I used to look at myself in the mirror hating everything I was seeing.

All I could focus on were the rolls around my stomach, the handles on my sides, the body I didn't recognize anymore.

That cruel voice in my head wouldn't stop...all I had in mind was how this stubborn weight wasn't going anywhere.

I felt so frustrated that deep down I thought I would never feel beautiful again.

And it wasn't just destroying me inside...

My relationship with my husband went cold, with sex fading to maybe once a month.

He still called me beautiful every chance he got, still reached for me at night...but I felt so unattractive in my own skin.

Our passion was dying, not because he stopped wanting me, but because I couldn't believe he could want this body.