The Challenge begins: September 1, 2013

so i did as i said i would and took my measurements today and came in at a whopping 165lbs..the heaviest I’ve been since i was diagnosed with pcos. i really need to start getting myself back on track and keeping myself motivated so i can be happy with the way i look again. when i was diagnosed with pcos, i was 138 pounds..so ive come a long ways up, and i know its going to take a long time to get back down.

since i know its going to be hard, instead of trying to lose 2 lbs a week, ill be doing 1lb a week, just so i stay on track and have an easier time reaching my goals. though i am embarrassed by them, i will be uploading progress pictures on the first of every month to see what progress i have made.

this being said, by october 1st, i plan to be at the bare minimum 4 pounds less putting me at 161. i know i can push myself to lose more in one month, but thats my goal for now, but I’m going to do what i can to crush it and lose even more.

id say i was off to a good start today, as i went hiking for 5 hours on a mountain in massachusetts [blog post with pics to come]. if i can stay this active and get a hold of good eating habits, i should be losing weight and feeling better in no time.

doing the 1 pound a week calculation, if i stick with it and work hard, by new years i should be down at least 16.5 lbs, putting me at 148.5, which would be spectacular. though my plan is to return to my original weight of 138, having an end of the year goal of 148.5 is a great way to start and ill work from there

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A new start

ive taken some time to reevaluate my life and decide what’s really important..my health. for the past few months ive been talking about a lifestyle change and losing weight with no success because i was all talk and no action. i would say one thing and hold onto it for a few days, but then slip into old, bad habits, something that must come to an end.

i recently had my check up with my gyno and i talked to her about my weight gain and what else i can do to help reverse that and what else to do to set up a healthy life style. she mentioned the obvious healthy eating and regular exercise, but she also stressed the importance of the glycemic index as well as the insulin resistance which accompanies pcos. foods that are high in carbs and sugar will no doubt lead to weight gain in women with pcos which is why it is detrimental that we stay away from them. being back at school, im trying to workout some way to have low carb meals every day, but its still a work in process.

Something else ive been reading about is eating gluten free, something i am willing and want to do, and have had a successful start. basically, if you’re eating gluten, it is most likely a highly processed food which should not be eaten. if you’re truly eating healthy, you dont have to worry about gluten because whole foods like fruits and vegetables dont have gluten in them. i went grocery shopping and have found some snacks that are gluten free and delicious. By staying gluten free, ill be able to stay away from processed carbs, which is one of the main reasons why i have gained weight.

i know this is a lot for one post, but as it is my first full day on campus, i decided it was important to start off the school year right and i went for a jog around campus. i used my nike app to track my run and it came up to about 4.5 miles [i did not run the whole thing, i was just figuring out a good running path]. im working on setting up a goal for the end of the semester to work on my running time and to push me to work harder.

as for logging my food intake, i started new programs on both lose it and my fitness pal, and have been logging accurately and plan to continue to do so to help me track my carb and sugar intake as well as my calories consumed and burned. if anyone has these apps let me know so i can add you!!

im really looking forward to finally sticking with a plan, not just to lose weight, but to create a permanent healthy lifestyle and reverse my pcos symptoms

Logging & Blogging

i know ive been mia for a while, but between working 40 hours a week, having class 8 hours a week, and family visiting lately, ive been really busy. however, that’s no excuse for slacking on my diet even though being busy cuts into my workout schedule. its important to remember that 70% of weight loss comes from dieting, while only 30% from exercise, so working out less often hasn’t helped me, but it won’t hurt me either.

even though i have been busy lately, i know that both logging and blogging are important because they’re really what keep me on track. without some type of order or pattern, i tend to slip up more and make poor choices. so to help me out a little bit, I’ve figured out how to blog using the app on my phone, meaning i wont have to wait to be home and on the computer to blog, and im also starting to use my favorite app Loseit! again to track my caloric intake as well as the calories i burn in a day. ive been using this app since 2010 to believe it or not and i love it. if anyone else has it, let me know and ill look you up! i think it’d be great motivation to know other people using the app and i would definitely start logging every day like i used to.

i leave for school in 2.5 weeks, so im going to start coming up with a food/exercise plan. as ive said before, the gym at school is HORRID and dining hall food is probably unhealthy and processed everywhere. not having a kitchen again this year will force me to be on a meal plan once again. however, my dorm is a lot farther from classes, so i will definitely be walking 3+ miles a day going back and forth which is a plus, but is also bad if im running late..

