Hi Fitness Blender family! I just want to share my fat loss journey.
After five long months (I started March 3 2019, and it's Aug 3 here in the PH), I successfully lost 28 lbs despite having PCOS.
In 2017, I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), a known hormonal disorder. It affects many women in different ways. As I've observed, some of the people I know that were diagnosed gained weight while some didn't. I guess it varies. However, in my case, I gained weight, had terrible acne, had irregular or missed periods, and intense and painful dysmenorrhea (which means cramps were hell). People noticed that I gained weight, they would comment on that during family gatherings and hangouts. That made me feel ashamed of myself. Also, I'm a uni student so stress got the best of me. I turned to food. So, I started gaining more weight.
In 2018, I reached my heaviest of 134 lbs. I'm only 5ft tall, so that's really overweight or even obese. I wasn't happy. I felt anxious and depressed most of the time. I didn't want to see anyone. I tried many diets (in short, i yoyo-dieted) and while some did work, I ended up gaining it all back. So it's back to 134 for me! So frustrating. Got a gym membership, but nothing happened because coaches there didn't really make me feel at home. It wasn't what I was looking for. I wasn't motivated. I had my 22nd birthday (aug 19 2018) feeling unsatisfied and unhappy. I felt so sorry for myself.
On March this year, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and instead do something that would change my current situation. Yes, it took me about 6 months to realize that. It didn't happen on New Year's -- It wasn't part of my new year's resolution. But at least it happened. I always tell myself: At least you finally had the courage to face your fears. I had an upcoming vacation to the US on April 18, I wanted to enjoy it and I wanted to feel great, which is why on March 3, I started my fat loss journey. Officially. I told myself that this time, it would be real, and that I would be consistent. It was hard going on a clean eating-mode during vacation, but I did it most of the time. Working out was difficult too because of all the agenda per day my family and I had. I didn't have time! But I tried to fit in some form of FB workout in anyway. I went to the US weighing 125 (yes, I lost 5 lbs from March 3 to April 18), I went back from the US weighing the same. So I guess that was great! I maintained my weight despite not being consistent with my food intake. So when I got back I said, okay now we start doing some work.
What I did for nutrition: I started researching on different types food (the good fat, carbs, and protein that I can consume). I experimented on eating certain food and what I felt after doing so. I focused on CLEAN EATING and WHOLE FOODS (just like what Kelli and Daniel have been advocating for). For carbs, I just went with complex carbs (not processed, not those filled with sugar) so I ate whole wheat, oatmeal, lots of real fruits and vegetables. White potatoes didn't really work for me, so I banned those (But now that I've lost a lot of fat, and have increased my metabolism, I sometimes have those to treat myself HAHA!). I don't go too crazy with white-process carbs like white rice and pasta because it drives my PCOS crazy. I instantly gain weight. For fat, I go with the healthy kind so avocados, olive or coconut oil, nuts, etc. For protein, I like chicken so it wasn't hard sticking with chicken breasts (I just varied the flavors per week so I wouldn't get tired of it) so sometimes I have chicken curry, stir fried chicken, chicken adobo. From starting with consuming only 1200 calories per day, I've increased my calorie intake. I'm happy with my relationship with food now.
And for workouts, I relied heavily on Fitness Blender. I always "come home" to fitness blender. I've discovered FB since 2015, but I havent been consistent. Sometimes I would stop visiting their Youtube or website page because I would feel bad for not being able to workout anymore. But when I OFFICIALLY started, I went back to them, and did workouts for beginners; low impact workouts; 15 minutes or less workouts. I couldn't bare those longer and more intense workouts. But as days and weeks go by, I could feel my endurance and strength building up. I didn't stop despite the tiring moments. I KEPT GOING. I listened to Kelli and Daniel. I listened to my body. I started the FB Fit program and now I'm on my 41st day. Gained baby muscles since then, but most importantly I got stronger -- i could do 5/5 workouts now, intense HIIT exercises, full versions of push-ups and other challenging body weight exercises. From only being able to squat 6lbs total, I can now squat 30 to 36 lbs total (with proper form, of course). Slowly getting there! Aside from losing fat, I am very happy about how my overall workout performance and balance improved. I'm no longer gasping for air when I walk up the stairs. I can carry most of my groceries in one go. Working out is truly beneficial. And I have to thank Fitness Blender for that.
Re my PCOS. My body slowly but surely adjusted. I have regular periods now (it comes every month, although the day per month still changes), I don't feel as much pain as before, I still get pimples every now and then but putting ointment and taking care of my skin gets the work done (unlike before). I have yet to schedule a check up with my OBGYN to see if the cysts have lessened or idk, if she sees something has improved? (does that happen? is that possible? I'm not sure, I'll have to check with my doctor).
I've dropped most of the fat, but I have so much more to lose. I have so much more strength and muscle to gain.
It's only been five months. I still consider myself clueless in the world of fitness and health. I have so much more to learn about living a balanced and healthy lifestyle, clean eating, and working out. But I am very happy because I've come a long way.
I have so much to look forward to in the future. Thank you to Kelli and Daniel, to Fitness Blender. I learned to embrace food and love to eat food w/o feeling guilt or anxiety. I learned to love working out and pushing myself. I've considered FB my healthy-home wherein I feel safe and happy.
To this wonderful community, I hope this inspires you to get going and officially start your healthy-fat loss journey. Don't get discouraged. Keep pushing!
