For starters, I finally graduated from nursing school. A MAJOR accomplishment in my life. With this came the end of a big, but worthwhile stressor. Nursing school, as much as I loved it, was one of the biggest stresses of my life. I had erratic schedules and stress to succeed (personal pressure). While doing nursing school, I was still attending State part time and working part time. I look back now, 3 months later, and I could not even tell you how I managed to do it. I did it drug and coffee free! And I maintained success (graduated Magna Cum Laude and maintained the 4.0 at State).
The next step came and with much stress as well. Time to prepare and sit for my licensing exam--the bane of every nursing student's existence: NCLEX. A stressor that kept me on the toes.
Okay hold that thought. Between graduating from nursing school and the NCLEX, I had a visit to the doctor. It was my physical for the year. That and my doctor decided to call me in for a discussion. Talk about a scary feeling: your doctor calls you to make an appointment.
I recently switched to this doctor and I absolutely adore her. I have nothing negative to say about her. I actually recommend her to all my friends and family in the area because she is so spectacular. She also practices medicine the way I see medicine to be.
Anyways, I switched to Dr Attentive who happened to be going over my health file when she realized something. I had a drastic weight gain in a short time frame.
Now I had taken all the blame for that weight gain--there were days I went without meals because I couldn't find the time between 2 schools. My sleeping habits were horrendous to say the least. I rarely got any exercise because my priorities were as follows: school-study-sleep-eat-gym. I rarely made it to eat.
My previous doctor, Dr Inattentive, had informed me it was all my fault. So I accepted that, until nursing school was over, there was nothing that I could do to make a serious change--I did not have the energy to revamp myself.
Then my meeting with Dr Attentive. Besides being greeted with a smile and actually remembering me, my face, and my personal concerns, Dr. Attentive approached me with her concern: my weight gain. I was prepared with my usual excuses. But she stopped me in my tracks and actually shocked me. "Masy, your weight gain and the pattern reflects what the research has indicated for the medication you are on." *dead silence*
As it turns out, a medication I had been on for the past 6 years was causing my weight gain. Dr Inattentive never mentioned to me the weight gain related to this medication. When the 2 year checkpoint came for this medication, she kept me on it and never checked in again. Here I am, 6 years later, and my weight gain progressed as predicted by the research: first year-5lbs, second year-10lbs, third year-20lbs, fourth year-25lbs, fifth year-30lbs, and sixth year-40lbs. Okay, so maybe I did not progress exactly like that but it sure felt like it. What I can say is I had gained 80lbs since being on the medication. The medication also makes it very difficult to lose the weight.
It is safe to say that I am longer taking the medication. At this point, it could still be another 6 months before the medication has fully left my body. The good news is, as long as I keep trying really hard right now, Dr Attentive believes that I will shed the weight like butter when that point comes.
With that came the concerns that have haunted me my whole life: risk for Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes, cholesterol issues, and anemia. Thankfully my bloodsugars are in range but they are on the high end of normal. My cholesterol is not what I want it to be. On top of that, I was anemic (shocker... no not really).
This all scared the life into me. I have completely edited my eating habits to the best of my ability. I am actually eating more meals, healthy meals, and removed soda from my life. It has been 3 months since my last soda. I am taking an iron supplement that does not make me vomit when I take it. Life is getting better.
Fast forward to the NCLEX> I was stressing out. I tried to go to the gym to keep my cool and maintain my healthy eating habits. The day of and after NCLEX my eating habits went downhill. I was beyond stressed from that test--I walked out crying and was convinced to fail. Have no fear: after 20 days of stress (my school forgot to mail our transcripts to the state) I found out the news I have been waiting for all of my life: I passed NCLEX and I am a Registered Nurse. The minute I heard that news, I cried. A boulder was lifted off of me. I physically felt myself standing taller and prouder. I was Masy again. My stress was pretty much gone. I was actually looking forward to going back to State for my last semester (graduation baby!).
I noticed that with dietary adjustments, consistent meals, and no soda, I was losing weight. For once. I returned to State 2.5 weeks ago and my friends (who last saw me in May) said I had lost noticeable weight. When I Skyped with my bffl (Badgyr) who moved to New York, she even noticed my weight lost (its been a month since I have seen her).
This is all amazing. It keeps me motivated. I am really trying here. So much so I have started my next chapter of my gymnasty experience. Hence the beginning of this post.
I blog to keep myself on track. I blog so that I stay true to Badgyr in New York. I blog to track whats going on.
I will not be stepping on a scale unless in the doctor's office. That moment will be coming up soon (I believe in a month or two). I cannot take myself to bad places. This will be a positive weight loss experience.
And it is as if State helped me get there. Thanks to what I originally views as a horrible schedule, I have plenty of time to gymnasty before classes. Like plenty.
Parking is horrendous at State. To even get parking, I have to be at school at 0800. That means I have a long time until class. I decided that I would be bored waiting for class. Hence my intense workout routine. And this was Week One.
WEEK ONE:
Day One: I went hardcore at the gym.
1 hour: weights
1 hour: cardio
45 minutes: stretching
I managed to do 15 minutes on my favorite cardio machine--the Stepper. That thing tones my booty and works my quads. That is the machine that gave me the glorious buns I used to sport. I also rode the bike. I have had serious problems with cardio ADD. I was proud to say I did 30 minutes on the bike. I usually do 10.
While stretching, I made a gym buddy! She told me she comes every Tuesday/Thursday, like me. We made it a plan to look for each other and stretch together.
I talked to one of my new friends about joining me at the gym before our class on Tuesday/Thursdays. She has joined up with me.
Summary: I felt AMAZING afterwards. I felt clean, refreshed, rejuvenated. I had energy to burn. Unfortunately, 2 hours later I crashed. But the whole time I felt amazing. The motivation I needed to remind myself that I can do this!
Day Two: I went hardcore hardcore at the gym. And survived.
1.5 hours: weights
45 minutes: cardio
45 minutes: stretching
I managed to access more machines and tried some abdominal ones--we shall evaluate their success tomorrow morning. :]
I went hardcore on the elliptical. I had intended on doing the Stepper, but this 15 year old looking boy took my machine. Typically I would take that as a sign and not do cardio. Today, I sucked it up and hit the elliptical. The first 5 minutes were really difficult. It seems that way for me in general with all cardio. But then I got into my rhythm. So much so that I hit a pattern of alternating 2 minutes normal pace, 2 minutes intense pace. I just kept bouncing back and forth and after 30 minutes I felt like I could go for hours doing this. That was an amazing feeling.
After stretching it out with the Gymnasty Trio, I had the epiphany.
Summary: I really can do this. I debated going to the gym ~3 hours a day times four days a week. At this point, I will build up to that. 3 hours times 2 days is pretty impressive if I do say so myself. :] And I crave it. I am back to my old gymnasty self from six years ago.
I just hope to lose enough weight to effect some of my blood values and so that Dr Attentive notices that I am trying. I do not want to let her down. I also do not want to let Badgyr down. I want to shock her with major loss when I visit her in a few months.
I also want to keep up with my gyrl BHB (name to be determined). She does awesome and loves me no matter my shape. She inspires me and I want to keep up with her. I want us to drop some jaws when we hit the scene.
I also want my dance body back. And to dance.
This concludes a really long post. But I am back. And in action. Here we go! My weight loss journey!
~*|MaSy|*~
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