This all started in September when I decided to get my eyes checked. I hadn't had an eye exam in at least two years. I finally had insurance again, so I decided I needed new glasses and contacts. During my exam, the doctor asked me if I had anyone ever tell me that I had swelling on my optic nerve. I think he could tell by the look of confusion on my face that no one ever had. When he told me he wanted me to get a second opinion, I knew it must have been important. So after my appointment with a specialist, who confirmed the swelling on both eyes, I was scheduled for an MRI. I was a little concerned that I had swelling on my optics nerves, but I had no idea how bad it could have been. I asked the specialist what this could possibly be caused by. The answer was not a shock, but it was frustrating none the less. He said that women my age, who are overweight will sometimes have extra fluid on the brain, which will then cause swelling on the optic nerve. Of course all I heard was, "Hey you have fat kid syndrome, lose some weight, take some meds and you should be fine." He also said that it might be more serious than that, hence the MRI. My MRI came back clear (side note: happy dance! No tumors growing in my head) Now they wanted to set me up an appointment for a lumbar puncture. Aka SPINAL TAP! Not going to lie here, this freaked me out a lot! I was like "Whoa!!! Pump the brakes!!! But after the appointment, I decided it wasn't too bad. Now don't get me wrong, it hurt; I was sore for two days and I had a headache for a couple of days, but it wasn't as bad as my bad dreams had led me to believe it was going to be. I had to wait a week for the results. It was the longest week of life! I was worried that they weren't going to find out what was wrong with me, but as the days got closer to the results coming in I had an epiphany. It doesn't matter what the results say, something in my life has to change. I was drinking two bottles of Mtn. Dew a day, I ate food that college frat boys would be proud of, and I was sitting on my rear end all day everyday! I decided if I wanted my diagnosis to change, I was going to have to make the changes myself. If I didn't change something seriously wrong could happen to me. So I decided to make a change. Its been slow and difficult, and sometimes it feels impossible. But each time I make a step forward it feels amazing. My first step down this path was to stop drinking Mtn. Dew (I was helped by the medication I am now on for the diagnosis of Idiopathic Inter-cranial Hypertension.) My second step has been to stop eating crap! Sometimes I still eat like a frat boy, but its getting better. My third step has been to start to exercise more. I now have a trainer, who kicks my butt twice a week. But the reason for my blog is not only to keep track of what I am doing, but to keep me going forward on this road to being healthy! Back in October I wrote this pledge to challenge myself and I am now putting it out there for everyone to see.
I WILL be able to play sports and not die because I cannot breathe, I will be able to shop in the women's section instead of the plus sizes. I know I will not be small because my body is not built like that, so I will NOT starve myself and I will NOT believe I am anything less than beautiful, no matter my size! My goal is to be healthy.
I ask only that you encourage me, not shame me. Help me if I need a cheat, but don't enable me. And most of all, please oh please, don't be offended by anything I say while on this journey as I make these extreme changes in my life. You can hide my status updates, you can un-friend me, you can completely ignore me but I WILL do this! Thank you in advance for all your support, love, and encouragement. Please feel free to share inspirational quotes, stories, or recipes that will help me with my goals!
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| This is me in May 2012 |
So proud of you!!! Just some things that help me: instead of dessert, some frozen blueberries drenched in milk. The blueberries freeze the milk and you get a slushie treat. Second, this is the worst but going gluten free eliminated 97% of all junk food. Eating out is virtually eliminated so you have to cook all your meals (and you feel guiltier if you cheat). You can't even eat fries (my weakness) because they are fried in the same oil as chicken nuggets, or if it is McDs the oil is glutenified (a made up word, but you get the point), etc. Finally, my biggest thing is counting calories, not only so I don't eat too much but so I don't eat too little. Sometimes when we diet it is easy to just stop eating or restrict our intake so much that suddenly you have only eaten 700 calories one day (BAD). Those are my tips! Good luck! You can do this!!!
ReplyDeleteMy fitness pal has a great app to count calories. it even breaks down your macronutrients for the day. You can set it for the amount of weight you want to lose in a week- not more than 2 pounds- and it will give you a guideline as to where to be calorie wise. But again it is just an app- consult your doctor or trainer since you are lucky to have both!
DeleteWay to go Felicia!!
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you! After reading your blog and seeing it ask for advice I thought I would jump in. We are in same boat. Although my weight problems aren't as extreme- I'm not healthy either. And you have motivation- I don't know if I do yet. Sometimes I think I do. But I don't.
ReplyDeleteBut here is what I do know.
1) Try to drink at least half your weight in water everyday. Flavor it if you must with Mio or Crystal Light.
2) Only change one thing out and one thing in at a time- Like getting rid of Mountain Dew and adding water one week and next week trade out one of your snacks or meals for something healthier.
3)Anything in a box is usually processed and it's better to avoid those if you can
4) Alternatively Bountiful Baskets is a great way get cheap produce- and you will eat it all so you aren't wasting money. Freeze or give away some if needed.
5) Green smoothies are a great meal replacer or a snack. I usually have mine for breakfast.
6) Pinterest is a wealth of information. I myself have a board called "Healthier Foods" and one for fitness "Motivation" that includes quotes, workouts, playlists, etc.
7) You are STRONG. You can do this. I will cheer you every step of the way!
Yay! This is so awesome, and I'm excited to read about your journey. One thing that helps my husband and I get in some fruits and veggies without a lot of planning (or money) is Bountiful Baskets. I don't know if they have them where you live, but you pay wholesale prices for a produce basket that you pick up on weekends. You don't have to do it every week if you can't eat a lot by yourself, but they also have a facebook page with ideas on how to freeze or juice things so you can store them longterm. So excited for you!!
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