Goals.

BECAUSE THE BATTLE OF YOUR MIND WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST OPPONENT. 

As some of you may or may not know, before we moved to New York my doctor told me that I was a pre-diabetic. What does this mean? According to the American Diabetes Association, a person has prediabetes when "...a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and may have some problems from diabetes already". 

 I wasn't really surprised at the news. I felt horrible for months. I had terrible headaches, stomach aches, dizziness, thirstiness, and moodiness. There were several contributing factors that put me in the category of now being at risk for diabetes. For one, I'm overweight. For my height, I need to be in the 110-120 lbs range. I was not exercising enough, nor did I maintain a healthy diet. I felt disgusting. Worse, I did not like the person that looked back at me in the mirror. I love ice cream, cookies, and carbs. Oh, do I love carbs. However, I wanted to feel "normal" again. What happened to me? Where was energy? Why was I not happy with myself? I was making the choice to live an unhealthy lifestyle. When my glucose test results came back, I made a vow to myself to try to be a healthier person. 

It took about a month to really make the changes to my diet that I needed to. Moving to New York, has been such a wonderful thing, because I don't have the access to as many fast food options. Likewise, I've been forced to walk everywhere. Recently, I went to a doctor here in NY, and to my surprise I've lost thirteen pounds since I've been here. THIRTEEN! Not only do I walk everywhere, but I have signed up for a gym membership. My doctor also suggested doing the Atkins diet. Okay. So, I bought a book. It's been hard cutting the amount of carbs I was used to eating. However, I feel like I have more energy. I haven't had a horrible headache or stomach ache in weeks. I no longer feel "sluggish". I'm starting to look like me again. 

I'm writing this post in hopes to encourage others not to give up on being a healthier person. It is not easy. There will be times that having a cookie or a slice of pizza will happen. Remember, making the choice not to do anything, is still a choice. 

So, today, I choose to continue to be a healthier person. I choose to reach my goal of losing ten more pounds. I feel like writing it on my blog will make me more accountable. Please, feel free to post encouraging words. I could use a little "boost" right now. Also, feel free to share your fitness goals with me! Together, we can encourage each other. 

Wish me luck, 

-A

For more on diabetes visit this link.

For more on the Atkins diet visit this link.