My name is Diana. I’ve been battling my weight and health challenges for as long as I can remember. I have PCOS and that makes it so much harder to be healthy and thin. When I was diagnosed many moons ago, they didn’t know as much about it as they do now. I had already gained weight at an alarmingly rapid pace, and I was tired and frustrated, but so relieved when I was finally diagnosed. I know many illnesses are much worse, so I won’t complain (too much), but at least I knew what I was working with – right? Well, not so fast. PCOS isn’t a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. Every body reacts differently. I was one of the “lucky” ones who seemed to get every single symptom possible. I gave up many, many times and thought “What’s the use in trying? This is my life now, I guess”. But then I turned 50. It got worse. And I hit my highest weight – several times. No, I’m not going to share what that weight is yet. I’m not ready for that. But I am going to share my journey to health with you. I’m told this will take a long time, so I hope you are ready for a marathon!

So let’s back up and tell you a little about me. I am married to John, who has been a true God send for me. He’s loving, kind, patient, caring, and he ALWAYS has my back. Like ALWAYS. I’ve never had that before him. As far as humans go, he’s about as perfect as they come. A true blessing for me. This year (2024) we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. And I’m still not thin. Sigh.

John and I have two cats – Copper and Cosmo. Copper is orange and white and has a little gimpy paw that doesn’t hold her back one bit. Honestly, when I am having one of my down moments, I should just watch her. She doesn’t complain about her gimpy paw. She just runs with it. Literally. That cat is FAST! My sister found her on the road on the way to work one morning, and we think someone threw her out the car window because of her paw. We saved her and she’s been my baby ever since. Cosmo is a little black scaredy cat. He is terrified of EVERYTHING. But he’s so adorable – solid black except for the white heart on his chest, he’s my little love bug. He reaches for me just like a toddler. He jumps on my back when I’m on the floor working out. He curls up on my belly to watch tv, and he gives the BEST kitty hugs! In case you can’t tell, John, Copper, and Cosmo are my life!

Now that you know a little bit about my little family, let me tell you about my plan. I love to read, write, cook, and bake, so I will study nutrition and exercise, along with PCOS articles and just health in general, and I will share my findings with you. Full Disclosure – I’m not a medical professional of any kind, not a doctor, nurse, or a registered dietician. I’m just a girl who is fed up with feeling tired and unhealthy and I want to do right by my body so I can live a long healthy life with my husband and cats, and not be held back by my weight – mental or physical. I love to sew and want to make cute clothes and feel pretty in them. I will share it all with you – well, except my starting weight (still not ready for that!) and hope that it gives you some hope and inspiration if you are feeling a similar way. My first goal is to lose 50ish pounds by my September anniversary. I will share my workouts with you as well, just to keep me accountable. I promise there will be bad days, so please stick with me. I’m working on the mental aspect too.

So, let’s get started!!! Share your story and/or your goals with me in the comments, and we can do this together! We’ve got this!!

PS: My favorite place to be is on my patio, so if it’s nice out, that’s where you’ll find me! I take tons of sunrise pictures, and I’m in awe of how beautiful God has made our world, so you will probably see way too many pictures of my view. I’ll apologize now, but I hope you find them as relaxing and refreshing as I do.