Finally, a new me!

At the beginning of the year, I created a list of resolutions for myself, one of which was to lose 70 pounds by December 31, 2017. I’ll be the first to admit, until now, I failed at this so-called self-resolution. When I made the list, I thought I was mentally prepared to embark on the journey and stay dedicated to it. Well, like most who make a resolution to start living a healthier lifestyle, I just wasn’t committed.

That all changed this past week when I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). So what is PCOS, you might be asking. The Mayo Clinic describes it as “a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs.”

Oh yes, this sounds so fucking fantastic, right? (Please tell me you noted the sarcasm here!)…Anyway, the diagnosis, while a surprise, answers SO MANY questions that I’ve had about my health since puberty. They usually revolved around “Why?!”, but now I know. So as I embarked on my research to learn more about this syndrome, I found out that one of the major complications of PCOS are Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. The trifecta of “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Consider me shaken to my core! So, while all previous attempts may have failed me in the past, I can say, without a doubt, that I’m finally in the right headspace to embark on this journey. To help keep me accountable, I’ll be posting weekly blogs to provide updates on what and how I’m doing.

Today was the first day of kicking my life into high-gear. I joined Weight Watchers last Sunday at an embarrassing 271.9 lbs, and I’m proud to say that I’ve lost 2.1 lbs this week. This journey will be paved with small victories, just like that. Now that I’ve started to get my eating under control, I’ve incorporated the gym (hello, Anytime Fitness) and competitive swimming into the mix. Today, I was at the gym for the first time in forever, and was able to hold my own for a little over an hour, walking the treadmill and experiencing the amazing torture that is cardio kickboxing. While it definitely kicked my ass, and I was only able to make it through half the class, I’m proud of myself for getting outside of my comfort zone and giving it a try. Not only that, I’m looking forward to attending next Sunday’s class! I’ll also be rejoining the Markham Masters Swim Team on Tuesday for practice. I miss the water, and my self-esteem caused me to leave it earlier in the year. But I’m finally in the mindset of not giving a fuck about what I perceive others are thinking. This is a HUGE thing for me to have finally overcome, and it only took 25 years to get to this point hahaha.

So let the adventures begin – I can’t wait to share my journey with you and to say goodbye to my double-chin!

Bye for now…