From TheGrio.com:

After the birth of her second child, first, Kenyatta Duckworth’s hair started falling out.

“My hair was coming out by the handfuls,” she explains in her blog. “When I washed my hair, I left chunks of hair behind in the sink or bath tub. That was terrifying.”

The hair loss was the first sign of her thyroid disease. The second — significant weight gain. Despite having just lost her pregnancy weight, Duckworth, quickly gained 40 pounds and has struggled to return to her smaller frame of 150 pounds ever since.

Her weight gained has depressed her so much that she avoids going out or taking pictures.

“Being a professional athlete, my husband often gets invited to dinners and nice events, but if I can’t get away with a maxi dress, I am probably not going,” Duckworth says. “I avoid going out and being social as much as possible only going out when I have to.”

But Duckworth, 35, has now found a new eating and workout regimen that gives her hope.

She does this with the help of a new forum of other black women who are also making strides to lose weight and be healthy.