When I first started my weight loss journey I focused mostly on cardio. My friend and I would run every day and I loved it. The weight began falling off so I of course was thrilled! We started doing some HIIT workouts and we also boxed. I could feel myself toning up a bit as well as still losing weight so I figured I was doing everything right. The town that we lived in at the time didn’t have a gym, so this was the type of exercises we were going to have to do to get a good work out in.
After a year or so of doing that I plateaued. I didn’t lose weight and my skin felt loose and just kind of hung out around my body. I started doing more HIIT workouts at home which included a lot of squats, lunges, pushups, tricep dips, and burpees. I could feel my skin getting tighter and my muscles becoming more defined, but I still was not seeing the results I wanted. When I moved to the city I got a gym membership. I have always liked to lift weights. I remember being in high school and having our conditioning days during volleyball where we’d hit the gym instead of practice and I loved it. I love the sense of empowerment I get from lifting heavier or finishing that last rep as my muscles shake and I don’t feel like I can physically do it. It’s something you can do on your own and know that you accomplished it without anyone helping you. During the first couple of months at the gym I was noticing results that I hadn’t seen before. My stomach was getting tighter, which for all us dealing with PCOS we know is a huge issue, so I began doing some research on how to push my results even more. What I found was so interesting to me. One of the most interesting things that I read was that our high levels of testosterone is a good thing when trying to build muscle. With higher testosterone levels we build it faster than those who have lower levels. Score! The reasons you want to build muscle instead of focusing only on cardio is because muscle is super active and uses glucose very efficiently which makes your body require less insulin production. Resistance and weight training increases muscle which in turns increases your resting metabolic rate that leads to an increase in total energy expenditure and loss of body fat. In simple term, increasing your muscle mass makes your body burn way more calories even when you are not doing anything at all. Benefits of lifting weights: Burn more fat Increase and maintain metabolism Lower insulin Improve blood pressure Aid in weight management Improve mood Increase self confidence My advice for all of you dealing with PCOS is focus more on weight training and less on cardio. Don’t quit cardio all together as there are many benefits of that as well, but with the way our bodies are wired you’ll see better results from lifting weights. The last 4 months or so since I've stepped up my weight lifting game I get compliments about my weight a lot, but the funny thing is the number on the scale has only moved a little. I love the results I've gotten from weightlifting. Knowing that it not only helps you look better, but also feel better makes it even more rewarding.
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Let me give you a bit of my history as far as fertility medications go. In 2009, after years of trying after my first miscarriage in 2006, I started my first round of Clomid. I didn't get pregnant that round but I did on the 3rd round. I ended up miscarrying at 9 weeks. I then decided not to try for a while because I took it way too hard. During that break my doctor did find out that my insulin was way high, like almost 3 times the normal limit, and he couldn't believe I was even functioning so he put me on Metformin. He still didn't think I had PCOS. I continued to take my Metformin hoping that it would help me get pregnant. In 2011 I decided to go to a fertility specialist to get more answers because obviously 5 years of trying and 2 miscarriages later, there had to be a bigger problem.
I remember walking into the fertility specialist’s office and him going over his first appointment questionnaire. Within 15 minutes of talking to him he said “well it’s obvious that you have PCOS. I can tell just by looking at you.” Ouch. The words hurt but at the same time I was so happy to have a reason! He did an ultrasound of my ovaries and on the left side I had a “string of pearls” with 13 small cysts. He confirmed PCOS right then. I had so many of the symptoms acne, weight gain, thyroid issues, hirsutism, but I did have periods every month. I still wonder why my other doctor didn’t take time to look into it more. I’ll never know his reasoning because I have never been back to him! At my first appointment with the specialist, he prescribed me a “cocktail” of medications. I never took them. About a month after my appointment, my first marriage started getting really bad. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't waste my time or my health on this quite yet. 3 months later I filed for divorce. If I have learned anything from that first marriage it is that woman’s intuition is a very powerful thing and to always listen! Fast forward 4 years and I’m back at the specialists’ office. The first thing he noticed was my weight loss which surprised me since I haven't seen him in so long. We talked about things and I updated him on my life. He did blood work and prescribed me medications to help ovulation. Within a few days later the results came back and my thyroid was slightly elevated so I started taking Synthroid. Once my cycle started I had my baseline ultrasound to make sure my ovaries were free of cysts, which they were! I took Femara, which basically tells your body and hormones to produce eggs that are strong enough for ovulation. I then went back on cycle day 12 to check the size of my follicles. I had 2 follicles that were both mature enough for ovulation so he told me to give myself the trigger shot that night. I was so scared to give myself the shot. It literally took me 15 minutes to build the courage to do it. Nate refused to do it because he’s a baby when it comes to those types of things! The shot didn't hurt at all. I really didn't feel it even go in my skin. The next day after the shot I could feel strong ovulation pains on each side so I knew that the shot was working. For those who don’t know what the shot is it’s a shot full of HCG that makes your body ovulate within 24-48 hours after the shot is administered. The HCG hormones mimics the LH surge that your body naturally should have to tell your body it’s ready to release the eggs. A lot of PCOS patients never have an LH surge because the LH in our system is elevated already so our body doesn't get the spike that signals the egg release. After ovulation I started on Progesterone suppositories. It's very common for PCOS patients to have low progesterone. Without high enough progesterone counts your body has a hard time sustaining the pregnancy. That could be the reasoning behind my miscarriages! Long story short, I didn’t get pregnant on this round. The doctor was very happy with the way my body reacted to the medicine so I’ll start another round once my cycle starts next month. I took this month off to have a HSG (hysterosalpingogram) done. The HSG was clear so I have no blockages in either tube. We also needed to save money for the next round. The treatments are not cheap and my insurance doesn't cover any of it. Boo. But I know the outcome will be worth every single penny spent :) Today as I was starting my run I decided to make a goal. I was going to aim to beat my fastest 5k. I kept looking at my timer and could see that my time was on pace to beat it. I started thinking about how important goals are to have in your life. I'm not just talking about fitness related goals or weight loss goals, goals in general. Without goals we would have no reason to strive for success. We'd be complacent in life with no struggle to become better. We would have no way of gaining self-discovery or self-worth. How do you set goals? Do you remember them mentally? Do you write them down? Do you make a goal poster where you can visually see the goals? It's funny how we all set goals in a different way with the same ending intentions, succeeding. Being successful in life is something we should all strive for. Whether you're wanting to succeed in work, personal life, physical activities, etc. it's all small steps that we take to evolve and become better. It's important to remember to celebrate all goals that were hit, whether they're big or small. Buy yourself clothes for hitting a certain weight, take yourself on a vacation for getting that promotion you've been working so hard on, draw yourself a bubble bath for not yelling at your kids for one whole day. No matter what your goal is, celebrate it. Being able to recognize your accomplishments is a healthy way to build self-esteem. There is no better way to feel good about yourself than knowing that you succeeded at something that was once just a thought in your head. You made it happen and didn't settle until it was finished, that's always something to celebrate. |
AuthorHi my name is Whitney and I'm a mom to 2 adorable boys and the wife to a sports loving, handsome man. I'm outnumbered but wouldn't have it any other way. I'm navigating motherhood one fart joke at a time. Welcome to my crazy life! Archives
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