Allow Me to (re)Introduce Myself

(Disclaimer: this is a bit long, however, I believe that it's important for you to understand some of my history to understand my reasoning and desperation to lose some serious weight. This is divided into three sections--my health history, present day, and my goals for this blog--so feel free to skip around)

Hello my loves and thank you for reading this blog! I know all of you are very busy bees, so I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate you checking in, commenting, and showing your love and support! I wanted to re-introduce myself and my reasoning for blogging to anyone who is new to 2009: Living My Best Life (thanks Oprah).

I've struggled with weight all my life. I've never been the skinny girl, just the fat girl with the pretty face, the guys-girl, the tomboy, and definitely never the one to cause whiplash to someone passing me on the street. It wasn't until recently, when I was at a doctor's appointment, that I realized how much my poor eating habits had taken a hold of me. Let's go back in time to get the full picture...

A Little Bit of My Health History

The obvious tell-tale sign was my physical appearance. Ballooning at 220 lbs my freshman year of college, I couldn't fit into any of my clothes and avoided going places with friends because of a significant drop in self-confidence. That December in 2004, I went to my dermatologist for my yearly check-in, like any 20-something would if they were still breaking out terribly and embarrassed by it. (I mean, who wouldn't be? Acne is supposed to happen during those years in high school when everything is a big deal and your life is ending every day because the crush of the week was talking to your ex-best friend's friend's younger sister in the hallway, or something as equally juvenile). It was during that examination and after a series of questions, that my dermatologist decided I needed to get blood work and a trip to the gyno for some further testing.

After a few rounds of testing and an ultrasound, my ob-gyn sat me down and pushed a picture much like this one across the table to me:

"Lesley, this is a picture of your ovaries. Do you see those black circles? Those are cysts. They're completely covering your ovaries. You have polycystic ovarian syndrome."

Hmm, so the beast had a name. The good doctor went on to explain many of the side effects--abnormal hair growth on your face (check), obesity (check), insulin problems (check), irregularity (check), and the list continued.

Fast-forward to June 2006. I hadn't done much to change my habits or lifestyle. I was still eating poorly, not working out, and had been suffering extreme abdominal pain. Turns out my gall-bladder was jam packed with gall-stones, two of which were blocking my bile duct, causing me to have jaundice and needing emergency surgery. Even after that surgery, I didn't do much to change. I know, stupid.

It wasn't until an appointment with Dr. Legro from the Hershey Medical Center that I realized I was destroying my insides and would soon experience irreversible damage if I didn't get with it. Dr. Legro is a PCOS-specialist and led his team to the #1 spot in the world of PCOS. After some standard tests, Dr. Legro and his assistant sat down with me to go over my case. Most of it I was tuning out (I know...bad patient), I had heard it before, until...

"wahw wahw wahhhhw, infertility. Do you want to have children in the future, Lesley?"

"excuse, I'm sorry--infertility?"

"Yes. You are far beyond an ideal weight for someone of your height and the longer you stay there, the less chance you have of ever maintaining a body weight that is ideal to conceive."

I mean, I had no intention of having kids for 10+ years, but hadn't stopped to think that the poor decisions I was making today would effect a decision I so greatly wanted for myself in the future.

Back to Today...

Since hearing that little tid-bit of information, I must admit that I haven't been great. Stress, school, family, friends...it all gets in the way. But, I'm close to graduating, stepping out into the real world, and for once, I want to have spent enough time on taking care of myself to be the best, the healthiest, and the happiest person I could possibly be to start a new chapter in my life.

In January, Oprah launched her "best life" series because she too had gained that weight that she had infamously lost seasons before. For the next few weeks, various experts in five major areas that effect one's being were highlighted on the show.

It all kind of clicked then. I could eat like a rabbit, work out until I was purple, and deprive myself until the cows came home; But unless I worked on the deeper issues, the issues that made me run for some comfort food, the issues that were the sources of my stress, the issues that didn't leave me enough time to take 15 minutes of "me-time", I would forever remain (if not continue to inflate) pleasantly (or not so pleasantly) plump.

