Welcome to what is going to be a very special edition of Carol's Corner featuring the journey of Betsy Jane Wegrzynek Deller. Strap yourself in, you're not going to want to miss a word. Today's blog pic was taken at my husband's families farm. He loves to get me to have my pictures done by one of their tractors. I must say it does look pretty awesome. I like it so much we might get enough pictures next year to have a calender done. How cool would that be? Catherine Warner won naming this with,” “Farm”Fatale.”

So let's start this with a current picture of Betsy and then we will hear her story in her own words and at the end there will be lots of pictures past and present.

Still don't know how people get these selfie things. I can never figure out how to do them, but Betsy you did a good job with this one. So get ready, here's Betsy!

Life for me always revolved around my size. I can recall being 7, I had recovered from a rare central nervous disorder called Guillian-Barre Syndrome. I became sick from a daycare I was at and that virus led to the disease. Thankfully, my body and God saw fit to recover the use of my hands, legs and feet. However, it did change my body forever. My mom still regrets not putting me in a dance class or ballet to help with the recovery and use of my lower body. We couldn't afford it, so she and my dad and my grandmother did their best to get me back on track. I was never quite the same and the weight began to present on my body. By 5th grade I weighed 174 lbs, 5th grade! For a girl that's a lot, especially in the 80's when everyone was skinny. I was constantly teased. I told myself in 7-8th grade, when a boy called me “Grape Ape” that he had a crush on me! Lol-I was naive. See, I relished at the time a purple “Miller's Outpost” pant suit that I stylishly paired with gold flats and pretty hair bows to show my individuality. I realized later he was never showing he had a crush on me-he was making fun of me and my size. My weight constantly held me back. I never tried out for sports- I was good at them because of my strong shoulders but not at all confident in myself. My parents never fed us “Junk”, but we did eat a lot of carbs. Being a teenager, I never “realized” what damage carbs can do to our body. My mom and dad enjoyed food, we celebrated all special occasions with yummy food, but I wasn't a glutton. My weak points were good bread and No Self Esteem. I was popular but never had a boyfriend. I had many guy friends who always liked my skinny prettier friends.

All throughout high school I suffered. We made a life changing move from New Mexico to California at 15, the prime of high school years. I was new in town, cute enough but overweight. In California I struggled. I felt kids accepted me because I was so nice. I was their chubby friend, who made them all look better. ( This was my mindset). Looking back at all the kids who crossed my path, I see it was only in my “head”. They didn't say mean things, at least not to my face but I clearly didn't have outward obvious self confidence. I constantly compared myself to others… I laugh now because I see them in the virtual world of Social Media Today and I look Fabulous and they just look normal, older, balding and overweight. ( Betsy that is so true . I have aged so much better than the so called popular crowd.) I don't mean to sound mean, I'm being honest and sadly attempting to let myself off the hook for who I used to be. I'm not the same girl and I finally see that I've progressed and grown and aged better than many of them. ( Funny isn't it Betsy how that works out? I've so noticed that in my own life.)

In my 20's a doctor finally did a series of tests on me instead of dismissing my weight as being “lazy” and “overeating” or eating junk. We learned I have a condition called “P.C.O.S” or PolyCystic Ovarian Disease. It directly relates to the breakdown or rather “lack of ability to process and breakdown sugar in the body.” Therefore too many white processed carbs such as “pasta, white rice, BREAD, cereals etc” were poison to my body along with most processed food or beverages. He put me on a medication, this was when my weight was 225 easy. After years of dieting, over exercising: sometimes seven days a week, countless dollars spent on OTC products to curb my appetite, verbal, mental abuse to myself and pain of feeling I'm not lovable enough even though I was very lovable, I finally found a doctor who could help. Amen!

