Read About What You're Gonna Read About

Well alright, where to start?

First, let me give you a brief description of *hopefully* what this blog will kind of be.  I'm using this outlet to journal my new weight loss endeavor.  I'll blog about the ups and downs of losing weight and changing my lifestyle.  Why now?  Well, I am ready to be a mommy, and in order to make that happen I'll be using IUI, which is a form of artificial insemination - yup, this is gonna be one of those "TMI" blogs (to a point, promise not to comment on the color of my poop or the road rash I get after a work out) ANYWHO - in order to make IUI more effective (get me preggers) I want to do everything in my power to make sure that I am healthy.

GOALS:

GET HEALTHY:

Currently I am what they consider "Super Obese", but there is nothing super about it.  I am 29 and currently take medications for high blood pressure, underactive thyroid, extreme anemia, polycystic ovarian syndrome, depression, sciatic/back pain, water retention and sleep problems.  Not all of these are necessarily caused by my weight but most of them are aggrevated by the weight.  I'm also a very high risk for diabetes (both parents are diabetic as well as grandmas, aunts, cousins, uncles, etc.).  I'm hoping that by losing the weight I can get some of these conditions to lessen in intensity or even disappear altogether!  I would love to reduce the amount of medication that I have to take and find more natural ways to deal with all my issues.  I think the real "kick in the ass" came about a week ago when my doctor and I had a very serious conversation about my current health issue.  For almost 2 months now I've been dealing with a very bad "lady time" issue which has resulted in extreme anemia (had to get a blood transfusion), exhaustion, irritability and hormone imbalance.  We've tried SEVERAL hormone therapies and even a small surgical procedure, but nothing has worked.  My doctor tells me that if this new medication does work by a 3 month deadline that I'm going to have to have a hysterectomy - making me sterile at age 29.  It was devastating news, but the glimmer of hope that I took away from it was that if I could lose just 10-15% of my body weight that it might just put me back to working order and save the old uterus.  Thus - the sudden obsession with babies and weight loss.



QUALITY OF LIFE:



I miss out on a lot from being overweight.  I have had to have back surgery at age 26 and my back is still in pretty bad shape - some of it is genetic, but the extra weight does not help.  I refrain from doing things that require a lot of physical endurance such as hiking, biking, climbing, etc.  I have a hard time even grocery shopping or going to a concert due to the length of time standing and/or walking.  I really want to improve on these things so that I can get out and be more active.


BABY TIME:


The biggest motivator for me is having a baby.  I've wanted to be a mommy for as long as I can remember and until this recent health issue I never thought that it could be a done deal so early on.  Now I am more motivated than ever to become a mommy, so my goal is to lose 100lbs in order to get my body in a healthier condition to conceive and carry.  I will be using artificial insemination which has it's own success rates and losing weight will only help my odds.


So, that's it in a nutshell - hopefully I'll be able to include photos, recipes, rants, raves and whatever else along this journey.  I also hope to blog frequently, but we'll see about that.