im going to work really hard to make this year at school a lot healthier and a lot more active than last year and i cant wait to get started

Say Yes to the Dress

yesterday some of my friends and i were watching say yes to the dress where a few girls were looking for brides maid’s dresses and one of them had pros. it was really sad watching her struggle as she had been diagnosed a year earlier and gained 100 lbs. she didnt like what she saw in the mirror and wished she looked like she had before.

i could completely relate to her story as i look in the mirror, all i can see is a fat girl who used to be in great shape with a nice body. however, she did also make me feel better about myself as she gained 100 lbs in a year while ive gained 20 in two. it gave me motivation to really get a hold of my pros, because in a few years, i dont want to be the unhappy bridesmaid trying to find a dress that fits and looks good.

Quote of the day: June 27, 2013

“you dont get what you wish for, you get what you work for”

here’s to working hard today to look and feel better tomorrow. i know everyone wishes they could burn calories by sitting on the couch watching tv or lose 10 pounds over night, but the reality is that you have to work for everything you want to get in life, regardless of what it is. nothing, especially weight loss will be handed to you, and it is one of the hardest obstacles to overcome, so work hard and never back down!

im backkk

i took some time off from blogging as i was really discouraged in not seeing any results since april and i decided i really needed to figure out what was going on with me, what was working, and what wasn’t..and now im back!!

losing weight is a difficult task, and trying to lose weight while you have pcos is even worse and i had to realize that this is going to take a while and its going to be really hard, but not impossible. i’ve decided that its consistency that’s what’s important and i wasnt being consistent before. i would be perfectly healthy one day, but then derail the next and so on. i think that’s really stunted my progress, and from now on im going to try and be as consistent as possible.

i also realized that yes, i have been working out a lot, but thats not what losing weight is all about. its only 30% exercise while the other 70% has to do with your diet. i was focusing so much on how much i worked out that what i ate didnt seem as important to me any more which was a HUGE mistake. but the best thing about making mistakes is that you learn from them, and im now shifting my focus more on the foods im eating rather than the calories im burning.

before i took my break, i was attempting the paleo diet, but i realized it just wasnt for me. carbs are what really hurts us, but telling myself i cant have any made me want to eat them more than when i wasnt doing paleo. im obviously going to keep my carb count down, never going over 100g a day, and ive been eating gluten free whenever possible, and i actually really like it.

all in all..im really just here to say im not giving up..nor will i ever. you’re only given one body. so take care of it.

The Struggle Continues

its really frustrating when everyone around you, friends, family, even people you dont know are losing weight with no problem while im struggling to lose just one pound. i was talking to one friend today who has lost 16 pounds..in maybe a quarter of the time ive been working at this and ive barely managed to lose 2. on top of that, my sister, who i watch eat bowls of ice cream while i stare at my salad has managed to lose 6 pounds, no problem.

my weight keeps fluctuating up and down a pound and i just feel worse and worse about myself. i work twice as hard as them and i dont even see half of the results that they do. how many books and articles and blogs do i need to read and how many doctors and specialists do i need to see for something to finally start working? its been two and a half months of trying to help my pcos and lose weight so i can be the healthy weight i used to be and nothing has worked.

sometimes i wonder if all this work is worth it if im not even losing weight

My Workout Playlist

i would hate working out if it werent for my music keeping me focused and entertained, so here is my gym/workout playlist that i listen to every time i workout [on shuffle so there’s no specific order – i always update my playlist to keep things new and interesting]

