It seems to happen all too often; as careers become more demanding and commutes become longer you are left with little time deal with all the things left in your life. What little time you do have is spent trying to tackle a never-ending to-do list that seems to grow faster than Jack’s magical beanstalk. Add an injury, or any number of life’s general hiccups and many of you will find yourself wondering where the past few years went. One common and unfortunate ramification of this time-lapse is that you forget about yourself and your needs. As a result, over the years you become less active and gain weight.

In Lori Stratford’s case, over 10 years went by until she found herself weighing 340 pounds. It all started in 2001 when Lori had to undergo knee surgery on her left leg. Not long after she was back on her feet, Lori ended up having to go back under the knife to have her right knee surgically repaired.

Her weight steadily increased as she became more sedentary, and by the time she had her second baby in 2010 she weighed the most that she ever had in her life. The task of losing the weight that she had gained seemed insurmountable. Her life was busier than ever as she juggled increasing responsibilities at both work and home.

Lori was stuck on the sidelines of life as she watched her children play in her backyard. One particular day she and her family attended a bounce house party, and Lori didn’t want to be the parent that was just sitting and watching the kids. She wanted to have fun with them. As a result of the shape she was in, she ended up getting trapped in the middle of the bounce house and needed help to get out. Lori realized that she had to do something about her weight. She was upset and worried about the future of her health and how it would affect her children if she didn’t do something about her weight.

“I don’t want to be the mom who just sits in the chair watching her kids play,” said Lori. “I don’t want them (her kids) to remember me as the out of shape mommy.”

Her mindset began to change. She began to think about her time commitments and responsibilities in a new way.  Losing weight and getting in shape was not only the best thing for her, it was the best thing for her family.

“I look at my kids and want to be here for them, playing with them,” said Lori.

With the constant concern about her weight and her health in the back of her mind, Lori made a life-changing decision to do something about it in January of 2012, and  her total weight loss as of July 2012 is 70 pounds. But Lori knows that at 270 pounds she still has a long way to go before she gets to a healthy weight, and so she set a goal to lose 100 more pounds.

Find out what Lori did to lose 70 pounds and how she plans on losing 100 more in her next segment of REAL STORIES. You can FOLLOW Lori’s story by signing up for email updates, just click the button on the top of our side bar menu…it’s that easy!