I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. For those that don't know, PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is a rather common diagnosis among women of childbearing age (around 10% of women). The symptoms vary from person to person, but to explain it as best I can, your endocrine system goes haywire and starts releasing androgens (like excess testosterone), your ovaries can develop cysts, your menstrual cycle can become infrequent or stop altogether (meaning your essentially infertile) and about 90% of people with PCOS are overweight or obese.
This was devastating news. Not only have I likely lost the ability to have children naturally (fertility treatments can help, but it's still a huge blow to my pride), but I'm at a higher risk of some scary shit like heart disease, diabetes, and uterine cancer. I'm also obese.
It opened my eyes. Someone who was a large part of my childhood recently died from type 2 diabetes. She was morbidly obese and her doctor and her son tried to help her lose weight so many times but she didn't want to change.
I don't want to end up like that. She didn't deserve to die, but she had a chance to do something about her health and she didn't.
With diet and exercise, many of the symptoms of PCOS can be reduced or even completely eliminated, even with a reduction of just 10% of your body weight. At 245lbs, this meant about 25lbs for me.
I want to live. I don't want to die young, or to live long, but have my health and body slowly deteriorate so my final years are agony.
I'm going to fight.
I started on Monday. I do a half hour walk every day and have started some strength training exercises. My muscles are very weak, but I'm trying so hard to keep up with it the best I can. I've been watching my macronutrients and CICO and making sure I neither overeat nor crash diet (which I have definitely been guilty of). In 6 days, I have already lost 3lbs. No matter what comes, I'm ready. I know it will be hard, and there'll be rough days and plateaus, but I'm going to keep going even if I fall. I'll get back up and keep going. I've never felt more ready in my life.
It feels, quite literally, like a fight for my life.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/k86lhu/the_diagnosis_that_has_opened_my_eyes/
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