1. between the raindrops – lifehouse
2. birthday cake – rihanna
3. danza kuduro – don omar
4. dont you worry child – swedish house mafia
5. hall of fame – the script
6. i knew you were trouble – taylor swift
7. i made it – kevin rudolf
8. imma shine – young bloodz
9. kids – mgmt
10. levels – avicii
11. like a g6 – far east movement
12. make it nasty – tyga
13. make me proud- drake
14. numb/encore – jay-z/linkin park
15. princess of china – coldplay
16. promises – nero
17. say aah – trey songz
18. scream & shout – will.i.am
19. the show goes on – lupe fiasco
20. show me the money – petey pablo
21. silhouettes – avicii
22. slight work – wale
23. sweet nothing – calvin harris
24. titanium – david guetta
25. up up & away – kid cudi
26. work out – j. cole
27. 300 violin orchestra – jorge quintero
28. f*cking problems – a$ap rocky
29. forever now – ne-yo
30. i love it – icona pop
31. feel this moment – pitbull
32. all around the world – justin bieber
33. chillin – wale
34. please dont judge me – chris brown
35. cant hold us – macklemore
36. remember when – chris wallace
37. alive – krewella
38. clarity – zedd
39. glowing – nikki williams
40. next to me – emeli sande
41. pursuit of happiness [steve aoki remix] – kid cudi
42. if i lose myself – one republic
43. radioactive – imagine dragons
44. fall down – will.i.am
45. muthaf**ka up – tyga
46. heres to never gowing up – avril lavigne
47. i need your love – calvin harris
48. the other side – jason derulo
49. stereo hearts – gym class heroes
50. we own it – 2 chainz & wiz khalifa
51. safe and sound – capital cities
52. battle scares – lupe fiasco
53. cruise [nelly remix] – florida georgia line
54. too close – alex clare
55. rock that body – black eyed peas
56. want u back – cher lloyd
57. gangnam style – psy
58. demons – imagine dragons
59. sail – awolnation
60. we cant stop – miley cyrus

i know 60 songs is a lot, but i get to listen to something different every time i work out, and having a variety is better than listening to the same songs over and over again. enjoy!

Future Plans

i said a while ago that i was starting the paleo diet to try and regulate my hormones and get my pcos symptoms under control, but i havent really been putting in an effort; the main reason i have not seen results in the mirror or on the scale. However, yesterday really sparked something in me, and i think im finally getting the hang of this whole eat like a caveman thing, and i think im going to be able to manage.

i picked up a couple new books at the library, one about the paleo diet so i can learn more about it, one about insulin resistance, and one about the glycemic index. im hoping these give me a better insight on how to fix all of my problems [and i will be sharing what i learn along the way].

as of right now, im planning on going full pale, no slip ups, just pure paleolithic eating for a month to really spark something in my body. As yesterday was the day that really worked for me, im going to do my month of pale from june 3rd to july 3rd..which also happens to be my birthday, and i would really like to see some results by then.

after that, i will be mostly paleo, but when im not, im going to eat gluten free foods only to keep my glycemic index in check. i was at whole foods today, a great food store that i love, and i found a whole isle of gluten free, organic food that i cannot wait to try.

going a month without mistakes and amping up my exercise regimen is going to be tough, especially when people around me eat whatever they want, but  i know i can do it and i know that i need to do it.

“Self-Monitoring Body Weight and Food Intake Regularly”

the title of this post is one of the subheadings in Karen Roush’s book, and i think it’s important enough to discuss, as it has given me success in the past.

in her book, she says:

“studies show that checking your weight regularly and keeping records of food intake promotes long-term success in weight control. when you keep a record of what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it, eating becomes a conscious, thought-out process. You pay attention to your food intake and the decisions you make about food.”

on my blog, i have a food journal category  where i normally post my daily meals as well as my exercise [when im not detoxing]. this helps me keep track of what i eat, and also puts a little pressure on me to eat better since im sharing with the whole world what i ate for the day.

years ago, i had a different blog, with the same purpose of weight loss, but i had not yet been diagnosed with PCOS. the blog and recording what i ate, as well as support from the blogging community ultimately helped me reach my weight loss goal. Now that things are a little different, i decided to start a new blog, tracking my weight loss as well as my PCOS symptoms.

As well as this blog, i also have an app on my phone called Loseit! which ive had for years [and used back in the day when i had my other blog]. its a free app that calculates how many calories you should consume a day depending on your height, weight, gender, how much weight you want to lose, and how fast. each day you are supposed to record your meals [it counts up your calories as well as your nutrition info], as well as your exercise. it helps keep you on track, and helps you set goals that are within reach.

even if you dont have a phone with app access, they also have a website where you can sign up for free [loseit.com] with the same benefits as the app. i highly recommend checking this app out, or any other calorie counting app, as they will keep track of your caloric intake, your weight along with your weight loss progress, your nutrition information, and how many calories you burn during exercise.

having any source of organization and recording when trying to lose weight is most beneficial.