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Warsaw's Cj Crawford battles weight loss and MS




Cj Crawfords exuberant personality matches her fiery red hair and flies in the face of her struggles with weight loss and multiple sclerosis.
The 49-year-old from Warsaw calls her loss of more than 160 pounds during the past 20 years a resurrection and a key into not letting her MS control her life. She credits Weight Watchers and portion control to going from 287 pounds to 126 pounds.
Shes kept the weight off for about a year and a half so far.
She said she never wore jeans because she couldnt find a pair that fit.
She went from a size 28 to a size 6. It took two decades, but the end result is the only thing that matters to her.
I want people to know, even when you think its astronomical, even when you think youre never going to lose the weight, youve got to start somewhere, she said.
Its not going to happen if you dont take control of the situation.
Crawford began her current weight-loss journey in 1991. She said being obese had been an issue all her life. Even as a child and teenager, she yo-yoed on various diets.
She said she was at war with herself.
When I was heavy, I was never happy with myself. How could I be? she said.
I wasnt happy with me. I had mirrors. I knew what I looked like. I have a full-length mirror now. I never had one before.
She said the change was putting herself first.
She sees this as an issue of many women, as society dictates a woman put family above herself.
I just knew I was going to come first. I had a lot of other people that could come first in my life, but they had come first all this time. It was my turn, she said. I did this to myself. The same way I got me fat, I got me thin.
Crawfords energy dips as the day goes because of her MS.
Walking a path cut in the woods behind her home is the only exercise she gets. Four laps equal a mile.
She tries to do 10,000 steps a day.
She said shes addicted to salad and her best friend is a set of measuring spoons.
For a snack, she puts some corn kernels in a brown lunch bag and pops it in a microwave, which is healthier than regular microwave popcorn, she said.
She has anapplicationon her phone that keeps track of her eating and calories.
She thinks she looks better now. It astounds her when she turns a mans head. More importantly, the weight loss has meant the difference between being active and asleep in bed most of the day because of her MS.
Because Im not hauling around extra weight, itseasier. Im not running out of energy as quickly. I can actually live a real life, she said.



llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com740-295-3417Twitter: @llhayhurst