The Beginning

First a little about me.

I'm Amy. I am 30 years old and I'm overweight. I have PCOS and maybe an under active thyroid. I say maybe because I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 19. But when I went to a new doctor in September he did blood work and found my thyroid tests to be in the normal range. I haven't taken any meds for months and I feel fine. So maybe by the awesome power of wishful thinking to be healthy and normal, I have healed myself.

Humm...what else can I say about myself? I'm sarcastic. I have a weird sense of humor. I have a gorgeous 3 yr old male boxer, Rock. And a crazy adorable 6 month old female kitten,Sophie. That's them in the pic at the top. And yes they curl up together for a nap on a regular basis. Sophie is crazy and the most unusual cat I have ever had...she fits right in with us. I'm single for the most part, my divorce will be final sometime after the first of the year.

Nearly everything about me is changing. I went back to school and I will start a new job soon. Before next summer I will go back to school so I can become a phlebotomist. And, the reason for starting this blog, I am losing weight.

I have tried and failed at hundreds of diets. After years of trying the latest and greatest new thing that comes along I have finally realized ....DIETS DON'T WORK. Sure I'd lose 5, 10 or even 50 pounds. Then when I tried to go back to normal eating I would fail. To me being on a diet means being deprived of all the foods I really enjoy. I hate feeling deprived. And I would always gain weight before starting a new diet. I'd think, OK Monday I start my new diet so I have to eat all the things I will really miss, one last time. The weekend before I started the new miracle diet that would change my life would be a free for all, no holds barred, stuff your face, pig out, binge. I would go buy things I hadn't had in months because this was it. I was 'never' going to have that unhealthy food again.

'My breaking point'

Before I go any further let me say, I really am doing this to be healthier. Losing weight would help the symptoms of my PCOS. I have borderline high blood pressure. My father died of a heart attack when he was 40. My grandfather died of a heart attack the year before my dad, he was in his 60's. I have insulin resistance due to the PCOS and my family's health history is littered with diabetes. With that said...

My breaking point came in two parts. The first was the morning I got dressed, buttoned my jeans and couldn't breath. It was so uncomfortable. I had to use the old ponytail trick I heard my preggo friends talk about when they were outgrowing their regular clothes but were still too small for maternity clothes. It was shameful to me.

The second shocking moment was after I dyed my hair. Yes, at the tender age of 30 I have dozens of gray hairs. I was checking out my hair using two mirrors. I always feel like I might have left a streak uncolored. I didn't have a shirt on. I was looking at the back of my head when I saw it.

I was shocked.

I nearly cried.

I had back fat rolls. *GASP*

I am not in denial about how overweight I am. OK, maybe just a little. I do not think I'm still the size 10 girl I was in high school. Between Jr and Sr year I lost maybe 50 lbs. I don't know for sure since I never weighed myself then. I went from a 16 to a 10 (8 in some things). But I never thought I would see the day that I had fat rolls on my back.

Beginning stats

Height.......... 5'7"

Weight, fluctuates between 240 and 245, but I'm making my Official Starting weight 240

BMI.............. 37.6

Pants size.... 20 (a tight 20 at that)

Shirts .......... 2X

Waist........... 46 inches (OMG!...around the belly button,between the upper and lower rolls)

Hips............. 45 inches (right at the top of the pubic line under my gut)

Bust............. 44 inches (under the BB's)

Chest........... 42 1/2 inches (above the BB's)

Right above the knee.... 19 inches

Upper thigh.... 26 inches

Upper arm.. 15 inches

Neck............ 17 inches

Long Term Goals

Height..... 5'9" (kidding, it would be nice though, 10 less lbs to lose LOL)

Weight.... 145 (might adjust this as I go)

Measurements, I have no idea what a realistic goal would be. I don't expect to measure a "perfect" 36-24-36. I think the waist measurement is supposed to be under 32 inches for women. Don't hold me to that though.

Fitness, lots of things I want to be able to do down the line as far as fitness goes. I want to be able to do 100 push ups. I want to be able to RUN for miles, without stopping and gasping for air. I'd love to compete in a 5K race. I want to increase my strength. I don't expect to bench press 150 lbs, but I want the 40 lb bag of dog food to be effortless.

Small Short Term Goals

I'm the type of person who, if I dwell on the 95 pounds I have to lose, will get discouraged and quit. So I am going to focus on losing 10 pounds at a time.

I have a lot of bad habits to break and good habits to pick up. If I were to tackle them all at once I would end up quitting. So I will pick something every week or two. I will focus on making a good habit second nature and a bad habit a distant memory.

Join me, won't you, on my journey to a healthier slimmer me!