Tiesha Robinson, a 35-year-old mother and accountant, found inspiration for her weight loss journey through her son, People reports.
Robinson initially started out on a Weight Watchers program, however, she wasn't mentally committed. It wasn’t until her son's father died in 2018 that she prioritized her health.
"It made me realize that my son only has one parent," she told People. "I didn't want to be the reason why he lost both his parents, if I could help it. I didn't want to leave my son prematurely because of the unhealthy decisions I was making."
Her commitment to Weight Watchers was reignited, and her dedication paid off. After two years, she lost half her size, eventually weighing 208 pounds.
"I know you can't control everything, but if there's something that I could prevent by eating healthy, then I'm glad I'm able to do it," she said. "I feel like I prolonged my life to be here for my son and everyone else that needs me."
Robinson recalled being overweight at just 5 years old, and she said she was likely over 300 pounds by the time she completed high school. The mother of one said she tried “almost every diet” with no success.
"I tried just eating fruits and vegetables, which didn't last for more than a few days, and eating only proteins," she said. "But my mind also wasn't there to be able to commit to anything."
After the passing of her aunt, Robinson weighed about 416 pounds — her highest weight. The mom said she "was basically addicted to sweets" and "barely drank water."
She said at every doctor's visit, she would "pray that [she] wouldn't have any issues," but later learned she was prediabetic. According to WebMD, a person is considered prediabetic when one’s blood sugar level is higher than the normal range but not at the level of being a diabetic.
"It kind of hurt my feelings when she prescribed me the medicine and she said, 'It'll help you lose weight,'" Robinson said.
"I was like, 'If I can do this in a healthy way, I'd rather try to do it naturally,' because actually, the pills was making me put on weight, rather than doing what it was supposed to," she added.
Now, Robinson says her "confidence is higher," adding that she's no longer prediabetic.
