Choosing to lose....either my weight or my life.

I haven't always been fat. I was the curvy girl in high school. I weighed a few more pounds than my friends, but not enough to bother me. I was moderately active by playing softball for 8 years and since none of us had a car we walked everywhere! Fast forward 14 years later and it's a completely different story. My social life basically revolves around sitting around a table with friends eating and talking. My work life is sitting in a chair for 90% of the time in front of a computer. My home life involves housework when I have time, sitting infront of the tv while eating dinner with my husband, and sleeping.

I am the poster child for a sedentary lifestyle.

I have gained 150 pounds since I graduated high school. That's 11 pounds gained a year! How did I let this happen to my body? I have a BMI of 55. Normal is between 18 and 24.  I am basically suffocating myself in my own body with fat. At 31 I feel like an old lady. When I get out of bed in the morning I have to stand for a few minutes before walking out of the room because my feet and ankles are so stiff from being swollen all the time. I have borderline high blood pressure, depression, and a panic/anxiety disorder. All of which I take medications for.

I am so sick of being tired and so tired of being sick!

And the real kicker to all of this: By being morbidly obese I've made myself infertile. I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS) last year. If I want any chance of having children I have to lose the weight. I have to start exercising. Play time is over.

In researching PCOS, I have discovered that one of the reasons it is so hard to lose weight is that most women diagnosed are insulin resistant. Apparently many patients find that using a Glycemic Index or GI diet is beneficial to weight loss. I will be using The South Beach Diet as my blueprint for healthy eating. My mom will be my lifestyle change buddy throughout this.

We just found out she has diabetes. I don't want to lose her.

We have set a start date of September 19th. That gives us a month to study the South Beach Diet, clean our homes of harmful food, and implement an exercise regimen. I am really excited.

I weigh 330 pounds...but not for long!