Losing Weight and Beating Infertility

Taking a deep breath, I slowly stepped on the scale. The red digital numbers burned into my eyes as I read the horrifying results: 320. How had this happened? Where had I gone wrong? What was I doing to myself? These questions circled around my mind as I had a moment of awakening. I was killing myself. Not only that, but I would never be able to have kids. After being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, I knew that this weight gain was not only unhealthy, but likely to make it impossible to get pregnant without a lot of intervention.

At that moment, something changed inside me. I was scared for my life. I was scared I was going to collapse from a heart attack or some other side effect from the bulge that had sneaked up on me over the years. I was only 21 for crying out loud! This wasn’t how I saw myself ending up.

So, I took the first step (or flying leap) and I joined Weight Watchers. I always figured diet programs were scams and out to get your money, but Weight Watchers took a simple concept (portion control and healthy eating) and created a way for a normal human being to manage that concept. Shockingly enough, the weight started falling off! The first few weeks were so exhilarating! I was learning what a real meal size looked like and weaning myself off of my old, overindulging habits. But it wasn’t too long before the weight loss slowed down, and I realized not only did I need diet, but I needed the dreaded 8-letter word that had never entered my vocabulary: exercise.

How was I going to exercise? I hated exercise! Who doesn’t, right? Then, I received the simplest, life-changing piece of advice from my Weight Watchers leader: find something you like. EUREKA! The wheels started turning. Before too long, I had figured it out: dancing! Something I loved to do, but never considered to be exercise. As I had just turned 21, I was beginning to frequent the local bars. I discovered I could have a couple drinks and go out and dance all in the same night. What an amazing idea! It took a lot of willpower to get myself on the dance floor that first time, but after that, I was off and running….well, dancing. I particularly like country music, so learning the line dances and the couples dances was something that really interested me.

And that’s when the weight loss really took off. I lost 100 pounds in 10 months! I had done it all on my own, with hard work with a little bit of fun thrown in. And you know what? Two weeks after I received my award through Weight Watchers for losing 100 pounds, I found out I was pregnant. I was over the moon! I couldn’t believe that after two years of trying to conceive with drugs and pills and tests and needles, I had done it all on my own.

Now, there is a sad twist to this story. I ended up miscarrying at 6 weeks. It was the hardest thing I ever had to endure. I felt like God was playing a cruel joke on me. But after seeing the doctor and getting the okay to try again, we were back in the game. Three months exactly after my miscarriage, I found out I was pregnant again! And by the grace of God, that miracle is about to turn 1 next month. I am still working to lose the pregnancy weight I gained, as I no longer go out to the bars dancing, but I do dance at home and the weight is slowly coming off again. It keeps me going knowing that if I beat PCOS once, I sure as heck can beat it again!


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