I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOs) in 2015. Like many with PCOs, I have had a multitude of issues; primarily severe acne, ovarian cysts, irregular periods, infertility and weight struggles. Since 2015, I have been able to get everything under control except for the acne and my weight. I was at my heaviest in 2021 at 230 pounds and I knew I had to make a change. My weight was causing me to have very painful periods; so painful that I knew something was wrong. I went to the doctor and they told me that everything looked fine, I was just really overweight. That is when I first started taking weight loss seriously.
I was able to get to around 213 pounds on my own and my painful periods completely resolved. I was losing weight so slowly, though, that at the beginning of 2024, I decided to see a doctor. They put me on a weight loss medication called Phentermine. They explained NOTHING about this drug except that it was an appetite suppressant and in some people it could cause heart issues. That made me nervous but I still decided to try it. I loved it, at first. It completely removed my appetite to the point I didn’t care if I ate or not. It also completely got rid of the food noise that I had struggled with for years. I started doing cardio three to four times a week, typically a 30-40 minute brisk walk, and I felt great.
My diet at that time consisted of protein shakes, occasionally eggs, puff corn (like this) and then a small amount of whatever I cooked my family for supper. You would assume that I was dropping weight like crazy but no. I was on this medication for the entire year, other than a few breaks, and the lowest weight I was able to reach was 198 pounds. A 14 pound weight loss is good but it’s very little when you’re essentially starving yourself. I decided in the fall to take a break from Phentermine because my heart rate was staying too high and that made me nervous. My doctor gave me the option to pay for a Compounded Semaglutide shot.
This shot has risks, which of course my doctor never went over with me. I was told it was totally safe🙄 I did one month of these shots and lost no weight. In fact the shots made me sick and did not suppress my appetite at all. After that month, I decided to give Phentermine one last chance. I went back into the cycle of cardio and starving myself… and I lost nothing. I decided at the end of December that I was done taking these harmful drugs and not giving my body what it needs. That leads me to now!
I am doing a fairly strict low carb/high protein diet. I’ve been following a mix of paleo and keto recipes but I’m not doing any particular diet strictly. My primary focus is protein, with a goal of 100-130 grams a day. I know that sounds like a lot but since I’ve started eating this way, I’ve lost two pounds, I’m never bloated and I have ZERO food noise. I feel better now than I did the entire year of 2024.
I’ve been sharing what I eat over on my Instagram stories and I want to start sharing different recipes here, as well. I also plan to write a post about what supplements I take. As for exercise, I believe the semi- intense cardio I was doing last year was actually stalling my weight loss. I’m not sure if it was causing me to be inflamed or what but I’m losing more by doing yoga alone. For now, yoga is what I plan to stick with but I would like to add in walking when the weather warms up. I’m currently doing a 30 day yoga challenge (you can see it here) and I’ll update at the end of it!
Final Thoughts:
I plan to do occasional updates here and you can see more frequent ones on my Instagram. If you made it through all of this, I appreciate you reading and please leave any tips you may have for me!
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