Visualizing Your Goals

When trying to lose weight, having the right motivations is important, but it’s equally important to be reminded of those motivations throughout the process. Losing weight is hard and it can be easy to forget what got you started. Creating some sort of visual reminder is a great way to stay motivated and focus on your goals.

           

One thing I like to do is to cover my mirror with post-it notes. I wrote down things I wanted to accomplish with my weight loss on post-it notes and then covered my bedroom mirror with them. One of my notes says, “To look AWESOME in my bridesmaids dress!” Another one says, “To not get winded when walking up stairs.” I also wrote down things that I need to remember; things like, “The food will always be there. You don’t HAVE to eat it today!” or “If you eat it, TRACK IT!” I see those notes every morning when I get dressed and every night before I go to bed.  I know it sounds cheesy, but those notes have kept me focused and motivated.

Think about what you want to accomplish with your weight loss. Do you want to run a 5k? Play with your kids without getting tired? Maybe you want that little black dress to fit again? Whatever it is that you’d like to see happen, write it down! I promise, when you’re having a hard time, seeing those visual reminders will give you the boost you need.

           

Another visual reminder that has really kept me motivated is my weight loss jars. I saw a friend of mine make these and I also saw the idea on Pinterest. Here’s how it works: take two jars or vases and label them with stickers. One jar will be your “Pounds To Lose” jar and the other will be your “Pounds Lost” jar. Fill the “Pounds To Lose” jar with glass rocks. Each rock represents one pound, so fill the jar with the number of pounds you’d like to lose. As you lose weight, move the rocks to the “Pounds Lost” jar.

           

When I made my jars, I actually couldn’t find jars or vases that were the right size. They were all too big. I wanted to see a full jar of rocks become empty, and seeing a huge vase only half full just wasn’t as inspiring. I finally did find plastic tumblers from Target. They were the perfect size and pretty cheap. I found stickers in a fun font from Michael’s. Since the tumblers I bought were small, I couldn’t fit the words “Pounds To Lose” or “Pounds Lost” on them, so I shortened it to “To Lose” and “Lost.” I absolutely love my weight loss jars and I love seeing the “Lost” jar fill up as the “To Lose” jar becomes emptier.

Here’s a picture of my weight loss jars right after I made them (I had already lost 16 lbs when I made them):

Here’s a picture of my jars now:

I told you, seeing that progress is so satisfying!

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness

In my previous post, I briefly mentioned that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome. I would like to share more about the syndrome, not to draw attention to myself or have a pity party, but to spread awareness because, if left untreated, PCOS can become life threatening. I want to do my part to help others, and awareness is the first step to finding a solution.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (also called polycystic ovary syndrome) is the most common endocrine disorder, affecting 5-10% of the female population. PCOS is also the number one cause of infertility among women.

In a nutshell, here’s what happens: In a normal female body, hormones are produced that signal the release of eggs from the ovaries (ovulation). Once the egg is released, progesterone is released from the mature follicle (a follicle is a fluid-filled sac in the ovary that releases the egg). The progesterone causes the uterine lining to thicken, leading to menstruation. In a female with PCOS, the body doesn’t make enough hormones for an egg to mature. The follicles grow, but none fully mature. These immature follicles can become cysts. Because no egg is released, no progesterone is released, and the uterine lining doesn’t thicken. The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but many now believe the disorder is genetic.

Complications

Because PCOS causes many women to be overweight, and because it interferes with metabolism, having PCOS can increase your risk of the following:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Cardiovascular disease
• Endometrial cancer
• Breast cancer
• Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure
• Metabolic syndrome
• Infertility
• Miscarriages

Women with PCOS are 4 to 7 times more likely to have a heart attack, regardless of if they are thin or not. More than half of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes by age 40. Most women with PCOS crave sugary foods, and eating those sugary foods only increases your risk of other health problems.

The more I read about PCOS and the long-term conditions it can cause, the more I come to realize is this: PCOS makes it very easy for you to gain weight (i.e. sugar cravings), but it makes it very difficult for you to lose weight. PCOS puts you at risk for other serious problems, then makes it harder for you to reduce that risk.

As For Me…

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16. Early diagnosis is very beneficial because it can help lower your risk of long-term complications. An ultrasound was done during the initial diagnosis and no cysts were found. I have been on medication since then and I hope that because I’ve been on medication, I won’t have any cysts develop… But it is called polycystic ovarian syndrome, so I’m sure I’ll have to deal with cysts at some point.

I’m not sure why I didn’t take better care of myself when I was first diagnosed. When I first started taking the medication, I lost quite a bit of weight… 60 pounds in about three months, actually. I felt great and was proud of my dramatic weight loss. Because I was young and ignorant, I guess I felt that if I continued to take the medication, my weight would no longer be an issue. So I didn’t really make any efforts to change my eating habits. I slowly gained back all of the weight I had originally lost, plus a little more.

So why now? What changed? In my previous post, Motivation, I explained how various health factors encouraged me to lose weight. Then…

I was cruising through Pinterest the other day and I saw a pin that said, “I wear teal for me. Support PCOS awareness.” Wait, what? PCOS awareness? I had no idea there was an awareness ribbon. When I was first diagnosed, PCOS wasn’t a well-known disorder. I did do some online research back then, but I mostly found medical information on sites like WebMD.com. I didn’t find any sort of awareness or support sites. After seeing that pin on Pinterest, I googled PCOS and found all kinds of new information. I even ordered a workbook from one site so I can learn how to take better care of myself. Now that I know there is a whole community of women with PCOS who support and encourage each other, I feel empowered.

