I came to the United States in 1985 with my husband and oldest son. Before that, our lifestyle included a relatively healthy diet, with lots of natural, low-fat foods, boiled vegetables, and tropical fruits. With our arrival came a drastic change in diet.

My husband was attending college full time and all of a sudden our food was very processed and high in fat. We started gaining weight almost immediately. I wasn't really aware of it and basically all I did for a while was buy plus size clothes.

After my son Jonathan was born, I gained almost 70 pounds in a short time. I became aware of my weight and health risks.

My older sister, who came to live with us for a few months, had been diagnosed with diabetes a few years earlier. While she was living with us, she had to have a toe amputated. She then traveled to the Dominican Republic where she suffered a heart attack as a result of her diabetes and she died before her 51st birthday.

My shyness now turned into panic. Suddenly I realized that I could go through the same experience and decided to take action and started looking for a weight loss solution. I was put on a doctor-supervised diet multiple times, tried other diets on my own, others suggested by friends, joined Weight Watchers, joined Jenny Craig, and each time I lost some weight only to gain it back and then some. I tried pills, shakes, teas, etc., without success.

Meanwhile I became depressed and irritable, I was tired all the time, and as I watched the years go by, I was sure that I would meet the same fate as my sister.

My last checkup indicated that my weight was 280 pounds, I was on the verge of developing diabetes, my triglycerides and low-density cholesterol were high, my high-density cholesterol was low, my blood pressure was high, my bone density was low, and I was developing osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis. My outlook was not very good.

A friend called me and asked me to stop by our house to show us a new project they were working on. We accepted the invitation and they showed us these products made by YOR Health that could help us lose weight and be healthier. I was very skeptical. I saw another "trick", another plan, similar to the ones I tried in the past. But I was curious and had nothing to lose, so to help my friend, I decided to try the products for a month or two.

At that time, our lifestyle was very sedentary. We had repeatedly joined a gym, only to attend a few times a year. When I started using the products, I immediately noticed a change. During the first week I lost 6 pounds and in the next 4-5 weeks I lost almost 40 pounds and finally this company and their products caught my eye and my husband also started using the products. The next decision we made was to become Independent Representatives together because we wanted to share this new wonder. My perspective changed. I was no longer depressed and actually became much happier.

A couple of months after I started using the products, all of my health indicators were back to healthy levels and my energy skyrocketed. It was an outstanding improvement.

Over the next few months I steadily lost weight, although not as fast, but most importantly I did not gain any weight again and my health continued to improve. At the time, getting back to the weight I was at before immigrating to the US didn't seem like an option.

Then I saw some people become members of the "100 Pound Club" and I decided I wanted to be part of that incredible elite. As my health improved and I lost weight, I felt really motivated to hit the gym. That changed everything for me. When the 8-Week Challenge launched, I had already lost over 80 pounds with the YOR Health product line. Since joining the challenge, I have lost about 32 more pounds. That makes me 112 pounds lighter than when I started my journey.

Now I exercise 4-5 times a week. I can say that I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination to lose all that weight and go from a size 24W to a size 12. Today I can walk and climb stairs without panting, exercise, work all day and still have energy to do the things I enjoy. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I feel like I can achieve anything. I feel sexy and my self-esteem is incredibly higher than it was two years ago.

The changes we have achieved have put a new spark in our marriage, making it better than when we were newlyweds. We are now committed to a common goal of better health and a better quality of life and our mission is to help others transform their health and their marriages.

This also significantly improved my work life and my relationships with family and friends. I laugh a lot more now and am much more confident talking to people (even strangers) and I don't mind being in public places. I enjoy life more intensely because I feel I deserve it. Now I know that I will live a long and healthy life.

A few years ago I hated shopping and only did it because what I had in my wardrobe was too tight for me. Today I enjoy shopping because what is in my wardrobe is too big and that is an amazing feeling. I even discovered the pleasure of buying exercise clothes.

But, as if losing all that weight wasn't enough, I'm part of the most incredible group of people, all with one purpose, to make people's lives better. Through the ups and downs, everyone was very supportive and encouragement from friends like Robbie Hendricks, Steve Clement, and Aaron and Rachel Pitman really kept me on track.

Today I am determined to share what I have found with people who have the same need that I had. Now I can assure you that it works, and it's exciting to be able to help you experience the same thing I did.

I will always be grateful to the YOR Health family and it is my commitment to Share Happiness!