “can” cheat the system.
It’s been four years since my surgery, and I am still within 10 pounds of my lowest weight, a virtual miracle. With me, it was never about how I looked, or about how much I weighed. It was about how I felt, and about my health. As long as I am healthy, I am happy, and therefore, my family is happy.
I’m happily celebrating my 40th birthday this year (believe it or not…what woman is happy about turning 40)…I plan on shouting it to whomever is within earshot. I am healthier than ever partly due to the lifesaving surgery, but mostly due to the types of foods, vitamins, personal products, and other lifestyle changes my husband and I have undergone. My husband and I recently started supporting the “green” initiative, and even though I can’t go entirely green (for example, I can’t eat pure sugar because it will make me ill), we decided to embrace other “green” products (for example, cleaning and household goods; personal, hygiene and beauty products; vitamins and minerals; and other items we come across).
This site is our gift to you, as we continue on to better health and vitality on to our journey. We want to share with you our secret to recovery from frame of mind, body, and spirit.
Thank you for reading this entry. Please come back often, as we have a lot to share with you.