I've always struggled with weight problems. As a baby, toddler, and pre-schooler I was too small. After my third pacemaker procedure, it seemed like all the weight I couldn't gain was suddenly getting packed on - to an unhealthy point. Neither side of my family was blessed with great figures (save for a few relatives), and that is certainly evident in my household. The weight gain was so bad that my cardiologist had to address it at every appointment. I wouldn't have considered myself to be a couch potato, and we never really kept junk food in the house. Admittedly, I wasn't the most active child, but I went outside any romped around with other neighborhood kids almost every day. I finally reached my heaviest in the 7th grade, and had been bullied about my weight since kindergarten. I had enough. I was also developing my interest in cardiology as a career, and I became painfully aware of how unhealthy I really was.
I started eating better - salads for lunch, plenty of fruits and veggies, only the occasional treat. My diet was based on restriction, NOT deprivation. There is a huge difference! I exercised more - ab work, walking one to two miles everyday, taking the stairs. I started to see about a pound less every week on the scale, and that was a truly awesome thing. My clothes got smaller, my performance in gym class increased as did my overall energy levels, the bullying decreased until - BAM - I was 52 pounds lighter and a freshman in high school!
Unfortunately, POTS came into my life when I was in 8th grade. My symptoms didn't deter me from exercising at first, which allowed me to continue the weight loss into freshman year. It then became slowed as the dizzy spells and heart palpitations became more frequent and severe. However, I was finally at a healthy weight, and losing was no longer a priority. But I kept losing it! My pacemaker doctor was actually concerned about it, and I realize now that lack of appetite and tachycardia will do that to ya. Keep in mind, this was at my "old" hospital, where POTS doesn't exist and I was making all of it up for attention (or because I was looney, or whatever reason he wrote in my chart but didn't have the balls to say directly to my face). Now that I am receiving proper treatment, I have managed to gain some back (although I wouldn't mind if it stayed away). If you didn't know, POTS treatment typically includes sodium and fluid loading... This does not bode well for keeping a trim figure. In the past year, I have gained quite a few of those pounds back, which I am sure can be attributed to the simple bloating and water weight that would occur with such treatment. For the record, though, I still wear a medium ;)
BEFORE...
AND AFTER!!
So now I'm trying to get back into a healthier lifestyle. That's going to be tremendously more difficult with POTS, but these extra pounds are not ok anymore. They suck, and need to go. So to help me out (at least with the exercise part, because that is probably the most difficult with POTS), I've created some "motivational mantras." Feel free to use them for your own personal motivation if they apply to you, or adapt them into something more fitting for yourself.
1)
You have your own unique set of limitations. Do you know what they are?
Yes.
Are you going to respect them?
Yes.
Are you going to do stupid crap and hurt yourself?
No(t intentionally).
Have you done it before?
Yes!
Is it going to be hard?
Hell yes!
Is it anything you can't handle?
NO.
2) *This was a Facebook status update I had made, but it still helps. Also, the picture below goes along*
"Whenever I feel like giving up in the middle of a workout, I just take a nice, hard look at my workout towel. I am reminded that I DID make it to adulthood with a congenital heart defect. I made it when so many don't. I am able to do things they couldn't, so I will do it for them. For my friends, my future patients, and the CHD community at large. #strength"
Alright, those were my "deep thoughts" for today, and I kinda wanted to share them with y'all. So, if you are in a similar boat, I hope this helps. If you are one of my readers who reads because you're a friend or family member, thanks for coming back! I really hope you genuinely like this blog and don't feel obligated simply because of our relationship. If you just stumbled across my blog, welcome! I love to see all kinds of different places on the sidebar, so invite your friends as well!
And remember: whatever your size or shape, you're beautiful!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE with cherries on top - before starting ANY fitness routine/ regimen, CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN!! Listen to your body, and do it because you want to be healthy, not to fit into a certain size or impress someone. If you need to impress the people in your group with a number... you may want to find some new friends. PSA done!
Now here's some Right Said Fred!
Sydney :)
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