The Beginning of the Road
Today is the day I start monitoring what I eat! Why am I doing this and why am I starting today of all days? Well, I am doing this because despite an active lifestyle, I am unable to lose weight and today because this is the first day of my prescribed weight loss pills. Starting a new road is always exciting and challenging especially when you are taking a road that will present new obstacles and is so dynamic that it changes every minute of the day. Therefore, before I begin this journey I think it is important to reflect on the roads I have taken in the past and how they have brought me here, today.
From the earliest of my years, I have been active in something. When I was very small it was dance which turned into gymnastics, then swimming and finally sports. In fact, soccer became my past time of choice and from the age of 7 till 16, I played the sport year-round. I played in numerous leagues and in middle and high school played for the school teams usually at mid-field but I have played every position at some point in that career. In fact, for two seasons I coached my little sister’s team which was one of the greatest experiences imaginable.
At the age of 8 I was diagnosed with hypo-thyroidism, which is something that my grandmother and sister have as well. No serious complications came out of this discovery except for the minor annoyance of having a tiny pill to take each morning, which I did habitually with the prodding of my mother. Then on my 16th birthday I got my license, a job and within a matter of months also started taking birth control. Also, I stopped playing soccer but felt that with my constant on the go between school and work that I was being physically active enough. To my regret to this day, I also began taking my thyroid pill more intermittent mainly out of ignorance and teenage rebellion. Another factor to this equation was my random drug experimenting which didn’t have any devastating consequences but affected me none-the-less.
By 18, I had put on 20 pounds and was up to 145 and feeling quite unhappy about myself. However, I graduated from high school with honors and a certification in marketing when I then headed into college. I have always seen a specialist about my thyroid and around this time I switched from my child-hood doctor to a new one who began noticing dramatically high levels in my blood tests relating to my thyroid. However, the remedy was always to increase the dosage which did little if I didn’t take my pill regularly. Between school, work, my parents divorce, and getting a place of my own many things in my life were no longer constant or routine. Everything was affected by this including my diet (fast food), exercising (none), and taking my pill (very intermitted) which all contributed to my weight gain of about 20lbs. per year until October 2005.
In the fall of 2005, I began taking exercise classes at Valencia Community College because I was able to stay with a routine at the YMCA or any other gym. But for some reason the idea that these classes were related to school worked for me even though I didn’t get credit I became addicted. In fact, every semester (including summer) I have taken at least two exercise classes there from kickboxing to belly dancing and I absolutely love it. This has helped me reduce my weight gain to 10lbs from October 2005 to April 2006, which I am glad for, but have decided is not good enough.
On August 11th, 2007 I will be graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Management and a minor in Mathematics. My doctor and I have decided that by this time I should lose between 6 and 12 pounds since we have determined that the key to weight loss for me will be controlling my appetite and portion control. This is based on my love for food and will to eat all the time especially during stressful times, like finals. She has placed me on a daily dose of 18.75mg of Phentermine which I will take in addition to .25mg of Levoxyl, 150mg of Green Tea Extract, 100mg of Alpha-Lipoic Acid, and 500mg of Viactiv. The later was based on the book “The Thyroid Diet” which I tried early on but had a hard time maintaining and am attempting again.
For the most part I will be using this blog to monitor my progress and as a reminder to follow this plan. I have also been suffering from what my general practioner believes is IBS for several years now, which basically arises in the morning when I consume certain foods and has created impediments to taking my pill regularly. In terms of dieting, I have an advantage since I love to cook and do so for the family, which for the most part I make healthy things since I am lactose intolerant, and I hate mayo and hamburgers as well as fried foods for the most part. My major weakness in turning to fast food when I don’t have time where I will eat grilled chicken sandwiches and tons of fries. Our household also only drinks green tea which I think will also help since I hate soda. We shall see if this portion control and lack of appetite helps please feel free to offer any suggestions or comments along the way since I am rather alone on this battle.