So Why the Health Kick?

After I had our son, I talked to my doctor about what I could do to avoid having HELLP Syndrome again if we were to have another child. My doctor was very frank with me and told me the best thing I could do was to get the weight off. Since I was classified in the obese category, I had no way of arguing against her. Instead I became determined and focused. So with the help of another doctor, I began dieting and exercising and lost 30 pounds. I was thrilled! I not only felt better, but was also in the "normal" category for weight for my age and build.

I wanted to lose another six pounds, but my husband and I decided to start trying to have children again. This meant tons of different medication, procedures, and little to no exercise allowed. This coupled with the stress and emotional eating that occurred for the last seven months, I gained back 20 of those pounds. I also had a physical last year and was informed that my cholesterol was sky high and that if I did not make some rapid changes I would be put on medication for the rest of my life that is not only extremely expensive, but I couldn't take while pregnant, and I could forget getting life insurance without paying an arm and leg.

Fast forward to the past couple of weeks . . . . One of the exercises that I would have my clients do when they were struggling with depression was to take a mental snapshot of their life how it currently is. I would then ask them what they would like/dislike about the picture and what they could do to change that picture. It would give them a sense of empowerment and would help them to see the power they had over parts of their own life. Consequently, I did this for myself due to the recent events, and frankly I didn't like what I saw. Among the many things I didn't like was my weight and current health status.

Weight and self-image has always been a huge issue for me and I have found that the heavier I am, the less social I am. I am too embarrassed to see people or even worse run into people from my past. Plus I hate the way clothes fit and consequently my wardrobe gets shabbier and shabbier since I do not feel worthy to wear cute clothes or think that the sizes that do fit just look frumpy. So, it was time I took matters into my own hands and do something about, so once again I am embarqing on a lifestyle change. To help keep me motivated I have smaller goals that result in a "reward" when I reach them. For example, 9 more pounds and I get to go to the local running store and get customized running shoes.

We will see how it goes. One day at a time. Wish me luck! You will probably see more changes or goals along the way, so stay tuned.