Successfully lost 28lbs despite having PCOS
Hi Fitness Blender family! I just want to share my fat loss journey.
After five long months (I started March 3 2019, and it's Aug 3 here in the PH), I successfully lost 28 lbs despite having PCOS.
In 2017, I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), a known hormonal disorder. It affects many women in different ways. As I've observed, some of the people I know that were diagnosed gained weight while some didn't. I guess it varies. However, in my case, I gained weight, had terrible acne, had irregular or missed periods, and intense and painful dysmenorrhea (which means cramps were hell). People noticed that I gained weight, they would comment on that during family gatherings and hangouts. That made me feel ashamed of myself. Also, I'm a uni student so stress got the best of me. I turned to food. So, I started gaining more weight.
In 2018, I reached my heaviest of 134 lbs. I'm only 5ft tall, so that's really overweight or even obese. I wasn't happy. I felt anxious and depressed most of the time. I didn't want to see anyone. I tried many diets (in short, i yoyo-dieted) and while some did work, I ended up gaining it all back. So it's back to 134 for me! So frustrating. Got a gym membership, but nothing happened because coaches there didn't really make me feel at home. It wasn't what I was looking for. I wasn't motivated. I had my 22nd birthday (aug 19 2018) feeling unsatisfied and unhappy. I felt so sorry for myself.
On March this year, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself, and instead do something that would change my current situation. Yes, it took me about 6 months to realize that. It didn't happen on New Year's -- It wasn't part of my new year's resolution. But at least it happened. I always tell myself: At least you finally had the courage to face your fears. I had an upcoming vacation to the US on April 18, I wanted to enjoy it and I wanted to feel great, which is why on March 3, I started my fat loss journey. Officially. I told myself that this time, it would be real, and that I would be consistent. It was hard going on a clean eating-mode during vacation, but I did it most of the time. Working out was difficult too because of all the agenda per day my family and I had. I didn't have time! But I tried to fit in some form of FB workout in anyway. I went to the US weighing 125 (yes, I lost 5 lbs from March 3 to April 18), I went back from the US weighing the same. So I guess that was great! I maintained my weight despite not being consistent with my food intake. So when I got back I said, okay now we start doing some work.
What I did for nutrition: I started researching on different types food (the good fat, carbs, and protein that I can consume). I experimented on eating certain food and what I felt after doing so. I focused on CLEAN EATING and WHOLE FOODS (just like what Kelli and Daniel have been advocating for). For carbs, I just went with complex carbs (not processed, not those filled with sugar) so I ate whole wheat, oatmeal, lots of real fruits and vegetables. White potatoes didn't really work for me, so I banned those (But now that I've lost a lot of fat, and have increased my metabolism, I sometimes have those to treat myself HAHA!). I don't go too crazy with white-process carbs like white rice and pasta because it drives my PCOS crazy. I instantly gain weight. For fat, I go with the healthy kind so avocados, olive or coconut oil, nuts, etc. For protein, I like chicken so it wasn't hard sticking with chicken breasts (I just varied the flavors per week so I wouldn't get tired of it) so sometimes I have chicken curry, stir fried chicken, chicken adobo. From starting with consuming only 1200 calories per day, I've increased my calorie intake. I'm happy with my relationship with food now.
And for workouts, I relied heavily on Fitness Blender. I always "come home" to fitness blender. I've discovered FB since 2015, but I havent been consistent. Sometimes I would stop visiting their Youtube or website page because I would feel bad for not being able to workout anymore. But when I OFFICIALLY started, I went back to them, and did workouts for beginners; low impact workouts; 15 minutes or less workouts. I couldn't bare those longer and more intense workouts. But as days and weeks go by, I could feel my endurance and strength building up. I didn't stop despite the tiring moments. I KEPT GOING. I listened to Kelli and Daniel. I listened to my body. I started the FB Fit program and now I'm on my 41st day. Gained baby muscles since then, but most importantly I got stronger -- i could do 5/5 workouts now, intense HIIT exercises, full versions of push-ups and other challenging body weight exercises. From only being able to squat 6lbs total, I can now squat 30 to 36 lbs total (with proper form, of course). Slowly getting there! Aside from losing fat, I am very happy about how my overall workout performance and balance improved. I'm no longer gasping for air when I walk up the stairs. I can carry most of my groceries in one go. Working out is truly beneficial. And I have to thank Fitness Blender for that.
Re my PCOS. My body slowly but surely adjusted. I have regular periods now (it comes every month, although the day per month still changes), I don't feel as much pain as before, I still get pimples every now and then but putting ointment and taking care of my skin gets the work done (unlike before). I have yet to schedule a check up with my OBGYN to see if the cysts have lessened or idk, if she sees something has improved? (does that happen? is that possible? I'm not sure, I'll have to check with my doctor).
I've dropped most of the fat, but I have so much more to lose. I have so much more strength and muscle to gain.
It's only been five months. I still consider myself clueless in the world of fitness and health. I have so much more to learn about living a balanced and healthy lifestyle, clean eating, and working out. But I am very happy because I've come a long way.
I have so much to look forward to in the future. Thank you to Kelli and Daniel, to Fitness Blender. I learned to embrace food and love to eat food w/o feeling guilt or anxiety. I learned to love working out and pushing myself. I've considered FB my healthy-home wherein I feel safe and happy.
To this wonderful community, I hope this inspires you to get going and officially start your healthy-fat loss journey. Don't get discouraged. Keep pushing!
All the best,
Aly