I want to start by telling you a little bit about me. I’m a Tennessee girl, wife to a merchant mariner, and blessed Mom of two devilishly handsome boys (and naked cats!)
I’m also a Registered Health Coach, Certified in Holistic Nutrition and Weight Loss For Women, and the chair of the Awareness Committee on the Patient Advisory Board at PCOS Challenge, the largest PCOS nonprofit organization.
My personal health, fitness, and PCOS journey started in 2014. I had just given birth to my second son and had reached my heaviest weight - 230lbs. I was no stranger to being a little on the “bigger” side and had struggled with weight gain, yo-yo dieting, and toxic meal replacement gimmicks since age 12.
At age 14, I began my 10 year battle with bulimia. Fast forward to age 23, I was diagnosed with PCOS which simply added to my fight to become healthy, fit, and happy inside of my own body. At that time, I didn’t really know all that much about PCOS...
Other than the fact that it made losing weight feel next to impossible!
And so, my toxic relationship with unsustainable and dangerous weight loss fads continued. I tried pills, lotions, potions, pre-made meals, 100 calorie snack packs, joining the gym, and fell for every “lose weight in 7 days” ad that I saw.
The result? I would always lose a little, then gain a lot.
I was truly overwhelmed with the contradicting information online, the lack of support from my healthcare provider, and my PCOS hormones made every setback that little bit harder to absorb. After another failed fad diet attempt and a few days of feeling sorry for myself, one day, I finally decided to make a commitment to myself:
“This year, I will treat losing weight as a lifestyle change, not a quick 7-day fix.”
This was at the start of 2014. I cleaned up my diet (which doesn’t necessarily mean giving up all of your favorite foods,) and became more active by taking short walks in the park. Eventually, I fell in love with this lifestyle. I trained multiple times a week, lost 100lbs, and eventually went on to become an athlete.
Problem solved - right? PCOS cured - right?
Wrong.
Believe it or not, losing weight, eating a clean diet, and exercising multiple times a week actually made my PCOS... worse. And that, for me, was a tough pill to swallow. Even harder than those ginormous “tummy tea” ones!
Again, I felt as though I was back to square one. However…