After her son was born in 2015, Hillary Liles realized that her weight was becoming a real issue. While Hillary has never considered herself “a thin person,” the responsibilities of raising a young child paired with managing a busy career as a counselor at a nearby university left no time to focus on her own health and weight management.
“Over the five to six years after my son was born, I reached my highest weight,” explained Hillary. “I was up to 250 pounds and would tire easily. My main motivation for losing weight was my son … I didn’t want to be an inactive, sideline mom anymore.”
Hillary explains her all-too-common weight loss struggles. “Throughout my life, I’ve tried many different diets, weight loss fads and gimmicks,” Hillary reflected. “I would lose some weight, but nothing lasted for very long. Weight loss surgery was always in the back of my mind, but I was scared of the potential risks.”
Struggling with Size
After a family trip to Disney World in early 2020, Hillary knew it was time to take action. During the trip, she was uncomfortable on the airplane ride, felt too large to enjoy the rides in the park, tired easily, and struggled with knee pain. “I spent much of that vacation holding everyone’s stuff while they got to experience the park. That’s no way to spend a Disney trip with your family, and I knew I wanted to make a change,” Hillary explains.