From there I dropped to 218 and hovered. By then I was 24- living with my folks, working full time and attempting to live the “Atkins Way”. Because we are Italian,Irish,Polish and a “wee bit of Scottish”, I remind you we all adore bread,pasta etc. So our efforts were only 80%, but I tried. I moderated and made an honest effort. Drinking alcohol and eating good food really became a part of my life at this point because I got into Event Planning,Wedding Coordinator and Parties in general! What a life! What a rush! I got to live “vicariously” through the events I helped orchestrate –ballooning back up all the while to 256. I was inwardly unhappy but outwardly successful and super friendly. I made poor choices in men.( Yes I had men in my life by then) men who saw me as needy in the end because inevitably I would show my lack of true confidence and belief in myself. (If I only knew then what I know now). I don't hate any of them, my problems weren't their problems. I needed to find a way to accept and love myself. By the time I was 31, I was unemployed, single , depressed and still in the 220's…fluctuating always. Thanks to that medicine and God I had a beautiful healthy baby girl, and I vowed to get healthy. While pregnant I shot up to 256 and that to date was my highest weight. Immediately after having MJ, I dropped down to 225 -and steadily, thanks to “Cardio Walks with Leslie Sansone” 2-3 times a day and eating better, I got down to 186 and stuck there. I reached that number by the time she was two years old. I worked so hard! I was a student aspiring to be a real estate agent to be “independent ” and free to work around my daughter. Feeling good though single and a mom, I dove into work, lived with my parents and maintained. I found myself in a new world. I worked constantly. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could succeed. I still do this today. God introduced me to my future in my 2nd client only we didn't know it then. Months later we reconnected and now we are a happy successful couple raising our beautiful daughter-she's 10 now. I try desperately not to criticize her body but I'm sure I do because that's the way I was raised. I grew up with love, but constant critique-tough love- no sympathy-no blame to themselves-etc. I know both parents did their best. My brothers now respect me and tell me how great I look and they see my constant commitment to health. I finally got their respect that I wanted for so long.

Now at 41 I'm still trying daily- only now I'm not so hard on myself. I know what I need to do. I need to work hard and be diligent to maintain, because my body can't do it alone. I will continue to take the medication for my constant maintenance of sugars because I can't change certain things. I've learned so much about PCOS, living with it ,and still enjoying foods I adore in moderation. I will forever love food, alcohol I can do without. It mixes poorly with medicine anyway! Candy and cravings come and go thanks to hormones working properly due to medication.

I found myself too late in life. I wish I could have taken better care of my heart and mind in my earlier years, however; I also see clearly how my path led me straight to Today, much like Rascal Flatts ” Broken Road”. I'm right where I need to be.

Weight will always be a number I value myself with, and I'm ALWAYS thrilled to see the scale go down. But, inevitably it always climbs up and drops with the goings on in my life and I've learned to ebb and flow. (Currently holding 160-170)

I look better than I ever have, I've been an extra in main stream television shows and movies w/big stars that I adore and my life is successful!

I pray that I am to my daughter what my mom wasn't for me: Exercise, Motivated for Health and Happiness, Food Smart for optimum performance and Mostly Accepting, Loving and kind to myself so she can respect Herself… ( a heart was supposed to be here but my blogging platform doesn't accept what they call emojiis)

Now that you've heard Betsy's story in her own words let's now see her picture journey.

 

 

 

 

Now on to present day Betsy.

 

We would be remiss if we didn't show Betsy and her man wouldn't we?

 

 

And then there's Betsy with one of her other loves, her many dogs!

 

 

Somehow this shot says “Old Hollywood” to me.

Looks like Betsy's dolled up for maybe a party?

This has to be on one of Betsy's many outdoor adventures.

Great color on you in this pic.

Another great color and if my memory serves me correctly this is on another of your walk on shots.

 

 

 

 

Betsy and her daughter at Halloween.

 

 

 

My favorite Betsy pic of all, a shot on the set of an upcoming movie she is an extra in.

So there you have the amazing and continuing journey of Betsy Jane. I know Betsy has some ideas for some more possible aspects of her journey. I plan to ask her to do just that for some future editions of Carol's Corner. Till next time, God Bless!