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Nicole the Fertile Chick: From Obese Mummy-To-Be

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A few weeks ago, one of our members shared her success story, and I was so moved by it, I immediately asked her permission to share. It couldn’t have been better timed, considering one of our recent posts on weight and fertility. {Click here if you missed it}

People call me Temistots. All my life, I took being fit for granted. I was clearly overweight. I was 255.7pounds (116kg). I ate a lot, and as a result I constantly gained weight from that. My family and friends would pick on me all the time, about my size. I tried so many unhealthy extreme fad diets (especially in my University days), which were not only short-lived and ineffective, but also resulted in giving me an ulcer.
I obviously wasn’t (internally and externally) healthy. I suffered from constant joint pain and discomfort, that I often wondered how I got this obese. I thought it was manageable because I was still very agile, and even a good dancer. The height and PUSH was when my monthly periods stopped.

In a year, I only got my period twice (I wasn’t pregnant). The few times it decided to come, it only would only dot my panty liner. I saw several doctors, who all kept on prescribing contraceptive pills, which were supposed to regulate my periods. They did, but I often wondered how long I was expected to keep popping these pills! How was I supposed to conceive a baby on contraceptives? I was eventually advised to see a Gynaecologist. I was so scared by what disease I would be diagnosed with, but it turned out to be a different story entirely.

Immediately the Gynaecologist saw me, the very first thing he did see were my huge and mighty thighs. Without even bothering to hear me out, he asked me to step on the scale. Lo and behold, my weight was way too much for the scale that it broke. I was so embarrassed! He directed me elsewhere to check my weight and the result was 116kg (weight), 5’8 (height). At that point, he remembered he had not asked why I came, which he then proceeded to do. I told him about my irregular periods, and other symptoms (all of which, of course, were that of PCOS). He simply told me to lose about 20kg as a first step, following which we would decide on a treatment plan. I was devastated! I lay on my bed, that October morning, thinking about what to do, how to go about it all. That was when I decided to join a gym, and I promised myself that I was going to get my health back. I snapped out of my daydreams and laziness, and vowed that this would be a battle I would surely win.

I registered at a gym, and became a ‘die hard’ fanatic. I went everyday, except on Sundays, spending 2 to 3 hours each time. I also took up a diploma course on nutrition and weight loss management, in conjunction with nutrition related conditions (PCOS, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Disease, under nutrition, etc.

My target was to lose 20kg (as adviced by the Gynaecologist), but over time, I realised that, technically, the ideal weight for my height is 169 pounds (76kg).

Sometimes, it got to me, and I once broke down in tears, asking God why I had to go through so much, and what exactly I had done wrong to attract all this torment. At that point, I failed to understand that I am wonderfully and fearfully made, but it was I who dragged myself into this obese state by giving in to unhealthy eating habits and a bad lifestyle. Since running and jogging on the treadmill were too hard for me, I tried the fast walking method. I also did a lot of aerobics and dancing (which weren’t hard, since I love to dance).

I also was taught how to swim, so I swam thrice a week. The good thing about swimming is that you lose pounds in a pleasurable way. My typical exercise routine was 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the cycling machine, skipping 1,500 counts (250 at a stretch), 5 minutes in the sauna, 45 minutes for swimming (20 laps). I also made sure my meals were healthy and small portioned. I dropped 5kg (11pounds), and the first significant change after two weeks of working out consistently was the reduction in the size of my tummy.

My periods returned immediately the first 15kg came off. I lost even more weight, bringing me to my current weight of 66 to 67kg, making it 50kg in total that I lost. Almost an entire human being. It didn’t take too many cycles after that for me to get pregnant. It’s still early days as I am still in my first trimester, but I found it amazing how easily I was able to conceive, when I couldn’t even manage to get a period some months before that.

The morale is that you just have to find something to drive, boost, and motivate you, something that can ignite your inner fire, and then let the rest take care of itself. There surely will be boring days, and there will be plateaus, and there will be days when you don’t want to get off the bed. It is just important for you to change how you see and feel about yourself. That’s the only way you can persevere through the tough moments, and not by changing your diet plan or your workout routine. Good luck all!

Wow! Congrats, Temistots! Here’s wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy. I am so impressed by your determination and ability to lose 50kg!!! I can’t seem to shift even 5kg. But you are so very correct about drive and determination. For those still struggling with weight, may we have enough to help us make a change.
Have a great week, folks!

Photo Credit: Dreamstime | Sam74100 

Nicole is a woman in her late 30s, with a passion for all things fertility related. She suffered infertility for the first 3 years of her marriage, and found it extremely isolating. After she had her kids, she started The Fertile Chick (www.thefertilechickonline.com) to create a community and happy-place for all women, in various stages of the fertility journey.

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