Moving Forward

It is my goal that this blog does three things:

1. Details the struggles that I face in my personal battle with weight loss in an effort to overcome this personal demon of mine and provide inspiration for others
2. Use articles from Oprah's Best Life series and other articles I stumble upon to address other areas of life that have to be "in-line" to achieve one's own "best life" in baby steps
3. Educate anyone reading this about problems that occur when you're obese that can greatly affect you, such as diabetes, PCOS, heart problems, and the like, especially those that if left alone will negatively impact you

I hope to post three times a week, one post per goal, so check back often, comment, leave suggestions for topics you'd like to see covered, but most of all...learn, enjoy, and start living your best life.

Trouble Commenting?

Some of you have mentioned that you've tried to comment and it's giving you an error message. I just encountered that and tried a few things:

(a) keep clicking post. it eventually goes through or

(b) click preview first and then post. that seems to work without problems.

Hope this helps! Keep the comments coming! And check back tomorrow for a new post.

21 Days (and then some)

So, last time we met I was beginning a 21-day jump start program from Shape magazine for weight-loss and healthy living. I found a lot of the tips and recipes useful and thought I would share some of them with you so you can get off to a good start just like I did!

Tips

1. make your environment weight-loss friendly by banning big spoons, watch serving size, and keep the counter tops clear of food that you'd be tempted to eat.
2. keep a food journal, recording every last morsel that gets passed your lips. review it regularly to see if you can spot any common threads that might be trouble spots for you.
3. figure out how many calories you can eat per day and still lose weight by multiplying your current weight by 12. also watch for carbs and proteins, alcohol, and fat (four components of foods supply calories).
4. never skip a workout by being specific in what you'd like to accomplish and choose benchmarks to gauge your progress. don't workout alone or find an accountability partner that you don't want to disappoint or skip out on. recommitting daily to your goal also helps keep you on track.
5. never, ever, EVER skip breakfast. and don't rush, which can cause you to consume more calories.
6. get your veggies and fruits to feel fuller, more satisfied, and to reduce fat storage. sneak in your daily dose by using them when you cook, mix fruit in with yogurt, and use baby spinach instead of iceberg lettuce.
7. be honest with yourself by setting attainable objectives through making changes gradually, understanding you'll lose 1-2 lbs per week, accepting your body type, and by choosing activities and foods that work WITH your life.
8. eat every four hours to keep a steady intake of fuel and to keep your metabolism revved, and make sure you eat before working out (but keep it light so you don't get an upset stomach--i opt for a rice cake with a little bit of peanut butter).
9. get enough shut-eye (at least 7 hours) by going to bed earlier, eliminating caffeine and alcohol 4 hours before your head hits the pillow, go to bed and get up at the same time every day, and calm down via meditation before getting that much wanted shut-eye.
10. find your "happy place" and stay calm, because not being able to let go of stress keeps the pounds on. also exercise (no pun intended) the word 'no' more often--you don't have to say yes to everything that's thrown your way.
11. reward yourself with non-food prizes and pencil them in on your calendar so you're constantly reminded about what you want to achieve! (like those Christian Louboutin's I'm buying when I reach my goal weight...)
12. try not to eat late, but if you must snack, reach for cereal or nonfat milk or graham crackers, air-popped popcorn (no butter), or sugar-free chocolate ice pops!
13. fill your tank with positive fuel and minimize the things that suck it dry by working out regularly, getting sleep, and keeping stress under control (seeing a pattern here?)
14. improve your groove by making work meaningful, indulge in your interests and assess your inner circle, cutting ties with those people and things that leave you drained instead of energized.
15. get started!

I printed this out and put it on my fridge. It's something I take a look at (along with my list of reasons why I want to lose weight) every morning to start my day.

Have any of you found tips that keep you motivated when the going gets tough?

Coming Soon: A Re-introduction and an Explanation--stay tuned!