In the last days of 2001 I decided that on January 1st it was going to be a new beginning. I was going to start fresh. I was going to diet, I was going to exercise. I could do this, I had to do this. January 1, 2002 I weighed 206 (actually 213- I didn't realize that our scale was off by 7 pounds) pounds. Not pregnant. I was just horrified. I really believed I just could not lose weight.
I'm not sure what month it was, but early in the year Dan was reading an article in a Couple to Couple League Publication. The article was on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. As he read the article he thought- "wow, this is Natalie!" With trepidation he approached me and recommended I read the article. I was quite good at punishing him for commenting on my weight or lack of exercise and the poor guy really had to walk on eggshells. I read the article and agreed- it was describing me.
We took our article and thoughts to our doctor. He was hesitant to treat me for PCOS because I had no problem conceiving. Most women who have PCOS are infertile. I tried to plead to him that my family needed me to be healthy and that it wasn't for vanity's sake that I wanted the medication, but for my health, my heart, my knees and joints. He agreed. I started staking Glucophage 500mg per day. I would gradually work up to 500mg 3X per day- so 1500mg daily, but it can be hard on the stomach, initially so we started slowly. One thing I noticed right away- my appetite decreased. I had more energy. I wasn't so tired all of the time.
I steadily started exercising more and more. I actually saw the scale get below 200! I never thought I would actually see the day when the number of my weight started with a 1 in the hundreds column! I was following a diet program called The Zone, by Barry Sears. Ladies with PCOS are encouraged to eat a diet high in protein, low in simple carbohydrates- mostly focus on whole grains and fruits and vegetables.
In April of 2002 I had a surgery for endometriosis. At that point they also saw lots of cysts on my ovaries. So while in there removing the endo they also did what is called ovarian drilling(not any more painful, just sounds awful). The pain I had been having continued to persist. I was fairly miserable. So we did another surgery in June 2002 and removed my left ovary- the one that had the ectopic so may years before. As I healed I became more active. I even got a treadmill and started walking on it.
By September 2002 I was down to 193 pounds. The glucophage and Zone diet as well as my modest exercise were really helping. I also started going to an aerobics class with my friend, Megan. I found out exercise CAN BE FUN!! And I proceeded to lose more weight :) I found out that interval training is the best way to lose weight from a book called Fit or Fat Woman. I also learned that modest strength training is not going to bulk you up, but rather build bone density, make you stronger, make you develop lean muscle and help you burn more calories, even when resting.
One thing I found as a truly helpful tool is prayer. When you have no hope that you can do it- ask for help. Lord, I need your help losing weight. I struggle so much with wanting to eat things that are not good for me or overeating things that are good for me. Please help me to nourish my body and treat it as a temple for you, which it is.
And when I am really struggling and can't possibly get that much out- just "please help me"
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