New rebel joins the squad :)

[Zizalada]

Hey, there! I’ve been lurking around for a while, but time has arrived for me to present myself and start upgrading my health

 

First of all, my name is Ximena, I’m 24, I’m from Lima (the one in south america, not Ohio  ) and I work as a copywriter and proofreader. I majored in Literature, graduated last year, and in addition of having always been Queen of Bookworms, I’m a history/politics/technology nerd with an obsession with A song of Ice and Fire.

 

I’m not new to fitness, dieting, or health in general. Towards the end of my second year of university, I realized my health was a mess and change was needed. I went on a low-fat, low-calorie diet for over a year and moved down from 88 kg (190 pounds) to 68-63 kilos (138-149 pounds). I also started jogging and doing some light weight-lifting (yeah, the girly 5 pound dumbells). Eventually, I also quit smoking, and to be honest, that’s probably the only one I did right.

 

Low calorie regimes were driving me crazy, I felt weak all the time, my hair started falling a bit, and I had to take like 3 different vitamin supplements to avoid looking green. In the mean time, I was still convinced I could have my cake and eat it too, so I wanted to be healthy, slim, and happy AND keep my right to frequent all-nighters (both mandatory and recreational)... no wonder I wasn't even able to notice I felt sick anymore. I probably forgot how "healthy" feels.

 

This year, I decided I was going to change that. I got bigger dumbbells and started (albeit unsuccessfully) to  try to raise the amount of weight I could lift. Partly because of a job assignment, I started doing some serious research on nutrition and health, and with that I mean I looked up a real endocrinologist (and a good family friend, so it was someone I respected too) and reading endocrinology books meant for medical students instead of Cosmo diet advice. There, I found the first clues that the real enemy to health was that Peruvian custom of filling up half the lunch plate with rice and/or potatoes.

 

Unfortunately, in the mean time, I got sick for real. At a yearly check-up, my doctor discovered I had a massive cyst on my left ovary. And I mean, massive (1.4 lts!). It was actually visible from the outside and I just hadn't noticed. I went through a lot of old pics and realized I had a bulge in my stomach that looked like I was 4 months pregnant, even if at the time I had blamed it on "being bloated" or called it "an extra spare tire". Fortunately, once they found it they were able to take it out, and it turned out to be benign (phew!). Still, the exams to get it properly diagnosed were still a stressful mess, and because it had grown so big, they had to open me up, C-section style, to be able to take it out.

 

Now that I've been able to leave that behind, I'm ready to start over. I'm not allowed to do very heavy weightlifting or "too much running" yet, but I got full clearance for levels 1-3 of the Angry Birds workout, and it looks like a good place to start building up my strenght and gaining back some muscle. I'm also determined on going Paleo, and today my transition starts officially. I'm saying goodbye to bread and all baked products for the rest of the month, and in two weeks I'll start reducing the frequency of rice on my lunch plate.  

 

[cityalien]

Make sure when going off of carbs to do it gradually! I decided to start Paleo IMMEDIATELY, and failed a week later because I didn't give my body time to adjust. From personal experience, I'd recommend you wean yourself off carbs over the course of 1-3 weeks(whatever you're comfortable with), until you don't feel a craving anymore. It's great that you're bouncing back strong after so much. I know you can do it if you just keep at it. I'll definitely be cheering you on

[wideeyed]

Glad you are on the mend   Health issues stink.