When I was 16 and told I needed to change the way I ate, I was overwhelmed by the thought of such a dramatic change. My doctor was suggesting all kinds of foods I had never heard of. And since I was already losing weight thanks to the meds, I figured I didn’t need to change after all. But now, since I’m already learning healthier eating habits because of Weight Watchers, I know I can take it one step further and learn how to eat as a woman with PCOS. Diet is so crucial with this disorder. I now want to learn how to eat properly. I never wanted that before.

I want to be proactive. My health is in MY hands, no one else’s. I am responsible, ME. No one else. I’m determined to take good care of myself and live a healthy lifestyle. PCOS will NOT determine my future. I will.  

For More Information

If you’d like more info on PCOS, I’ve found WebMD and Mayo Clinic helpful when trying to understand the physiology of the disorder. For nutrition information, I've found the PCOS Nutrition Center to be particularly helpful. If you'd like PCOS awareness wrist bands or other jewelry, Aerabella's Boutique has some great stuff. 

Motivation

When you want to lose weight, you have to have the right motivations. Without proper motivation, you'll just be running off of willpower, and we all know that willpower only lasts for about two milliseconds. (Did you ever read Frog and Toad Together as a kid? Best lesson about willpower right there.)

I've tried losing weight numerous times before. I tried diet pills, Atkins, counting calories, diet smoothies, the blood type diet... You name it, I probably tried it. But all of those times that I started a new diet, the only thing motivating me was that I didn't feel pretty. I wanted to be thin like my friends. I wanted to look in the mirror and feel happy. That motivation, while it did get me started, did not last long. I would start a diet, do well for a few weeks, then something would happen: I would splurge and eat dessert, or I'd get stressed and start eating anything and everything I could find. Then the guilt would set in. The voice in the back of my head would be saying, "You can't do this. You're such a loser. You have no control!" And pretty soon, I'd be back on the couch with my Ben & Jerry's and a large spoon. I've learned it has to be more than that. You have to have something bigger pushing you than just wanting to be pretty. Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? What does "pretty" even mean?

I may not be at my goal weight yet, but I know that I will reach that weight. Why is this time any different from the others? Two reasons: 1. Weight Watchers and 2. Motivations.

I highly recommend Weight Watchers because it's not a diet; it's a lifestyle. I can't expect to lose weight and keep it off by doing some crazy fad diet for a few weeks. I've tried it. It doesn't work for me. Weight Watchers is teaching me better habits: proper portion sizes, nutritional value, etc. I could go on for days as to why I would recommend WW over any other weight loss plan or diet, but that's not the point of today's blog. I'll write another post about that later. 

When I set out to lose weight at the beginning of the year, I had several motivations. First, I had just applied to nursing school. I knew that to be a good nurse, I would need to be in better physical shape. Nursing is a physically demanding job, and I didn't want my weight to hold me back from my dreams. But this was only one small thing pushing me towards my goal.

A bigger motivation for me was being asked to be a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding. When I found out who the other bridesmaids were, I cringed. I knew I was the biggest one. The other girls are all a size zero. I'm certainly no where near a zero. I knew that the wedding pictures would look awkward; four skinny minis and me. The true slap in the face came when we went shopping for our dresses. I went to try on one of the sample dresses and quickly realized it wasn't going to fit. It wouldn't even make it over my boobs! I started checking the sizes on the dresses and discovered all of the dresses were at least five sizes too small. The boutique didn't have sample dresses in my size. Ouch. My eyes welled up with tears in the dressing room. I couldn't try on anything. I had to offer my opinion based on what the other girls tried on, and then order a dress not knowing if it would fit or how it would look on me. I was so embarrassed. To add insult to injury, the boutique called me a week or two later and informed me that my dress would cost an additional $50 because it was larger than a size 16. Double Ouch. I then became determined to have my bridesmaid's dress NOT fit me when it arrived, only this time, the dress was going to be too big, not me.

However, the biggest motivation of all came when I started experiencing a fluttering feeling in my chest a few months ago. I went to the doctor and after some tests, the doctor told me I just had some rhythm irregularities and he sent me on my way. I'm 22 years old! I should not have heart rhythm irregularities. I asked for a referral to a cardiologist. I just saw the cardiologist earlier this week and he wants to run more tests. I'll be sure to write a post later with the results and all that jazz. The heart stuff just made me realize that my poor choices were hurting my health. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (google it) when I was 16, and my doctor told me the best thing I could do was lose weight. I did lose weight after my initial diagnosis, thanks to the medication I was put on. But it didn't take long for me to slowly start packing on the pounds again. So when I started feeling that fluttering in my chest, I knew I absolutely had to make changes. If I continued to live my life the way I had been, things would only get worse. I was, and still am, determined to take better care of myself. 

So on January 5, 2012, I rejoined Weight Watchers. Yes, I had tried WW before, but because I didn't have good motivations, I never stuck with it. Like I said, willpower only lasts for two milliseconds. Now that I have multiple reasons to keep going and my motivation is coming from something bigger than just my appearance, I know I can do this. I've never felt this motivated before. I've lost 39.2 pounds so far. Only 38.8 lbs left!