About 18 months ago I was struggling with getting up and down stairs, was in unbearable pain and suffering extreme fatigue. I was battling fibromyalgia, hashimotoâ thyroiditis, high blood pressure and carrying around 87 more lbs than I am today.
After another round of testing for MS was inconclusive, doctors told me there was nothing more they could do for me. I was on my own. I was told I needed to lose weight if I wanted to get better.
I figured I had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. I started walking. I worked up to 1 mile, then 2, then 3. I started run/walking, doing 1 minute run and walk intervals. There were days when I couldn’t even manage getting out of bed, on those days I rested. Other days I pushed through the pain and fought for each step. Eventually, I felt stronger. I started to do Beachbody workouts. I also started drinking Shakeology daily.
I continued to get stronger and the weight kept coming off. I set a goal to reach 70 lbs lost by the time I graduated from college in May 2015. I not only reached that goal, but surpassed it. I crossed that stage healthier and better prepared to return to the workforce after being a stay at home mom for 12 years. I no longer suffer symptoms from fibromyalgia and was able to stop taking blood pressure medicine. I am currently at 87 lbs lost and have maintained my weight loss for a little over a year. Maintaining my weight has been very difficult due to an uncontrolled thyroid problem.
For the last few months my thyroid symptoms have been disabling. I can no longer run long distances, was unable to finish a goal race and barely finished another race. I am continuing to fight for my health, every day. I started a medicine for my thyroid recently and hope that it will give me back my ability to run and the energy I have been lacking. Even success stories have setbacks, but how you cope with them defines whether you continue to succeed or fail.
I have overcome a lot of pain and fatigue these last few years. My battle will not end when I hit a # on the scale. I will have a lifelong battle against my thyroid and other medical problems, but I am not defeated. I will make the choice to do my best each and every day. For me, that means eating healthy foods and remaining as active as my body allows. Some days are better than others, but I will not give up. My story is not over yet and I know that every day is a new chance to fight for my health. Some days I will win and other days I may feel like I am losing, but I will never give up.
These last few weeks I was given the chance to participate as 1 of 4 female finalists in the Beachbody Challenge Ultimate Health Transformation Grand prize. Yesterday I found out I did not win the grand prize. I was upset, and still am a little. But, I also know that I am not deserving of that title. I have not had an ultimate health transformation. In fact, the only time my health will ever be ultimately transformed will be when I get to heaven. God created my body to be unique. It has flaws, in fact many. I was born with an immune system that doesn’t work the way it should. I have a neurological condition that will need treated and regularly monitored. My thyroid will always be my #1 enemy. For years I’ve fought to get as healthy as I am, and for years I will continue to fight. But I know I will never win this fight. Without an extreme miracle, this body will always have its limitations. I have come a long way and even reversed some of those limitations, but others persist and will until I die.
Accepting my limitations doesn’t mean I need to lay in bed all day or give in when the pain and fatigue is too much to bear. It also doesn’t mean I have to give in to the depression that accompanies chronic illness. I have a choice of how I react to my circumstances, to my limitations. Today I choose life. I choose to continue pushing my limits. I choose to try to overcome my genetics. Today I choose health, even if it will always be fleeting. We all have excuses at the ready why we should not workout or reasons why we should not choose fruit over cookies. But I want to encourage you today, that you get to decide your future. No matter your limitations or circumstances, you can be an overcomer. It won’t be easy, but it is worth it.
What’s your story? Is it time to start editing or re-writing it? Stop letting your limitations, circumstances, fear, or excuses keep you from living the best story you’ve ever told.
You are such an inspiration, Amy! Thank you for your honesty and encouragement to better ourselves.