Get to Know Rita

Hey y'all! I live in Georgia and was an Army Brat, so I traveled quite a bit as a child. We have lived in Georgia for 17 years and raised our four children here. Our two grandchildren bring us lots of joy and keep us busy. We have three dogs; a chihuahua named Sally, a Yorkie named Bailey and a Great Dane named Titan.

I work for a nonprofit, Children's Advocacy Center assisting children and families impacted by abuse. I have a BA in Psychology and a MS in Applied Psychology which explains why I love the human mind and mental health. I also serve on the Board of Directors for another nonprofit in my community. 

 In my free time I love to watch those UGA Dawgs play! The last game we went to involved rain...but it was a total blast! Most of our family are UGA Dawg fans but there are a few Alabama and Florida fans as well so we are often a house divided. I am active in my church choir, and love to travel! 

My weight loss story begins with me always battling weight issues since I was a small child. I tried all the fad diets, every. single. one! Nothing seemed to help. Following a divorce I began to invest in myself and lost 60 pounds. I later gave up all of the exercise and you guessed it... gained the weight I lost back plus several extra pounds. So, following the troubles of obesity related health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea and arthritis my PCP referred me for bariatric surgery here in Georgia. I did very well after having the gastric sleeve and lost 120 pounds... fairly quickly. Then life happened and I started returning to those old habits and next thing you know I've gained 70 pounds back. Those obesity related conditions have returned so, I'm hoping to have a revision to bypass at Pompeii in the near future. 

I'm very excited to have this opportunity to serve as a Volunteer Leader for Pompeii! I want to help others overcome the challenges of obesity and live the healthiest they ever have!