Spring 2013: 140 Pounds
Spring 2015: 120 Pounds
Height: 5′2″
I was never the skinniest girl. I have always had curves: big boobs and big hips. It was nice to enjoy the perks of my hourglass figure for a while. In high school, I was pretty active. I played lacrosse and my diet was pretty healthy. When I got to college, I knew the dangers of gaining the freshman 15 and I tried to stay away from junk foods. However, a perfect storm of unfortunate life events led me into a depression. In my fits of sadness and anxiety, I looked to food as my medicine. I was constantly hungry. I ate often and I ate a lot. I didn’t exercise much. I was intimidated by the gym. I didn’t know how to use any of the equipment properly, and I always said I hated running.
The first picture is a photo from my brother’s wedding, taken at the end of my freshman year. Prior to the wedding, on my spring break, I was at a friend’s house and saw a scale. I weighed in at 140. My BMI was officially overweight. I couldn’t believe I gained 15 pounds since high school, when I was 125 and sporting curves. I began to hate myself. After the photos of the wedding came out, I had an image to go with the number. I couldn’t believe how I looked.
Over the next summer, I tried to get my weight in line. I was somewhat successful. I worked on a beach with several very beautiful, very fit girls. I was constantly comparing myself to them. My body was on its way to being healthy, but my mind was not. The following year at college, I gained some weight back again and I learned to hate myself more deeply. I was in a bad relationship that contributed to all of my unhealthy habits.
In May of 2014, my sophomore year, everything changed. First, I got blood-work results back from my OB/GYN. I had been experiencing irregular menstruation my whole life and finally decided to get it checked out. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. PCOS is caused by hormonal imbalance. The imbalance was also correlated to insulin-resistance. The AC1 test showed that I had elevated levels of blood sugar over the past three months. My doctor said I was pre-diabetic.
Then, just at the end of the school year, my relationship ended. It was the perfect time to turn my health around physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I immediately went on birth control pills to regulate my hormones. I went on a low GI-index diet, eating almost no glucose at all. The only carbs I ate were complex carbohydrates. I researched this regimen and found that I would be able to eat a more regular diet if I started exercising. As a poor college student, with not too much free time and hardly any money, I only had one choice: running.
I didn’t aim to run. I aimed to become a runner. And the rest is history.
Please send me any questions about this. I would love to share my story.
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