55 Pounds Down! With Pics!

I still have a long way to go, but I'm down to a weight I was almost 5 years ago...

Hello, my name is Kristena, and he's a summary of what's been going on:

I have PCOS and hypothyroidism. I take Metformin and Levoxyl to help treat these conditions. I am 5'2" tall and my starting weight was 269. Fifty-five pounds ago, my doctor told me that I wouldn't be able to have a child until I lost about 50 pounds due to my PCOS issues. About 30 pounds in, I started ovulating for the first time in my life. I know it was the first time because that crap hurts! Anyway, I always knew that the day I started ovulating, I would start trying for a baby. When I actually did start, I didn't start trying. I realized at 239lbs, I still wasn't healthy for giving birth. I've decided to stick it out until next March (a year from my beginning) and try to get around 160-170lbs for my health and my baby's health.

I guess once you realize your health is crap, you realize how important it is to improve it before you give life to someone who will need you to be healthy for them!

I am now 214.4 pounds. I've been ovulating for several months now, and I feel a lot better overall. I eat around 1200 calories a day, sometimes eat my exercise calories back, and *try* to exercise three times a week (though admittedly, recently, I've been coming short of that). Because of my insulin resistance, I try to engage in a lower carb diet. I eat roughly 80-140 carbs a day (depending on exercise). I still eat my pasta sometimes I admit that I had given up for 2 months between August and September, and I'm only a month back into it. When I gave up though, I guess I didn't really give up. I weighed every day and adjusted my eating based on the scale. I guess I went to maintenance for awhile until my life straightened out. I recommend the same strategy for anyone who thinks they need to give up. I didn't gain the weight back in those two months-- only 1 pound!

Anyway, here's me before I started losing:





And here is me, earlier today:



(Please excuse the messy hair!)

I'm only 42% done with my weight loss, but as I get closer to one-derland (LOL), I appreciate the little changes more and more. I hope this inspires you to continue your journey on this dreary day.