Karla Carrington (right) and sister, Dr. Janice Chambers (left)

I take comments left on my posts very seriously. Often, I read people's comments and laugh out loud or end up clapping aloud in celebration of their victories. Some comments leave me with tear-stained eyes as I relive the pain of my past through the words of another. I've also had a few comments that haven't thrilled me, but I always respect that people feel strongly enough to write.

A few weeks ago, a reader expressed her excitement over the wonderful content offered here at That's Fit, but she felt that we hadn't stressed enough the significance of family support in the struggle to lose weight. Well, as luck would have it, I have a little story about that. Like to hear it? Here goes:

My older sister Janice is my best friend. I have a younger sister, Willette, and we're very close, but she is not my best friend because I have to pay her back money that I borrow. Janice's loans do not require payback. If Willette reconsiders the whole re-payment thing, her status might be upgraded, but until then, Janice is my best friend. Janice and I vacation together, we talk almost every day, and we even beat up old ladies together for Black Friday discounts. Janice is a woman of few words, and if she says it, she does it. She's one of the few people I look up to and even listen to.

Janice is a go-getter. In her high school days, her school counselor thought she'd be a great fit for trade school as most of the other black kids were. She felt that Janice was "not college material." Hearing those words did not deter Janice, but they motivated her. Those words catapulted her right past trade school and into college. She is now Dr. Janice. Not only is she pretty, but she's smart. When Janice talks, I listen.

One day, Janice started talking about our weight. Suddenly, I went completely deaf, and she was dumb. For all her smartness and doctorness, not even she could tread on the topic of my weight light enough for me to hear her. She'd moved to California where people run, rollerblade and practice all sorts of madness to stay fit. She'd been bitten by the fitness bug, but I was not budging. Who needs all that running when you've got comfort foods.

Several years later, she and her husband moved from the West Coast to Virginia, and life changed. She had baby Number three by way of a vertical caesarean. She had gained so much weight from the previous pregnancies, and life in general, that they were unable to perform a regular bikini line c-section. Difficulties from the wound re-opening made her recovery very difficult. The minute she recovered, she was once again grinding to lose the weight. She started exercising again and stopped eating all things white. In her first year, she lost nearly 100 pounds. At this stage, she decided to revisit the weight loss conversation with me. Having watched her persevere and resume the fit life she loved and mourned, I heard her this time around. This is where my own fitness journey began.

Although we lost the weight in two vastly different ways, we've done it together. Without her continued support, prayers and unwavering love, I'd probably still be morbidly obese and waiting to hitch a ride with the grim reaper. Janice set me straight in her own loving way and helped me on the path to the life I always wanted but never knew I deserved. Even Willette, in all her seriousness, has been a great support. She's not one to lavish you with compliments, so when one escapes her lips, I take it!

Now that Janice, Willette and I are all miles are part, your comments and suggestions help keep me going. I have had moments when I wanted to cheat but didn't because I did not want to blog about it. Sure I could lie, but it wouldn't be to the readers -- it would be to myself. And we all know, the scale does not lie! So to all the folks that leave comments, pray for me and make me laugh with their own weight loss misadventures, thank you. I've said it all along and I'll say it again: We're all in this together.