Getting started

So. Here I go.

I am 33 yrs old. I have two children, 6 and 3 years old.  Two months ago, I went to the doctor with the demand "Fix me." I had a laundry list of complaints. Fatigue, inability to lose weight, depression, no libido, excessive bleeding at that time of the month. (Sorry.)  Seriously, I couldn't make it through the day without a nap. Turns out I did need to be fixed. After tests and more tests, this is what I got back:

You're overweight.
Your hormones are WAY out of whack.
You have polycystic ovarian syndrome.
If you don't make some major changes, you WILL be a diabetic.

Um. Not cool. And not what I wanted to hear. My weight was one of the things that I was really struggling with. I was up to 215 pounds. 215 pounds. Ugh. How did that happen? I was 25 pounds heavier than when I gave birth to my second child. So, here is what happened.

I got on birth control to attempt to level out my hormones and also keep my ovaries from making cysts. I have been doing that for two months. No update yet on whether it is working.  I cut gluten out of my diet. The biggest thing that has done is cut out processed foods. I have felt SO much BETTER since doing that! I cheated a couple of times. Ordering pizza is just too easy when you're busy and tired. But, oh, did I pay for it! Knowing that I'm going to feel really bad if I cheat has made staying on the wagon super easy! That pizza, pasta, or cake just isn't worth the way it's going to make me feel.

I've also lost 13 pounds. I'm now down to 202. That was just from diet changes I've made. I've also lost a couple inches from my chest, waist, hips, and thighs. Why, YES, I am masochistic and, YES, I did measure myself. Ugh.  But, I'm making progress and I'm beginning to be able to see it.

The next thing on my list was exercise. Because, you know, I wasn't. I started occasionally biking around my neighborhood. Thankfully, my 3 year old loves it. "I wanna wide da bike." isn't an uncommon demand nowadays. More recently I have begun walking with my friend Heather. We did 6.5 miles in two days and my feet are KILLING me! However, I'm going to fix that by getting some proper footwear. Also, amongst the walking, complaining, and groaning over fat clothes, we decided we should work up to running a 5K.

This is why Motivation is Always Needed. I really want to do it. But of course, all my fears, insecurities, and being massively out of shape keep whispering, "You can't do it. You're going to fail."
So, I have something to prove to myself.  I guess that means it's time to get started.